After a few years of running your furnace every winter, you know how it’s supposed to sound. So you might be caught off guard if the equipment starts making unfamiliar sounds. Some noises — like several small pops or clicks ahead of the warm air beginning to blow — are completely harmless. But others could affect the equipment or even endanger your health if you dismiss them. Among the possible noises that you may hear, here are nine that justify an immediate furnace repair.
Scraping Furnace Noise
If you hear a sound like metal rubbing on metal, this could suggest the blower wheel is becoming detached from the motor shaft, or the wheel or motor mount is damaged or failing. No matter the specific problem, you should turn off your furnace if you notice a scraping sound and call a professional for an urgent repair.
Loud Boom at Startup
When you fire up your furnace, the burners should ignite without delay and start heating your home. A loud boom at startup probably means the burners are dirty, causing a delayed ignition. When the gas finally does ignite, you hear this terrifying furnace noise.
A small explosion each time your furnace turns on could bust the heat exchanger, a pricey repair that might require you to replace the entire furnace. Act before it gets to this point! Turn off your furnace if you hear a loud boom at startup, and don’t use it again until it has been repaired.
Squealing or Whining Sounds
A squealing furnace noise typically indicates poor lubrication. Shaft bearings and other moving parts require lightweight oil to run smoothly. Without this, components grate against each other and cause unwanted wear and tear. Our recommendation is to have this issue remedied right away to avoid premature furnace failure.
Chirping Noise
The sound of a bird entrapped in your furnace absolutely warrants investigation. If you hear chirping coming from the furnace upon the first activation of the season, it could just mean your furnace is warming up after months of no use. In cases like this, the sound should dissipate after a few cycles.
However, if the chirping does not end, it could indicate the pulley for the blower motor is out of alignment or the mounting plate is coming in contact with the blower wheel. This isn’t automatically a safety hazard, but the only way to get rid of the pesky furnace noise is to have a technician perform a repair.
Screeching Furnace
Screeching noises are an unmistakable warning sign that the fan belt is deteriorating. If the fraying belt cracks, it could spin inside the furnace, breaking other components and contributing to a much more expensive repair. Avoid this hassle and cost by exchanging the worn-out belt sooner rather than later.
Repeated Clicking.
Some furnaces give off a fast series of clicks when they switch on and off. There is nothing unusual about that. Having said that, if the noise carries on longer than about one minute, this could signal an electrical issue. Don't risk an electrical fire! Simply call a furnace repair professional to fix the problem immediately.
Thwapping Sounds
The blower motor should function without problems when the furnace activates. If you notice a thwapping sound that quickly picks up speed as the blower gets going, this likely means something is caught in the fan, and the blades are hitting it with each rotation. A quick repair should be all that's required to eliminate this bothersome furnace noise and reduce the risk of damaging the blower motor.
Rattling Furnace
A rattling furnace can be caused by multiple issues. It might be as simple as a loose door cover, so start there. If the rattling continues, the most plausible culprit is a declining blower motor. Treat this as a warning sign to have your furnace repaired before it entirely fails.
Whistling or Vibrating
When these noises come from the furnace, it could mean the air intake vent is dislodged. If the whistling or vibrating comes from a vent, your ductwork is likely detached, allowing conditioned air to release. These aren’t urgent matters, but if you have them fixed quickly, you’ll save money on your heating and cooling bills in the long run.
Schedule Furnace Repair with Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning
Are you undecided whether the furnace noises you hear correspond to these descriptions? Maybe nothing’s wrong, but if you want to be 100% sure, the easiest thing to do is to call a professional. At Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning, we have emergency furnace repair to get your system performing properly as fast as possible. Feel safe knowing that we stand behind our work with a one-year, 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you’re unhappy with our work anytime in the next 12 months, we’ll get it corrected! For more information or to arrange a furnace repair visit, please get in touch with a Service Experts office near you.