Troubleshooting Loud Sounds from your Heater
During cold Kansas winters, your furnace is probably the hardest working thing in your home. You likely are hearing it kick on and off periodically to keep up with making your home reach and maintain your desired temperature. But while those soft hums of a working furnace may be easy to ignore, some sounds are not. Is your furnace making weird noises?
Do you hear odd noises from your furnace? Are loud bangs or booms coming from your ducts? If so, you may be wondering if these sounds are something you should worry about. Well, they might be. Depending on what you’re hearing and where the sound is coming from, these odd noises could indicate problems with your furnace.
At Standard Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, we’ve encountered all sorts of furnace problems and sounds. We break down some of the common loud noises that heaters can make and what potential issues each could mean.
Troubleshooting 4 Types of LOUD Furnace Noises
The heater turns on with a BANG!
You turn up the heat, and you hear what could be described as a gunshot! That’s definitely a startling sound. If you hear a loud bang or boom, you might have a serious problem. If a loud bang comes from your furnace when it first turns on, that could indicate a gas build-up. However, a bang could also indicate an issue that isn’t all that severe.
If you heard the sound coming more from your ductwork, that could be the loud sound of your ducts expanding or contracting. But if you’re not sure whether this sound came from the ducts, you don’t want to take any chances.
What should you do?
Turn off your heater and call for a fix. This is potentially a dangerous problem that requires professional help. Call us at (785) 776-5012, and we will come out and inspect your heating system. If you do have gas building up inside your furnace, this could cause more serious (and expensive) problems like a cracked heat exchanger. Getting this issue addressed ASAP is essential.
How to keep this problem from happening?
The good news is that a gas build-up is a preventable problem. Dirty burners can cause it, so maintenance on your heating system may stop it from occurring. Cleaning furnace burners is part of the maintenance service we provide at Standard Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning. Call us at (785) 776-5012 for maintenance service.
You may also consider joining our VIP Maintenance Program, which puts all your plumbing, heating, and cooling maintenance needs in our hands. You will receive routine maintenance each fall and spring, priority scheduling as well as a discount on repairs.
A rattling sound coming from your furnace
Are you hearing a persistent rattling coming from your HVAC system? This is probably an annoying sound and one that is hard to ignore. It could indicate a few things, including something as seemingly minor as a loose screw or panel that needs to be tightened or secured.
However, other issues can cause a rattling sound, such as a cracked heat exchanger. Have you recently heard a loud bang before the rattling began? That combination of sounds could happen when a heat exchanger has become, which puts your home at risk for a carbon monoxide leak.
What should you do?
If you feel confident in your repair skills, you could examine your furnace for any loose screws or panels and tighten them as needed. But if you can’t find anything loose or if that doesn’t stop the rattling, contact us. What’s causing your heater to rattle may be hard for a homeowner to diagnose on their own, so let one of our experienced furnace repair technicians inspect your system to uncover the real problem. Call us at (785) 776-5012.
You hear grinding metal
If you hear a noise coming from your heating unit that sounds like metal on metal, that is a sound you shouldn’t ignore. It may sound like metal scraping or even clanking. Those metal sounds could mean you have a serious problem. It’s possible that your blower fan has gotten out of place and is banging up against the blower house casing.
What should you do?
Turn off your furnace and get it fixed quickly or at least before needing to use it again. You will want to call a heating and air professional to check it out. There may be problems inside the blower. These could be minor issues requiring little repair or something more problematic like a broken blower fan. In that case, it may need to be replaced.
A squealing sound is coming from your furnace
It’s quite a shocker to suddenly hear a squealing or screeching coming from some part of your home. Problems with your furnace could be making this sound. While this may be quite an annoying sound to endure, the good news is that it could indicate some pretty minor issues. But it’s still not something you should ignore. Your heater may have a faulty belt, or there could be a problem with your fan motor. Some components in your system need to be lubricated. Regular maintenance could help prevent this problem from happening.
What should you do?
Contact us. While this sound could indicate relatively minor issues, you will want a trained HVAC technician to diagnose and fix accurately. Most likely, you need repairs that our furnace repair technicians can handle quickly and easily. But even minor issues, when left ignored, can turn into significant, expensive issues. While this may not be as urgent of a problem as other furnace sounds would indicate, you will want to get it handled before it turns into something worse.
Normal Furnace Sounds
Did you hear some other noise coming from your furnace? Your system will make sounds from time to time, and many of them aren’t indicative of a problem. You may hear chirping, humming, or even a pinging. These sounds are usually harmless and normal for a furnace to make.
But if you’re ever in doubt, or if the sounds are getting louder, you can always contact us at Standard in Manhattan. It’s always best to check out potential problems that may be fixed quickly and cheaply before becoming big and expensive.
