Keeping Your Home Cool during the Sweltering, Summer Months

Four Sounds You Don't Want To Hear From Your Furnace

by Anthony Graves

The crispy cool weather of winter is already closing in, and your home needs to be in good condition to withstand the temperature drop. For this reason, among all your home appliances, your furnace is the item that requires your utmost attention and regular maintenance since you and your family rely on it to keep you warm.

If your furnace is operating efficiently, the only thing you'll ever hear is a gentle clicking sound as it turns on and off. Outside of this clicking noise, if you hear a strange clatter coming from your HVAC system, you should contact an HVAC company and schedule a furnace repair service. The problem may not sound that bad, but by catching it now, you can keep it safe from further long-term issues and save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in the process. The kind of noises you should concern about are listed below.

Clicking

As mentioned above, an HVAC system that runs without any sound will only make a soft clicking noise, but if you hear a continual clicking sound, it could be a sign that your furnace is having trouble staying on. The most common causes are a relay defect or an electrical control that is malfunctioning, but either way, failure to get it fixed could result in a unit that eventually stops working altogether.

Squealing or screeching

Squealing noises normally indicates a bad belt or faulty motor bearing that is generated from the blower. Misalignment of the motor pieces is the most common reason you hear a squealing noise, and it usually doesn't stop until it is repaired. It can be solved initially by adding lubricants to the fan belts to reduce the scratching, but ultimately, it's recommended that you call a professional furnace repair technician to have it fixed quickly and efficiently.

Rattling

A banging noise that is coming from a few broken parts inside that are rattling around and making noise may be a bolt or a piece of metal that has come loose. This may not sound like a big deal, but it should be fixed by a professional before it gets much worse. A piece of ductwork that has separated can lead to hundreds of dollars in lost energy, while a piece of metal that is rattling around could indicate a fan blade that is about to disconnect completely.

Booming

It is always a little scary to hear a big booming noise in your house, but if you hear it coming from your furnace, it could be because of a gas build-up in the furnace system. This can cause serious damage to the heat exchanger and burns up the furnace, possibly resulting in a full replacement, in addition to other damages. If you hear this sound, don't delay in calling a furnace repair company to get it checked out.

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