You Shouldn't Ignore Odd Furnace Noises and Why

If you’re not sure whether your furnace needs repairs, simply listening to it during operation may be a good way to tell. There are many different kinds of furnace noises that your equipment could be making, but here’s a look at three of them, along with possible causes and suggestions for repairs:

1. Squealing furnace noise: There are several causes to hearing a high-pitched squealing noise coming from your heating equipment. The first is a loose or fraying blower belt. The belt can be adjusted by a technician to the proper tension or replaced with a new belt if fraying is the problem. Another possible reason for a squealing sound is that the shaft bearings need to be oiled. A technician can apply lightweight oil to a lubrication port at the end of each shaft.  If you have a direct drive blower, as most are, then you may have bad bearings in the motor.  This usually means the motor needs to be replaced.
2. Rumbling furnace noise when the burners are off: A poorly adjusted pilot light is the usual reason for rumbling when the furnace is off. A knowledgeable technician can make the necessary adjustments to stop the noise and return your furnace to a higher level of performance.
3. Rumbling furnace noise when the burners are on: When the furnace is on, a deep rumbling can occur if the gas burners are dirty. They may simply need cleaning or adjustment to return to proper working order. A technician can perform this service quickly and inexpensively.
4. Loud pop or bang when the furnace lights:  Any explosion type noise when the burners light could be a sign of either dirty burners or some other problem with the furnace.  This should be checked immediately by a skilled professional.
5. Other unusual noises:  If you hear any other unusual noises coming from your furnace either when it starts or while it is running it is a good idea to have it checked by one of our professional service technicians to make sure it is running safely and efficiently.

Sometimes a furnace noise is caused by improperly installed equipment. This could require a more in-depth examination of the equipment to find the source of the noise and fix it. Improperly installed equipment is not only noisy, but is less efficient and will cost you more to operate. It can also shorten the lifetime of the equipment and could potentially be unsafe.

For all these reasons, it’s important that you have your furnace noise situation examined by an experienced technician before the issue develops into something worse. For service you can trust, please contact CCAC, Inc. in Corpus Christi.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Mathews CCAC Air Conditioning and Heating services Corpus Christi, TX. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!     

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