Have you ever heard your furnace making scary noises like those straight out of a horror movie? What you are about to read is not a horror story but could easily turn into one if you ignore scraping, rattling, shrieking or grinding noises your furnace makes. These noises can be pretty common, especially if you have an older model.
Furnace’s humming as the blower operates or minor pops are considered normal sounds. However, it is not advisable to ignore loud noises as the issue causing them could lead to an even bigger damage and higher repair costs. Timely repairs are essential for its performance.
A loud scraping noise
If you hear the sound resembling metal rubbing against another metallic surface, this kind of noise it might mean that something is not right with furnace’s blower wheel. If you think you heard this noise you should immediately turn off your furnace and contact a professional like Hughes Air: https://hughesairco.com
Problems that might be causing this noise:
- The blower fan got disconnected and is now hitting the casing. It should be easily repaired if the fan is not too damaged.
- The blower fan is broken and needs to be replaced by a technician
- The motor holder is broken
A loud rumble when furnace is turned on
There are 2 reasons why you might hear this noise. The first is filthy furnace burners. Furnace burners might be dirty causing a delay in ignition. This delay causes a surplus of gas to develop which makes a loud bang when the gas is finally ignited.
By no chance should this noise be ignored because these small bursts could damage the heat exchanger, leading to costly repairs. Regular maintenance can take care of this problem even before the heating season begins.
Secondly, the noise may be caused by expanding and contracting air ducts. This is not an uncommon problem for homeowners with a central HVAC. A technician can help you fix this problem and prevent loud noises. What you can do is replace undersized ducts, replace the air filter, adjust dampers, insulate and seal ducts.
Shrieking and buzzing noise
Things that cause high-pitched shrieking noise:
- Blower belt is loose (can be fixed by a professional or changed)
- Dry shaft bearing in need of oiling (a lightweight oil needs to be applied to the lubrication spot on all shafts)
- Broken blower motor (can be repaired or replaced)
This type of noise is not too much of a concern but it can lead to a lot of issues later on, so it is firmly recommended to get it fixed in time. A regular maintenance is recommended once a year before the heating season starts.
Better safe than sorry
It is strongly advised to contact a technician even if all these noises mentioned above or any other are minor at the moment. They could escalate into something much bigger and cause a lot of problems and then require expensive repairs. It is best to avoid all these potential dangers by regularly checking and listening to your furnace. Ignoring the problem does not make it go away. You want to save money, but more importantly, you want to prevent a potential fire caused by a malfunction.
Contact Hughes Air Heating & Cooling at
220 W 6th Ave, Mesa, AZ 85210, USA
480-247-6927