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3 Furnace Sounds That Mean Something Spooky Is Happening

woman-standing-on-yellow-background-holding-hand-to-ear-to-listenWith temperatures cooling down, it’s just about time to shut off our AC’s for the season and turn our attention to our heating systems. With the full-time use they’re about to start getting, now is the best time to address any repair needs your heating system might have. The best way to determine if you need repairs is to schedule a maintenance tune-up.

During maintenance, our technicians thoroughly inspect your system inside and out. We look for any components that need adjusting, or possibly even repair. If repairs are needed, we’ll alert you to them right away so you can get them on your schedule.

What if you already had furnace maintenance though, or what if you haven’t scheduled it quite yet, and you notice your furnace making a funny noise? The short answer to this is “call a professional!” which we do encourage you to do. In the meantime, we’ve uncovered below just a few of the spookiest sounds you might hear coming from your furnace, and what those sounds mean.

1. Screeching

Have you detected a screeching noise in your home, to discover it’s coming from your furnace? The most likely cause of this is that the blower motor isn’t working as it should. A failing motor means that the heat being generated by the furnace won’t have the ability to circulate warm air around your living space successfully.

This might just mean that the motor needs to be lubricated, which is something our professionals can easily handle for you. But it also means that your fan can stop or has stopped. The only way to properly diagnose the problem is by contacting a trained and experienced HVAC technician to visit your home and inspect the system.

2. Clanking

Do you hear a noise that seems to resemble metal scraping on metal? Then that likely is what you’re hearing! And the cause of this problem may be a broken or breaking down blower wheel.

If this is in fact the case, you need to turn your furnace off to prevent further damage, and contact our pros right away. Allowing the problem to continue without addressing it can create a domino effect and impact other parts of your system, which means damage to your system and to your wallet.

3. Booming

Also sometimes described as a “banging” sound, a furnace booming is almost always the sign of a dirty burner. This may seem like a small problem in the grand scheme of things, but it can actually be pretty dangerous. The noise you hear is caused by a delay in ignition due to the build-up of dirt and grime on the burner assembly. Gas builds up as a result, and when your furnace cycles on and the burners try to ignite, a small explosion actually occurs.

We aren’t saying that your furnace is going to blow up on you! But what we are getting at, is that the more this occurs, the more damage your furnace system will incur. One of the most problematic things that can happen here is you’ll end up with a cracked or damaged heat exchanger, which can allow harmful carbon monoxide gas into your home.

For reliable heating repair in Allison Park, PA, plus exceptional customer service, call the friendly staff at Boehmer Heating & Cooling!

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