If the furnace within your Port Wentworth, Georgia, home is making strange noises, you might wonder which sounds are cause for concern and which are just part of normal operation. Every furnace makes some noise when it runs, but some furnace sounds indicate a problem within the system.
Grinding or Squealing
Hearing a grinding or squealing sound, similar to what you’d hear when two pieces of metal rub together, is a concern. This usually means there is a problem with the blower wheel within the furnace, and continuing to let it run could cause further damage to this important component. The blower wheel could have come loose from the motor shaft and bumped into the blower casing, or the mount holding the wheel in place may have broken off, causing the part to hit the housing that protects it. No matter what is causing the sound, it’s important to call an HVAC technician to determine if it needs repair.
Popping
If you hear popping sounds and you don’t have a bag of popcorn in the microwave, you could be dealing with dirty furnace burners or damaged air ducts. When the burners are dirty, the buildup prevents them from igniting, which causes too much gas to build up, making a popping sound. This is dangerous because the explosions could crack other components in the heating system. Damaged air ducts can also make popping or banging sounds, especially when they’re made of metal. The ducts can expand and contract when the blower turns on and off.
Rattling
When you hear something rattling in your heating system, this usually indicates that the ducts aren’t the proper size. When the air starts flowing through the ducts, the change in pressure can cause the pieces to hit together, causing the obnoxious rattling noise. It also means you’re probably losing some of the heated or cooled air, so it’s worth having a technician take a look at the problem.
Call Byrd Heating and Air Conditioning at 912-373-8447 if you hear any of these concerning sounds from the cooling and heating system in your home.
Image provided by Shutterstock
