What Does This Noise from My Heater Mean?

Hearing a noise from your home heating system can be startling. You’re enjoying a nice relaxing night indoors, when all of a sudden a pop or a bang or a slight rattle catches you off guard. What could this noise mean? And do you have to call a technician, or can it wait?

Common Furnace Noises and Their Meanings

This is by no means a definitive list of noises or causes, but it may help to give you a general idea of the problem.

Banging Noise at Startup: This might indicate an issue within the air ducts, or it could be a serious issue with delayed ignition. Dirty burners or another issue may cause gas to build up before igniting, and when it does finally ignite, it leads to a mini explosion. Your heater might still work, but this explosion could wear down the heat exchanger, leading to a potential carbon monoxide leak.
Squealing: A squealing sound might just be the blower belt wearing down, something that can be replaced relatively easily, although it could indicate the blower fan motor needs replacement.
Scraping: If it sounds like something is scraping against metal as the furnace is running, that’s probably the problem! It could be a broken blower wheel that has dismounted or become loose and is scraping against the encasement.
Rattling: This might only be a loose screw or a loose panel, but you should fix it as soon as you can for maximum efficiency.

When to Call in a Technician

We recommend calling in a technician as soon as you experience issues. Even if the noise is slight and your heater is still operating, you want the problem repaired ASAP so that it does not get any worse. A worn blower belt, for example, is not a difficult problem to solve, but if you let it wear down too far, it could take its toll on the blower fan motor, a part you want to last as long as possible. Contact the experts at Air Mechanical, Inc. today for heating repair and maintenance services in Blaine, MN.