It’s that time of year—spooky ghost stories and jack-o-lanterns abound have us feeling festive for Halloween. Still though, even if you believe in ghosts, it’s important that you’re aware that most times, those strange and unfamiliar noises you hear in your home are not caused by poltergeists. Rather, they are typically created by something going amiss with your plumbing system, or in many cases your HVAC system.
Sure, there are some noises your heater is going to make this winter that you’ll be familiar with. For instance, you may hear the ductwork crackling a bit when your furnace first comes on, as the temperature fluctuates. You will also of course hear the whoosh of air through the vents. Below, however, we’ve uncovered some heater noises you don’t want to hear. Don’t let them haunt you! Call our team to exorcise them.
Loud “Boom” At Startup
We’ll start with the sound that may alarm you the most. That is, when you hear a loud boom coming from the furnace. If this happens each time your furnace starts up, it might be due to the air ducts or the sheet metal siding of the furnace expanding and contracting.
But another definite possibility is that your burners are dirty. What happens, is a layer of grime settles on your burners, and when the furnace cycles on it has to burn through that grime first. This can cause gas to become trapped, and a small explosion occurs as it finally busts through.
If that sounds scary, it probably should be! The thing is, the more this happens, the more likely it is that you’ll have cracked heat exchangers. This can lead to dangerous carbon monoxide exposure.
Squealing
While we would like to make a joke here about a banshee being stuck inside your furnace, there’s a much more likely culprit—a lack of lubrication or a blower fan belt that has worn down. These seem like minor problems, right?
They are, to an extent. But the problem is, too many homeowners let these problems go on for too long, and they have a sort of domino effect on the rest of the system, potentially leading to premature system breakdown.
Low Rumbling
DO you hear a low rumble? It may be at its loudest when you are right next to your furnace. It’s hard for us to say exactly what’s causing the problem without inspecting your furnace. But we can tell you it’s likely that the pilot flame is too low.
Go ahead and check the flame to ensure it’s blue, and not yellow or orange. If it is one of the latter colors, the rumbling noise can be attributed to a harmful carbon monoxide leak as not enough gas is making it to the flame. Do not turn anything on or off that can cause a spark if you notice this—it’s best to give us a call and have this checked out as an emergency.
Contact DC Cheek Heating, Cooling & Plumbing for reliable furnace repairs in Johns Creek, GA. We’ll have your heater “Fixed, At the Speed of Life!”
