During the colder months of the winter, the sound of a heating system form a part of the general “white noise” in a home: something you don’t notice much, but which serves as a subconscious and soothing background sound. When your heater makes a noise that suddenly draws your attention, you’ll probably suspect that something is wrong.
Most unusual noises are warnings that you need an HVAC specialist to investigate your heating system to see if it requires repair work. Don’t procrastinate, since the repairs will only get more complicated and expensive if you let them slide—and some might turn dangerous.
Here are a few heating system sounds that you definitely should not hear. If you do, call A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning for professional heating repair service in Metairie, LA.
Heating system warning sounds
- Booming/grumbling: If you have a gas furnace, these noises often indicate there is too much dirt along the burner, and the gas jets or pilots light cannot get enough air to ignite. You will need a professional to remove the burner unit and clean it.
- Grinding: This sort of sound coming from a furnace cabinet is often a warning that the motors are running down because of worn parts. Usually, the motors will need to be replaced.
- Screeching: The bearings on the motors are wearing down, possibly due to a dust infiltration. This needs attention before the whole motor requires replacement.
- Clacking: Any noise that sounds like one component is striking against another might mean that a blower motor fan belt has come loose and is hitting other mechanisms inside the cabinet. This needs repair immediately before the loose belt causes further damage.
- Clicking before the blower motor comes on: Although hearing a few clicking sounds as a gas furnace starts up is normal, if you hear a loud clicking about a minute and a half before the blower motor turns on, it might mean a crack in the heat exchanger—which could lead to a leak of carbon monoxide. If you suspect this has happened, shut off the gas to the furnace and call for repairs immediately.
Heating systems do not yet come equipped with artificial intelligences that can exactly inform you about a malfunction and what to do about it. However, these sounds listed above are the next best thing: when you hear them, bring in a human intelligence—a professional technician—to find out what is wrong and what to do about it.
A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning aims to deliver complete satisfaction with your heating repair in Metairie, LA. If your heater starts to warn you that something is wrong, call us.
