Should Your Furnace Be Making Those Noises?

It’s a calm, peaceful night in your home, until your slumber is disturbed by scraping, screeching, or banging sounds. The heat is still on, but from the basement you hear unusual furnace noises. These are not normal sounds of a properly functioning furnace, so you know something must be amiss.

As you already know, furnaces will make some noises, but typically only when starting up. They have designed modern furnaces to reduce noises, so when something sounds out of the ordinary, you have a cause for concern. If you hear one of these types of noises, you may need to contact a professional:

Scraping sounds likely mean there is a fault in the blower wheel of your furnace. This will sound like metal parts rubbing against each other, and the noise is not the only problem here. That scraping might indicate that your system could go through some bad wear and tear. The wheel may have come loose and is making the noise by hitting the blower casing, or the motor mount may have broken, causing the blower assembly to contact the housing.

Screeching sounds could also come from the motor, and could be a sign that something is wrong with the motor bearings. In this scenario, you will want to have a technician come out and apply lubricant to the problem areas. If the screeching is caused by a bad belt, then you will also want your technician to replace the belt immediately, otherwise, you could be without heat.

Banging sounds are common within the furnace, but louder bangs or pops could be a problem. The normal bangs come from the air ducts as they expand or contract, but the louder noises can indicate an issue with combustion in the furnace. When there is too much gas in the chamber when the furnace ignites, it can cause a tiny explosion, making that loud pop, and will put stress on nearly every part of your furnace.

Smaller clicking or whacking sounds might mean there is stuck in the blades of the blower or if something is stuck inside the housing of the furnace. It might sound like just a minor nuisance, but if you do not take any action, whatever is stuck down there can put a strain on the motor which will probably lead to more problems down the road.

Every furnace will have its collection of noises, but when things sound out of the ordinary, that is when you need to call the professionals at Sunrise Heating & Plumbing at (616) 293-9326. We are available to inspect, diagnose, and fix whatever issues your furnace might have. By providing exceptional customer service, our staff can handle any problem.