Banging, Screeching and Rattling: What 6 Ordinary Furnace Noises Indicate

October 13, 2020

When your furnace is running like it should, it should give warmth without generating too much noise. While it’s normal to hear your furnace making noise as it turns on, other disruptions are signaling your furnace should get immediate professional help.

Here are some of the most reported furnace noises and what they can be signaling. If your furnace is making a strange noise, our friendly heating pros are here to fix the problem with the best furnace repair in Houston, TX.

1. Furnace Making a Banging Noise

You may have a critical situation on your hands if you’re detecting your furnace making a banging noise. If your furnace is making a knocking noise, it may mean there could be a couple of problems. These range from gas increasing in your furnace or a ductwork situation.

Banging Sounds Coming from Your Furnace

Your heating system gets filthy over time, so that’s why it’s essential to set yearly furnace maintenance with Marcos AC & Heating. One of the tasks our techs perform during this service is clean your furnace’s burners. When this component gets dirty, you could hear your furnace making a loud rumbling noise when ignition takes longer than normal. The subsequent gas buildup might crack your furnace’s heat exchanger, where natural gas changes into warmth. Any fractures in it can emit carbon monoxide, which is normally emitted outdoors. This hazardous gas can be fatal in large concentrations.

If you’re noticing banging or knocking sounds coming from your furnace, Marcos AC & Heating urges you to turn it off and reaching us at 713-469-3357. Too much natural gas in your furnace or a fractured heat exchanger are serious troubles that should get prompt service.

Banging Sounds Coming from Your Ductwork

Your furnace relies on ductwork to deliver warm air throughout your house. If the ductwork wasn’t designed properly or is getting dated, it can be loud when your furnace is heating. This may be the issue if your furnace makes a banging noise when it shuts off. Get in touch with Marcos AC & Heating at 713-469-3357 and we’ll determine the problem.

2. Furnace Making a Buzzing Noise

If you hear your furnace making a buzzing noise, don’t hesitate to call us. A buzzing sound typically is telling you there’s an electrical issue, like with its transformer, blower motor or capacitor.

Your furnace depends on an internal transformer to run on the right voltage. If wires or the box needs to be tightened, you could hear a low humming noise in the furnace when off. Your furnace also works with a blower motor, which distributes hot or cooled air across your space, and a capacitor, which turns on the motor. If either of these pieces are failing, they will buzz when the furnace switches on.

3. Furnace Making a Rattling Noise

If your furnace is making a rattling noise, it might be related to something minor, like an unsecure screw, or something major, like a broken component. In either case, we urge you to shut your furnace off and contacting our heating specialists at 713-469-3357 for help.

4. Furnace Making a Squealing Noise

If your furnace makes a high-pitched noise, like squealing, when it’s running, it’s attempting to alert you it could use some TLC. If you’ve forgotten furnace maintenance recently, belts could be worn down or a bearing could need to be lubricated. We know that maintenance sometimes slips your mind, but our techs can get your furnace heating quietly again fast.

5. Furnace Making a Whistling Noise

When you’re noticing your furnace making a whistling noise, it’s typically due to an air leak in your ductwork. You could also notice whistling while the furnace is running if a floor vent is loose. If you’ve checked your vents but are still sensing sound, Marcos AC & Heating can help. It’s critical to get loose ductwork taken care of without delay, as it can make comfort problems in your home and increase your heating costs.

6. Furnace Making a Grinding Noise

It’s not a good sign if you detect your furnace making a grinding noise. This metal-on-metal racket frequently means there’s trouble with your furnace’s blower. Shut down your furnace off promptly and call us at 713-469-3357 for assistance.

When you’re getting an atypical noise from your furnace, Marcos AC & Heating is available to support you. Contact us at 713-469-3357 to book your furnace repair appointment right away.