If you’ve lived with a gas furnace at any time in your life—and most people have—you’ll know what sounds to expect from it: the whoosh of the burners igniting, the clicking of the ignition as it comes on, the whir of the blower fan, the movement of air through the vents, and an occasional rattle as the metal vents expand with the heat.
If you hear other noises, it may be cautioning you that you need professional furnace repair in Dunedin, FL. And we do mean professional. Only licensed technicians can work on gas furnaces while keeping them safe, so please don’t try to go DIY to find out what’s wrong with your home’s heater and don’t let amateurs try their luck with it either.
Below is a list of common gas heater warning sounds and what they may mean.
Clicking
We mentioned clicking as a normal sound from a furnace, which it is—but only at a specific time. You can expect to hear a clicking noise as the igniter starts up and lights the burners. But if the furnace is clicking at other times or doing it incessantly, it could mean a range of different problems:
- Worn down or dirty motor bearings
- Failing electronic ignition system
- Malfunctioning flame sensor
- Trouble with gas lines or gas valves
- Cracks in the heat exchanger
Some of these troubles are worse than others (any issue with the gas line or the heat exchanger can be hazardous!), but you don’t want to take a risk when you hear clicking sounds. Shut down the furnace and call for assistance.
Mechanical shrieking or grinding
This is likely an issue with the motor. A shrieking sound tends to indicate that the bearings in the motor are almost worn down, and if they go, the motor will burn out soon after. If you have technicians replace the bearings, it can save the motor. Grinding usually means the motor is already burning out, and in this case it will probably need to be replaced.
Rattling
The best-case-scenario for a rattling sound is the door to the front of the cabinet is loose and simply needs to be shut fully. However, the rattling sound can mean there are loose parts, such as screws, or the blower fan is misaligned. Any loose part can knock around inside the furnace and create damage, so you want this repaired as soon as possible.
Booming
Does the furnace make you jump when its burners ignite with a large boom noise? You should only hear a gentle whoosh as the burners come on. If the sound is too loud, it probably means that ignition is getting delayed so that there is too much unburned gas in the combustion chamber that’s igniting at one time. The ignition system may need to be replaced, or the burners might need to be cleaned.
No matter what problem is afflicting your gas furnace, our team will get to the root of it and have it repaired.
The A/C Guy of Tampa Bay Inc. serves our Tampa Bay family with integrity and honor. Call us if you need repairs for your furnace.