As your furnace starts up and begins to add warmth to your residence, it’s normal for it to create some noise. These sounds, like the burners lighting and the blower whirring, are all part of the normal start-up process.
But there are a couple of steps you can do to make your furnace less noisy this winter.
1. Request Regular Furnace Maintenance
Furnace maintenance is extremely important, because it keeps your manufacturer warranty in place. This helps defend you if something huge goes wrong with your furnace during your warranty range.
It can also help our professionals uncover small problems that might make your furnace annoying. And possibly help you prevent a malfunction on the coldest day of the year. The Indoor Air Quality Association reports that annual maintenance can lower your chance of furnace repairs by up to 95%.
If minor furnace troubles go ignored, they could result in trouble down the road. By discovering these problems sooner, our technicians can get your furnace taken care of before heating season begins.
And, most critical, professional cleaning and lubrication of your furnace’s moving parts can help make it more efficient. A correctly maintained furnace could save up to 30% on your utility bills, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
2. Frequently Install a New Furnace’s Air Filter
Your air filter helps keep your home’s air fresh and clean. When it gets too filthy, it can make your furnace turn on and off more than it should. Referred to as short cycling, this can cause your furnace to eat up extra energy and make it stop working more rapidly.
Our recommendations for changing your furnace filter:
- Flat filter: Every month
- Pleated filter: Every three months
You might have to change your filter more frequently if you have allergies or pets.
3. Contact Appalachian Heating When Your Furnace is Making Odd Noises
Some furnaces, especially older ones, may be louder than others. But if you’re detecting extremely loud or weird noises, you might need to contact a heating and cooling company like Appalachian Heating for furnace repair in Beckley and Mount Hope.
Here are a couple of noises to keep an eye out for, how to fix them and when to call a professional.
Furnace Making Gurgling or Bubbling Noise
This noise happens more frequently with high-efficiency furnaces. That’s because they exhaust fumes in another way than older furnaces, and the process can make some moisture. If your furnace is having troubles draining this water, it can make gurgling or bubbling sounds. You’ll want skilled assistance for this problem, since it could be created by a blocked drain pipe or clogged drain pan.
Furnace Making Banging Noise
It’s not a good sign when your furnace is making a banging sound. It might mean a few things.
Haven’t scheduled maintenance recently and your furnace is producing a banging sound when turning on? Its burners may be dirty. Dirty burners can hold up ignition, which leads gas to accumulate inside your furnace.
All that increased gas can make a banging or booming noise when your furnace finally does ignite. But this is more than merely an annoying noise, since the accumulated gas is erupting within your furnace. This can crack your furnace’s heat exchanger and cause a deadly carbon monoxide leak.
If you’ve ignored regular tune-ups for your furnace and you’re noticing this noise, give Appalachian Heating a shout at 304-707-0600. Our heating professionals will get your furnace tuned up and make sure it’s running safely.
Your ductwork can also produce banging sounds when your furnace turns on, since the metal is expanding and contracting.
We suggest first checking your furnace’s air filter and getting a new one if it’s dirty. Next, double-check you don’t have too many vents closed in your house, as it can throw off air pressure.
If neither of these steps take care of the issue, your ductwork could be dirty or undersized, which will be a need for assistance from a professional HVAC technician.
Furnace Making Humming or Buzzing Noise
If your furnace is buzzing or humming, it’s a symptom there’s an electrical problem. This is most usually seen with a sputtering blower fan motor, which will produce a loud buzzing noise when your furnace begins to heat. It might also mean there’s trouble with the capacitor or transformer. All three of these issues require support from a professional heating and cooling company like Appalachian Heating.
Furnace Making Knocking Noise
If your furnace is making knocking sounds, it’s often a sign that an internal piece is breaking down. This might be anything from a bearing to a belt or the gas valve. It could also be a sign that your burners are dirty.
These troubles are frequently uncovered during regular maintenance performed by a certified HVAC pro. So, while we’re at your house working on repairs, don’t forget to ask us about requesting your maintenance appointment for next year.
Furnace Making Clicking Noise
A clicking sound could be the result of things: worn bearings, gas valve issues or ignition issues. All these issues need specialized assistance.
At Appalachian Heating, our experts are here to help you unwind in quiet, energy-efficient comfort. If your furnace is louder than it typically is or producing weird sounds, contact us at 304-707-0600 to book an appointment today.