Chirps and Rattles: What Is Your Sugarland Furnace Telling You?

Efficient home heating is important during the Sugarland winter, but if your furnace is grumbling or making other unusual noises, you may be nervous that a breakdown is on the horizon. Read on to see what the trouble may be and if furnace repair is in order.

Bumps and Chirps

The furnace blower and other parts endure consistent toil, and they may cause bumps and chirps when they need maintenance or repair. A bumping sound often indicates a deteriorating belt, which connects the blower motor to the fan. A metallic chirping noise could indicate that the pulley for the blower fan is out of alignment.

Screeching, Scraping and Grinding

Screeching, scraping and grinding noises from the furnace blower are more serious. These noises are often caused by worn bearings or other motor parts. Some blower motors require lubrication, for which you’ll see lubrication ports. You can try oiling the motor, or if you’re not comfortable with the DIY job, or if the noises persist, call your trusted HVAC technician.

Rumbling and Grumbling

When the furnace is operating and you hear rumbling and grumbling, it’s probably time for a deep cleaning of the gas burners and/or heat exchanger. If you hear a low rumbling while the furnace is off, the pilot light may need to be adjusted.

Pops, Bangs, Rattles and Whooshing

If you hear pops, bangs, rattles or whooshing airflow from the air supply outlets, the problem may be with the ductwork. Ducts are generally made of metal, and when the joints aren’t secured, the metal rattles. This may occur anywhere in the duct system.

Pops and bangs are often the result of the metal air ducts adjusting to temperature changes. The thin metal contacts and expands, creating the popping noises you hear. Bangs and booms generally originate at the plenum and trunk connection, which undergoes the greatest temperature change.

If you brace for a whooshing blast of air from the air supply outlets every time the furnace starts up, the ducts may be too small, obstructed or need to be cleaned.

If strange furnace noises are telling you something, contact us at Conditioned Air Mechanical HVAC Services. We’re the furnace repair specialists Sugarland homeowners have come to rely on.

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