Furnace Sounds to Look Out For

Sometimes you don't need a technician or to even look at your furnace to know there's something wrong. Sounds can be a pretty good indicator that something is going on under the hood, so here are some of the most common sounds and their respective possible problems:

Squealing
If your furnace squeals when it starts up, you should probably call for a service technician. It's not a major issue, but it's annoying and means that the blower belt or bearings have been worn out; which is a relatively quick fix.

Rattling
If you hear a rattling sound when your furnace is going it can be a very serious problem. It may just be a loose screw on a cover, but it can also indicate a problem with the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is responsible for heating the air that goes into your home and to exhaust the harmful combustion fumes, such as carbon monoxide, out of your home. You can imagine why having carbon monoxide in your home is a bad thing. So if you hear your furnace rattling don't hesitate to call right away, even if it could just be a loose screw; better safe than sorry.

Rumbling
If you have a fuel oil furnace and you hear or feel a rumbling when you start it up it could be a critical problem. The cause of this is unburned oil in the combustion chamber continuing to burn after the unit is off. This may also result in carbon monoxide leaking into your home.

Roaring
If your furnace erupts with a loud roaring sound it's a very bad sign. It means that there could be an uneven mixture of fuel and air.

If your experiencing any of these sounds or have any other concerns or questions about your furnace: don't panic! Furnaces should be serviced once a year at least, so call us today.