Listen for These Furnace Noises

Heating season is here, and that means that heating problem season is here, as well. If you’re using a furnace to keep warm this winter, you’re going to want to be aware of any warning signs that your system is malfunctioning. One of the best ways to do that is to listen for any strange noises coming from the system. Let’s take a look at two of the more common noises that indicate a problem with your furnace.

Grinding
The air handler is the part of the system responsible for circulating air throughout the house while the furnace is operating. In order to cope with the immense amount of friction created while it’s running, the air handler motor is equipped with a number of lubricated bearings. These bearings wear down as the furnace gets older, causing the friction on the system to increase. Eventually, the motor will begin to make a loud grinding sound. If you happen to notice this sound coming from your furnace, call for repairs before the motor overheats and burns itself out.

Booming
A deep booming sound is often caused by a gas furnaces’ burner assembly becoming clogged. As the burner assembly ignites natural gas, some carbon particles collect on the jets. Eventually, some of these jets will become so clogged with carbon particles that they won’t fire on time with the rest of the assembly. When the jets finally do fire, all of the excess gas is ignited at once. This is what creates the booming sound. Cleaning off the burner assembly is typically enough to fix this problem. You’re going to want to schedule that cleaning quickly, though, before the entire thing becomes so clogged that it stops firing entirely.

SPS Mechanical Inc. provides furnace services throughout West Deptford, NJ. Call today for an appointment.