When it’s well-maintained and performing, your heater in your Belleville, ON home shouldn’t make a lot of noise. Ignoring these early warning signs of trouble could let small issues develop into expensive repairs. The following are five heating system noises to listen for and what they could mean.
1. Loud Banging Sounds
Electricity supports the basic functions of gas-fired furnaces, including the activation of their electric ignition switches. However, when these units are in operation, they’re constantly combusting fuel. When issues occur during the combustion process, you may hear loud banging sounds coming from your heater. These noises usually appear just after furnace start-up, especially when start-up is delayed. This is the sound of mini-explosions occurring within your furnace’s combustion chamber due to the build-up of fuel vapour.
The most common causes of delayed ignition in gas furnaces are:
- Kinks in the gas line
- Insufficient fuel flow
- Built-up moisture
- Corrosion
These and other issues upset the balance of the air and fuel mixture that’s necessary for furnaces to fire up by raising or lowering internal gas pressure. While a bit of extra noise during heater operation might seem like a minor inconvenience if your furnace is still heating your home, unchecked ignition problems can lead to total heating system failure, carbon monoxide (CO) leaks, fire, and the build-up of enough gas to spark a larger and more dangerous explosion.
However, it’s also important to note that turning a ducted heater on in an excessively cold home could cause metal ductwork elements to expand and contract as the first heated air rushes through them. This expansion and contraction could lead to loud popping or banging noises that echo throughout the building.
This is just as true for ducted heat pumps and electric furnaces as it is for gas furnaces. Fortunately, when temperature-related duct movements create higher-than-normal levels of heater noise, you can mute these sounds or prevent them entirely by having your ductwork professionally insulated and sealed.
Problems with gas pressure and ignition should only be handled by HVAC companies. It may be necessary to have your heat exchanger and your furnace burners cleaned or have damaged and leaky gas pipes repaired or replaced.
2. Sharp, Scraping Sounds
Scraping sounds are usually an indication of metal-on-metal contact, and often within the furnace’s blower motor. If you haven’t had your heating system tuned up in a while, it could have loose or worn bearings that obstruct the natural movement of key mechanical components.
The increased friction and heat of metal-on-metal contact rapidly degrades blower motors and could lead to overheating and eventual failure. To keep the underlying problem from escalating, turn your heater off and have it serviced right away. In some instances, moving parts simply need to be cleaned, adjusted and properly lubricated.
3. Rattling Noises
When a heater’s internal components come loose, they might blow to and fro whenever the blower motor is engaged. Each time they strike a hard surface, they’ll make a loud rattling sound. If this sound is rhythmic and repetitive, there’s probably a loose part that’s barely hanging on. However, when this sound becomes louder and more erratic, it means that a loose or damaged part has come completely off and is being blown wildly around your system.
4. Deep Humming Sounds
Have you ever had a chest cold that left you wheezing? When your chest is severely congested, you’ll usually hear a faint whistling or humming sound each time you breathe out or in. This is also true of your HVAC system. Although it’s not uncommon to hear a faint humming noise just at the beginning or end of each heating cycle, deep humming sounds that drone on and on are an indication of airflow issues.
Although regularly changing your HVAC air filter will keep many airborne particulates out of the interior of your heating equipment, standard filters don’t capture and retain all airborne debris. During professional heater maintenance, our technicians remove thick, lint-like accumulations of debris that have bypassed air filters entirely. This improves both airflow and indoor air quality (IAQ). Limiting stress on home heating equipment can also result in lower energy bills, fewer repair issues over time, and longer lifespans for heaters.
Another cause of humming and whistling can be holes in your ductwork. This is similar to the notes that come out of the holes in a recorder or flute when you blow through it. Ductwork with holes can cause heat to escape into uninsulated areas of your home, like crawl spaces and attics. Leaky ducts can drop your home’s heating efficiency by 30% in some cases. An HVAC professional can inspect, seal and re-insulate your ducts.
5. Rhythmic Clunking Noises
Apart from HVAC air ducts that expand and contract as their internal temperatures change, most heater noises lead back to the HVAC blower motor and blower fan. After all, it’s these components that drive air through your system.
If you hear loud clunking sounds, there’s probably something stuck in or attached to one of your blower fan’s blades. This might be a loose component or it could be loose debris from an in-system pest infestation. In some cases, clunking noises occur after a jarring impact event has misaligned the fan blades. If this is what has happened in your HVAC system, each “clunk” that you hear is the sound of a fan blade knocking into the furnace wall. However, if you hear loud clunking sounds while your furnace is on but no air is coming out of your HVAC air vents, the problem is likely due to a broken or cracked fan belt.
Sometimes Silence Is Deadly
Silence isn’t always a good sign. With fuel-combusting heaters, there’s always the risk of carbon monoxide exposure. This gas is a byproduct of incomplete combustion. To keep homeowners protected, both CO and other exhaust gases are routed out of buildings via attached venting systems.
Having an overly tight home envelope without a ventilation system could cause dangerous back-drafting events. Furnace venting systems can also collapse over time or become crushed or blocked by outdoor debris. Given that carbon monoxide is odourless and colourless, there’s no way of detecting its presence without working CO alarms. After making an entirely noiseless entry into your home, CO can cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, confusion, and death.
You should never wait until your heating system becomes excessively noisy before scheduling an HVAC service. Always have your heater professionally tuned up in mid to late fall or early winter, just before turning this unit on for the cold season. You should additionally use this time to test the CO detectors throughout your home and replace their batteries as needed.
For more than 30 years, we’ve been proudly serving Belleville, ON, as a family-owned business. We offer first-rate heating and cooling system maintenance, installation, and repair services. We also offer an expansive selection of attractive and high-performing fireplaces. To find out about our HVAC preventative maintenance plans or to schedule an appointment, get in touch with Armour Home Comfort now.
