What Your Furnace's Unusual Sounds Indicate

Ensuring that your furnace remains properly functioning all winter long is about as important as it gets--not only for your comfort but also to prevent the expense of emergency repairs. In order to ensure that you stay on top of things, it is therefore important to learn to recognize the warning signs that all may not be well with your furnace. If you would like to boost your HVAC troubleshooting abilities, read on. This article will discuss two commonly encountered furnace noises and what they might mean:

Rattling and Banging

Rattling and banging sounds almost always stem from a section of duct work that has come loose. These sounds are then produced in one of two ways: either by the very force of the air stream or by vibrations traveling along the metal walls of the ducts. Don't worry too much about determining which of these is the case, since both can be eliminated by securing the troublesome ducts.

Of course, first, you are going to have to pinpoint exactly where the problem area is. This will probably involve spending some time down in the basement while your furnace runs. Once you have narrowed down the area, scan the nearby ducts for any absent screws. If you don't notice any, use a screwdriver to tighten the screws that are there; it may be the case that they have worked themselves loose, thus allowing the duct to rattle.

In some cases, ducts will continue to make odd and annoying noises even when tightly locked into place. When that happens, the solution is to buffer them with padding meant to absorb the vibrations. Felt weather stripping works wonderfully for this purpose. All you'll need to do is loosen the mounting hardware enough to slip a piece of the weatherstripping around the duct. Chances are this will muffle the problematic sounds.

Whistling and Shrieking

Once again, this is often a duct-related problem--yet one that is somewhat more serious than a merely loose duct. High pitched whistling sounds are generally a sign that one or more of your ducts has developed a hole or crack. Such structural deficiencies may the sign of either flexing stresses or corrosion. Provided the extent of the damage is not too severe, you can successfully patch it with a bit of foil tape.

Other times, whistling and shrieking sounds may the result of a clogged air filter. Should a filter become too blocked up with dirt and debris, it will make it much more difficult for your system to draw air through it. The air that does make it through small gaps will be moving at a much greater velocity--often resulting in high pitched sounds. Installing a fresh air filter ought to resolve the issue. For more information on furnace repair, contact your local HVAC company today!

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