It’s that time of year. We are nearing the official end of winter and can maybe start thinking about our air conditioners. Sure, colder temps are still here for a while, but it’s always nice to dream, right?
Those dreams can come back to haunt you though if you let them discourage you from taking care of your heating needs. If your heater has worked “just fine” all winter so far, you may be tempted to ignore a weird symptom or two. One particular symptom homeowners tend to ignore (and later regret ignoring) is strange noises coming from their heating system.
Now, there is no such thing as a silent heater. You’re going to hear some noise during its operation. This is true whether you have a furnace, boiler, or heat pump system. What you don’t want to hear though, are noises that have grown louder, or noises you’ve never heard before coming from the system. Read on as we uncover what these potential noises are—then give us a call for quick and efficient repairs.
Booming at Startup
Let’s start with a noise that might alarm you. We’re talking about if you hear a loud boom coming from your gas-powered furnace or heating system as it starts up. If this happens every time, it can be due to the ductwork or the sheet metal siding of the furnace expanding and contracting. You want to have this checked out if it’s a new occurrence.
Another possibility is that your burners are dirty and covered in grime. What happens is that this layer of dirt and grime settles on the burners, and when your furnace cycles on, it has to burn through the grime. This can cause gas to become trapped, and a small explosion occurs as it finally busts through.
If this concerns you, it probably should! The thing is, the more you allow this to happen, the more likely the problem will lead to cracked heat exchangers and potentially even harmful carbon monoxide exposure.
Squealing
No, you probably don’t have a banshee hiding out inside your heating system. A much more likely reason for this noise is a lack of lubrication or a blower fan belt that’s worn down. These probably seem like minor issues.
To an extent, these both are minor problems. But the issue is that too many homeowners let these issues go on for too long, and they have a kind of domino effect on the rest of the system, potentially leading to premature system breakdown.
Low Rumbling
Have you discovered a low rumbling noise coming from your furnace? It’s hard to say exactly what the culprit is without taking a close look at your system, but we can tell you that it’s very likely your pilot light flame is too low.
So first, check the flame. Is it blue? It should be this color, and not yellow or orange—if it is yellow or orange, then the rumbling noise might be an indicator of a carbon monoxide leak since not enough gas is reaching the flame.
If you suspect this to be the case, don’t turn anything on or off that can cause a spark—instead give us a call for emergency repairs.
For professional heating services in Chambersburg, PA, contact Premier HVAC Services today!