Ideally, your furnace should run quietly in the background, keeping your home cozy without a lot of fuss. However, as they age, many systems start making strange noises, some of which could mean it’s time to invest in furnace repairs or replace the unit altogether. Here are some of the most common furnace noises and what could be causing them.

Sudden Booms

Many furnaces click or whoosh when they turn on, but a boom you can hear throughout the house might signify some problems. Usually, these sounds are caused by clogged burners or an unbalanced air-to-fuel ratio, which allows gas to build up before it ignites. Having small explosions in your heater can potentially damage your home, so have an experienced furnace repair technician check for gas flow problems, debris, or worn-out burners.

Rumbling

The end of a heating cycle can also come with strange noises, including a long rumble that shakes the house. Most often, this rumbling can be traced to gas or oil that continues burning in the combustion chamber after the burners have turned off. Worn-out burners, pilot light problems, and other issues that cause rumbles might also leak carbon monoxide into your home, which is damaging to you and your family’s health, so call a furnace repair expert immediately.

Rattles or Bangs

A loud banging noise at the start of the heating cycle usually means a cracked heat exchanger, which is a carbon monoxide risk. If you hear this sound, you should turn your furnace off until you can have it fixed or replaced. A rattling noise while the furnace is running, on the other hand, isn’t nearly as dangerous. In most cases, it’s just some loose connections in the ductwork or a panel that needs to be tightened.

While it can be disconcerting to hear strange noises in your furnace, it helps if you know what the sounds mean. For almost 20 years, Muotka Mechanical has been serving businesses and homeowners throughout the Anchorage, AK, area, providing prompt attention you can rely on. Their highly trained technicians perform a variety of furnace repairs on every type of HVAC system and know how to keep yours working efficiently, quietly, and safely throughout the winter. Visit their website or call (907) 344-8825 to request your free quote today.