Screech! Clang! Don't Let These Spooky Furnace Noises Give You a Scare!

Everyone loves a good spook! Unless it comes from your furnace.

Your furnace should be silent and discreet - keeping your home warm and peaceful. But what if your furnace is all but silent?

What if screeching, rattling or humming sounds have taken over your peaceful home?

You’re left wondering what or who has moved in unannounced.

If you’re hearing any of these strange noises coming from your utility room, it might be time to turn the light on and take a quick peek.

Don’t worry! Our Sudbury furnace repair team can handle whatever you may find down there - no matter how scary it is.

Want to help crack the case and expose the culprit? Keep reading!

What’s Causing These Spooky Furnace Noises?

Although furnace noises can be spooky, they may also be your only key to discovering exactly what is lurking in your heating system.

Below is a list of the strangest sounds our Sudbury furnace repair team has heard over the years. Do any of them match the sounds you’ve been hearing?

Once you’ve identified the noise, you can then learn WHY it exists and HOW to get rid of it.

Got your detective hat on? Let’s go snooping!

Shrieking

Is it a high-pitched shrieking noise you’re hearing from your furnace? This is probably one of the more terrifying sounds your furnace can make. And definitely not one to ignore!

That shrieking could indicate several different things, including:

• A loose blower fan belt
• Loose shaft bearings
• Worn shaft bearings
• Blower motor damages

Most of these issues are easily fixed, as long you catch them in time! However, if ignored, they can quickly become more extensive.

Whistling

Whistling sounds can be quite eerie, especially if nobody in your family tends to whistle.

But thankfully, it’s usually quite easy to find the source.

Typically, you can find the whistling culprit in either,

1. A blocked or leaking air duct, or
2. A dirty air filter.

Simply schedule a quick duct cleaning and repair service and/or change the furnace filter!

Rattling

Do you hear rattling or rumbling sounds coming from your furnace unit? If so, you can pretty much assume a part inside your furnace has become loose.

The sound you hear is that part vibrating inside your unit - knocking into other elements and potentially causing even further damage to the system.

This part could be within the blower motor, heat exchanger, gas burners or surface ignitor.

And while the problem is easy to diagnose, we don’t recommend trying to fix it yourself. A certified Sudbury furnace repair technician has the tools, experience and know-how to get things tightened back up on your behalf.

Popping

Some popping sounds are normal, like the one you hear when your furnace kicks on. But others can point to a more serious problem - like a dirty igniter or burner. 

If you’ve had your furnace for a while, there’s a high chance that sediment has begun piling up on the burners and/or igniter.

If you ignore this buildup, those popping sounds could be the ignition of that buildup.

As you can probably guess, this ignition can easily damage surrounding components - leaving quite the costly repairs in its wake.

The solution?

Make sure you clean out this sediment buildup at least once per year.

Banging

Was that the sound of a gunshot? Or was it the sound of your ducts expanding and contracting?

As you kick on your furnace, the pressure can cause the ducts to expand quickly, releasing a loud bang or boom.

Then, as the pressure regulates, the ducts will contract, causing a second loud bang to occur.

If these are the sounds you’re hearing, you have nothing to worry about!

Humming

Most furnaces release a low humming sound when turned on. But it’s always good to investigate the sound before assuming it's harmless.

For example, if the humming sound is louder and more persistent than normal, there could be a much larger issue at hand.

Loud humming could indicate a problem in your blower fan or capacitor. And if left unchecked, the problem can quickly escalate to more than just a simple repair.

Scraping

Two of the most spine-chilling sounds you can hear from your furnace are,

1. Metal rubbing against metal, and
2. Nails scraping on a chalkboard.

In fact, we’d probably be running the opposite direction of those sounds if not for the fact that they are clearly related to your furnace.

Both of these eerie noises can indicate many furnace issues, including:

• Worn out ball bearings
• A loose blower wheel
• A loose or broken fan

Needless to say, this sound should never go unchecked.

Our advice? Turn off your heat immediately and call your Sudbury furnace repair team!

Our Sudbury Furnace Repair Team Can Make These Sounds Disappear!

Are these mysterious furnace sounds keeping you up at night? Visiting a haunted house sounds fun, but living in one is entirely different.

Don’t let these furnace repairs come back to haunt you. Our Sudbury furnace repair team at Campeau Heating can make them disappear!

Call us today at (705) 560-2441 or schedule your furnace repair visit online.