Are Loud Sounds from My Heater a Reason to Call for Repair Help?
If you’ve lived with your heater through at least one cold spell , then you’ll know the sort of sounds it makes during regular operation. When your heater makes a strange, loud sound you haven’t heard from it previously, it’s usually a caution sign: something is going wrong within the heating system, and it may require repairs. Pay attention to those noises and don’t hesitate to call in for heating systems repair so you can help ensure your family’s comfort this winter.
Goettl Air Conditioning & Plumbing has decades of experience servicing heating systems of all kinds. If you hear any of the following noises coming from your heater—whether you have a furnace, heat pump, or radiant system—contact us for the inspection and necessary repairs.
Warning sounds from your heater
- Loud clicking: Depending on the type of system you have, this could be a number of different problems. For heat pumps, it might be dirty bearings on the motors or a dying capacitor, both of which require immediate attention. With a furnace it could be a malfunctioning electrical ignition, or even cracks in the heat exchangers. The latter can be a serious hazard because it leads to carbon monoxide leaking, so make sure you get repairs done immediately.
- Clanging and banging: The likely culprit here is a major mechanical piece that has come loose and is hitting the other components. For furnaces and heat pumps, this is often a loose blower motor fan belt. If the belt frays or cracks, it can come loose and will start to strike other parts of the heater. Only timely repairs will keep it from spreading the damage.
- Booming: For gas-powered furnaces and some hydronic systems like radiant floor heating, this noise occurs because of dirt along the burner unit. Too much grime or a build-up of rust will block oxygen from reaching the gas jets, resulting in this noise.
- Grinding: This probably because of motors that are overworking and close to burning out. They will need to be replaced.
Repair now or suffer later
Potential repair needs should be looked into immediately, because damage tends to spread to other components in a heater if not taken remedied. The longer you let a malfunction go, the more the heater will overwork until it breaks down and you have a much more expensive repair job on your hands. The strange noise might have an innocuous cause, but chances are high that it doesn’t—so call up professionals like Goettl Air Conditioning & Plumbing to take care of your heating when it might be in trouble.
