Mick's Heating and Air Conditioning Blog

What Are Some Signs My Furnace Isn’t Working Properly?

Even if a furnace or internal heating system works perfectly for 364 days out of the year, that still means that one day it may break down or give off odd noises and leaves you with a cold home. Whenever you hear odd noises coming out of your heating system, it represents furnace warning signs that the unit cannot continue to operate and requires maintenance. What are the noises you may hear from a system that’s not working at 100% capacity?

Rattling furnaces often mean that an object has gotten into the machine and clogged up the intake valves or the heat ducts. An obstructed airflow can still result in hot air being piped into your home, but at far less efficiency than you’d like. The rattling sound may mean that a piece of the machine has come off and is bouncing about inside, or it may mean that a part is loose and keeps banging against the side whenever hot air pushes past it. Repairing a rattling unit is often easy, since it may require only taking out the offending bit of blockage, though it may also require patching any holes from which it came.

A creaking unit often means that part of the machine has overloaded and no longer functions on its correct balance. This can severely minimize the amount of warm air that the machine produces if it is unable to vent properly. In addition to a creaking unit that sounds like an old floorboard, the smell of gas may leak out. This represents a serious hazard to home and health and must be addressed immediately. A furnace inspection by a professional will determine the source of the gas leak, as well as the creaking sound, and position the unit so that it is correctly oriented and working properly.

If you hear odd noises coming from your furnace, your local HVAC contractor is the best bet to help you get back into a warm home. Contact your local HVAC contractor today in order to get an inspection and determine how you can get the unit back up and running.