A furnace making noise can be an indication of a larger problem. Do you hear a rattling or unnoticeable noise from the inside of your furnace? If so, then this indicates that you need to repair and replace some of the furnace components. A noisy furnace can be very annoying and it is often the cause of a blower motor failure. Below, the article will guide you over some of the most common sounds and their causes.
Blower Fan Rattling
The blower fan is responsible to push the warm air around your home after the burner lights up. The wheel of the fan is attached with the help of screws. These screws are vulnerable to overtime wear and damage, which causes them to loosen up. Once those screws get loosened up, they no longer hold the wheel in place, and this causes the wheel to make a rattling noise when it starts to spin.
This rattling noise is initially caused by the wheel hitting each side of the walls of the fan. If the mountain bolts are not tightly intact, it will also cause the motor to shake, which leads to louder rattling. To reduce the rattling, you will have to contact a technician, who will tighten the screws and bolts of the blower fan.
Blower Fan Grinding
A blower fan may also produce a grinding noise. This happens when a part of the fan scrapes against the other components of the furnace. You will need professional help that will help you inspect whether something is stuck inside the blower motor.
Furnace Making Noise
When the motor bearings wear down, then you may hear a sound that is similar to a truck engine noise. Overall, most of the rattling, grinding and other unusual noises of a furnace are due to the faults in the blower motor. To get rid of these noises, you can contact your technician for a blower motor inspection, and they will advise whether your need repair services or complete blower motor replacements according to the conditions of the blower motor.
Draft Inducer Fan
The role of the draft inducer fan is to pull air into the heat exchanger before ignition. The bearings and screw inside the motor of the fan wear out upon excessive usage. These motors are smaller than the blower motor. This is why the sound from these motors is different and harder to notice. If the inducer motor is starting to show signs of wear and failure, you should look towards a replacement.
As you can see, your furnace comprises many motors, fans, and metallic components that are held together with the help of screws. Since the fans need to spin seamlessly for the output of warm air, the bearings need to be in great condition to support the spinning motion.
Unfortunately, bearings tend to change dexterity and shape with prolonged exposure to environmental elements. This leads to the loosening of furnace parts, which causes friction between metal components. This friction in turn results in heat and sound energy. Your best solution would be to contact a technician and have them make replacements.
