When your furnace is working like it should, it should give heat without generating too much disruption. While it’s normal to catch your furnace making noise as it turns on, other disruptions are showing your furnace requires immediate professional assistance.

Here are some of the most frequent furnace noises and what they could mean. If your furnace is making a strange noise, our friendly heating professionals are here to assist with the best furnace repair in Ellsworth, Wisconsin.

1. Furnace Making a Banging Noise

You may have a serious situation on your hands if you’re noticing your furnace making a banging noise. If your furnace is making a knocking noise, it may mean there could be several problems. These range from gas building up in your furnace or a ductwork problem.

Banging Sounds Coming from Your Furnace

Your heating system becomes grimy over time, so that’s why it’s important to set routine furnace maintenance with Walter's-Eaton's Electric, Plumbing, Heating & AC. One of the tasks our technicians do during this service is clean your furnace’s burners. When this part gets grimy, you could hear your furnace making a loud rumbling noise when ignition takes longer than normal. The subsequent gas buildup can break your furnace’s heat exchanger, where natural gas turns into warm air. Any cracks in it can discharge carbon monoxide, which is ordinarily emitted away from your home. This hazardous gas can be fatal in large concentrations.

If you’re aware of banging or knocking sounds coming from your furnace, Walter's-Eaton's Electric, Plumbing, Heating & AC advises turning it off and calling us at 715-318-6728. Too much natural gas in your furnace or a ruptured heat exchanger are serious issues that should get immediate attention.

Banging Sounds Coming from Your Ductwork

Your furnace works with ductwork to deliver heated air around your home. If the ductwork wasn’t put in correctly or is aging, it can be loud when your furnace runs. This may be the case if your furnace makes a banging noise when it shuts off. Call Walter's-Eaton's Electric, Plumbing, Heating & AC at 715-318-6728 and we’ll pinpoint the problem.

2. Furnace Making a Buzzing Noise

If you notice your furnace making a buzzing noise, don’t wait to call us. A buzzing sound typically is telling you there’s an electrical problem, like with its transformer, blower motor or capacitor.

Your furnace depends on an internal transformer to run on the right voltage. If wires or the box isn’t tight enough, you may hear a low humming noise in the furnace when off. Your furnace also works with a blower motor, which sends warm or cold air around your rooms, and a capacitor, which starts the motor. If either of these pieces are fading, they will buzz when the furnace switches on.

3. Furnace Making a Rattling Noise

If your furnace is making a rattling noise, it could be related to something small, like a loose screw, or something critical, like a broken piece. In either case, we urge you to shut your furnace off and contacting our heating pros at 715-318-6728 for assistance.

4. Furnace Making a Squealing Noise

If your furnace makes a high-pitched noise, like squealing, when it’s running, it’s making an effort to tell you it requires some TLC. If you’ve neglected furnace maintenance the past few years, belts could be worn out or a bearing might need to be greased. We know that maintenance frequently slips your mind, but our techs can get your furnace heating quietly again rapidly.

5. Furnace Making a Whistling Noise

When you’re detecting your furnace making a whistling noise, it’s typically because of an air leak in your ductwork. You could also hear whistling while the furnace is running if a floor vent isn’t tight. If you’ve examined your vents but are still sensing whistling, Walter's-Eaton's Electric, Plumbing, Heating & AC can assist you. It’s important to get loose ductwork repaired without delay, since it can create comfort problems in your home and increase your heating bills.

6. Furnace Making a Grinding Noise

It’s not a positive sign if you notice your furnace making a grinding noise. This metal-on-metal sound typically means there’s a problem with your furnace’s blower. Switch off your furnace off promptly and call us at 715-318-6728 for assistance.

When you’re noticing an uncommon noise from your furnace, Walter's-Eaton's Electric, Plumbing, Heating & AC is available to support you. Contact us at 715-318-6728 to schedule your furnace repair appointment today.