Ah, furnaces, where would we be without them?
They keep us warm in the Winter, help us sleep at night when it’s blistering cold outside, and reduce our burdens in Winter. It is for this reason that properly maintaining and checking our furnaces are so important – we wouldn’t want them to die out when it’s too cold outside.
A common reason that people call us during the Winter months is that their furnace starts making a banging noise – and the reason for this is concerning.
A furnace making a banging noise is typically for two reasons, delayed ignition, or ductwork expansion and contraction.
Delayed Ignition
Delayed ignitions in your furnace can be extremely dangerous due to the cause of the delay.
- Low gas pressure
- Defective electronic igniter
- Dirty, clogged or misaligned burner
- Weak pilot light flame
All these reasons can cause a loud bang because what happens is that gas begins to accumulate inside of your furnace, and yet the gas is not being ignited to produce heat. The loud bang is a result of compressed gas being ignited, and the ductwork magnifies the noise as the sound waves travel through.
Your #1 priority should be to get an experienced HVAC technician out to check your furnace to spot the exact issue and to fix the problem so no further complications can arise.
Ductwork Expansion and Contraction
Many homes have rectangularly shaped ductwork made from sheet metal. This sheet metal expands as heat flows through it and contracts with colder air. The sheet metal gets stressed from the heat and cold exposure, thus putting pressure on the seams of the duct, and begin to make loud noises.
If your ductwork is the cause of the noise you have two options.
- Get heavier gauge ductwork that can handle the stress of a hot and cold environment
- Get a round ductwork installed, which prevents it from making the same noise due to its shape
Furnace Noises
If your furnace is banging loudly be sure to get it checked out by a licensed and professional HVAC technician. The team at Pacific Heat and Air Inc. has the experience necessary to accurately access why your furnace is making loud noises.
We’re upfront and honest about the work involved and will always give you fair estimates in advance as to the work that we will do to help fix your HVAC systems. Our team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in case you have an emergency.
If you are experiencing any noises, please call us today at (916) 381-8510.
For more information about Pacific Heat and Air, click here.