We may not get as bitterly cold weather in our part of the world as other states do, but we’re still relying on our heating systems for at least a few more weeks. By the time we reach the end of the season, our heaters have been put under a lot of strain, and the more strain your heater receives, the higher likelihood there is for problems to form, which is bad news for your system and your comfort. You don’t want your heater to break down, and you can’t delay repairs until next year if you want to rely on it to work the next time you need it, either.
To keep your heating system in the best shape possible for the rest of winter, you’ll want to stay on top of any Olympia, WA heating repair needs you may have. And sometimes the best way to detect that you have heating repair needs is by listening for any unfamiliar or loud noises coming from the system. We covered some of these sounds below—if you hear them, be sure to give our team a call as soon as you can.
Booming
Do you have a furnace or other gas-powered heating system that’s making a loud booming sound when it first starts up? Then you likely have delayed ignition problems. Delayed ignition is what occurs when the burner assembly in a gas furnace gets too clogged up, typically with carbon particles. Eventually, this buildup prevents the jets from firing on time.
When the jets do finally ignite, they burn through a lot of gas all at once, which creates the booming noise you’re hearing. This is definitely one problem you’ll want to address sooner or later, since it can progress to the point where the burner assembly won’t be able to ignite at all. Fortunately, though, professional cleaning can resolve this issue.
Grinding
Your forced-air heater is able to circulate that air throughout your home using a component referred to as the air handler. This is basically a large motor with a fan attached to it. Inside the air handler motor are a few oiled bearings, which are designed to help reduce the amount of friction the motor generates when it’s running. These bearings are designed to last a long time, but they’ll eventually begin to wear out.
When this occurs, the friction on the air handler will increase until it starts to make a loud grinding noise while the heater is in operation. If you hear this, you’ll want to call for repairs right away. If these bearings aren’t replaced in a timely manner, you might end up with a burnt-out air handler, which is much more costly than replacing a few bearings.
Short Cycling
Short Cycling describes the process in which the heating system turns on and off in rapid succession, rather than completing a full heating cycle. This puts a lot of stress on the heating system itself, causing it to wear down and develop issues more frequently. Prolonged short cycling will shorten the lifecycle of the furnace by years, so make sure you call for repairs if you notice your system experiencing this.
Whether you’re in need of quality heating repairs or want to schedule your next maintenance session, you needn’t look any further than Sound Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. Contact us today!