Are Your Water Heater & HVAC Tricking You?

December 17, 2023

Halloween will soon be upon us. Scary sounds, frightening sights—all those seasonal tricks that contribute to the fun of the season. And believe it or not, your furnace heating system and water heater aren’t immune from these tricks either. In fact, sometimes the sounds they share can be as terrorizing as a ghost! But are all those sounds bad? If you’ve ever thought the worst about those noises, you aren’t alone. Many of our customers call us with concerns about the strange disturbances that come from their plumbing or HVAC systems. But fear not! In celebration of the season, we are treating you to the truth about those chilling sounds.

Let Us Treat You to Home Comfort Answers

Here are seven menacing sounds and what they may mean. The Tricky Sound: A scraping metal-on-metal noise If you hear what sounds like metal scraping on metal, you may have loose parts that are starting to scrape against other parts. To be certain, give our team a call for a full check. The Tricky Sound: Rattling sound Nope, it’s not a goblin. Most likely, your water heater has its pressure levels set too high. We recommend setting yours between 120-140 degrees Fahrenheit. If you need help, call our team for water heater service! The Tricky Sound: A shrieking sound from your HVAC system Don’t worry. The wicked witch of the west is not haunting your HVAC. A screeching sound most likely indicates that the belt on your blower motor could be loose or worn out. Call us for a replacement. The Tricky Sound: Buzz buzz buzz Have you been hearing a buzzing sound inside your walls? Most likely, it’s not a swarm of bees! But it could be your compressor starting to fail or perhaps a loose part that has started to vibrate. Don’t be scared. We can investigate and find an easy solution. The Tricky Sound: A banging or a rumbling in the water heater This is probably the most common sound we are questioned about. A rumbling or banging indicates that your water heater is filled with excessive sediment. It’s a normal occurrence and can easily be rectified with a professional water heater flush. But don’t wait too long to flush your system. Annual water heater flushes are the best way to avoid the need for an emergency plumber down the road. The Tricky Sound: A hissing sound Assuming you don’t have any snakes slithering in your home, a hissing sound could mean you have an internal refrigerant leak. If you think the sound might be coming from the furnace, you could be experiencing a leaking air duct. Regardless, these sounds usually require a repair. Call us! The Tricky Sound: Annoying clicking Just as a redundant drip, drip from your faucet can drive you crazy, so can an annoying clicking sound from your furnace. For the most part if the click starts and quickly ends when you turn on the heat for the first time of the season, that means your heater is working! But if the sound continues it could mean you have an ignition malfunction (pilot light or electric ignition). To ensure your home’s safety, give us a call for a furnace inspection. Of course, the above sounds are just possible reasons for what certain sounds might mean. To know for sure what is going on inside your home systems, please give our master plumbers or licensed technicians a call right away.

Fall Is Here—Time to Get Ready

It’s no secret that fall has arrived. If your home hasn’t had its heater tune-up or plumbing inspection already, now is the time to schedule. Blue Dot is available seven days a week! Call us at 410.204.2662.