A furnace is an essential device to keep your home warm. Especially in the winter, the furnace becomes the lifeline of your home. It can distribute heat throughout your home uniformly, but it can be loud for a peaceful ambiance of a home. Hence its usual place in the basement is justified.
We can all agree that noisy furnace blower furnaces can get quite annoying, and the main culprit behind it is the furnace blower, a moving part of the furnace that blows hot air into the vents.
In this article, we will be exploring different methods to quiet a noisy furnace blower. The solutions are specially curated to solve almost all problems seen with furnace blowers.
9 Ways to Reduce Furnace Blower Noise
There can be many reasons so to why the furnace blower is making an unusual noise. The noise can reach other rooms through the ducts due to resonance. This makes it more difficult to identify the source and problem of the furnace blower noise. Here are some of the best ways to quiet a noisy furnace blower.
Adjust Furnace Fan Speed
The furnace fan speed is set to the optimum levels at the time of the installation by a professional. However, this need not be the case in every scenario, and sometimes, it may have been set too high. There can be a calibration error after maintenance, and this can also cause the improper setting of the fan speed.
You can reduce furnace blower noise by decreasing the fan speed slightly and setting it at an appropriate level where it circulates the hot air through the ducts and does not cause too much noise.
Clean Furnace Blower Fan
Devices like furnaces, which are often kept in the basement, see huge dust buildup on them. The dust and the lack of regular maintenance of the machine can cause the dust to enter the furnace and block essential parts like the furnace blower fan.
A little dust is fine, but an avalanche effect can occur without proper maintenance, causing more and more dust to settle inside the furnace. The dust particles settled on the blower fan can create external air resistance and create noise inside the furnace. Therefore, cleaning the blower fan once in a while can reduce the chances of your furnace blower making a rattling noise.
It is possible that some things can get inside the furnace blower and can cause grinding noise in the furnace, especially if the fan of the furnace blower is in contact with any metallic objects.
Replace Furnace Blower Bearings
The fan blower has bearings to provide lubrication and smoothness in its operation. The ball bearings can, with time, wear off, and this can cause resistance in the furnace blower. The fan blower can heat up and, along with it, create unusual noise like an idling truck. This sound can get amplified due to the ductwork that transfers the hot air. So, check whether the bearings of the furnace blower are worn out and replace them if needed.
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Check Motor Mount for Loose Connections
Motor mounts hold down the motor and hence experience a lot of force and shaking. Over the long term, the vibration can cause the screws that hold the motor to the mount to loosen up and cause noise. So, if you are hearing rattling noises from your furnace blower, try to tighten the furnace blower motor to its mount.
Tighten the Set Screw
The hot air from the furnace is driven by the furnace blower, which is a rotating machine. The furnace blower is held in place via the set screw. If the set screw is loosened, it can cause the machine to shake and hence create a rattling noise when it turns. This can also happen with the motor mount and can be solved by tightening the set screw and the mounting bolts of the furnace blower.
Change The Belt Drive
Some furnaces use belt drive motors for its operation. These belts can also experience wear and tear over many years. If it is out of alignment, or has particles stuck on to it, or has worn out, or is slipping, the belt drive of the motor may produce squealing sounds similar to that of an old car. This can reduce the efficiency of the furnace and can get very annoying. It is recommended to change the belt drive in such scenarios.
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Try Sound Insulation Solutions
If the noise from the furnace blower can’t be solved, you can insulate it from reaching you. It is only natural for motors and heavy-duty machines to make noise. If you can still hear your furnace, you can try heat-resistant insulation solutions on your furnace to reduce the level of sound reaching you.
You can take a piece of galvanized steel or melamine foam and place them next to the blower intake. Make sure that the insulation or parts of it don’t get sucked into the furnace.
Replace The Motor or Fan Blade
The continuous banging sound coming from the furnace blower is never a good sign, and it is not recommended to let it go unchecked. It may be because of some serious problem, including problems with the motor. If the root cause of the noise in your furnace is the motor, there may not be much to repair. You may have to replace the motor with a new one.
Sometimes, fan blades can also get damaged due to any bends in part, even if it’s rare. The bend can severely damage the working of the motor and can cause further complications. If the problem lies with the fan blade, you can always replace it with a new one of similar size.
Call in professional help
Maybe, you found out what the problem is, but you don’t have the resources or the skill to solve it. Maybe, the problem can be much different from what you thought it was. If you’ve already tried your best to reduce the sound of the furnace blower and failed, it is time to call the pros.
Talk to them about the issue and let them inspect the furnace and the ducts. They can easily find the problem and solve it with their expertise, saving you a lot of time and effort.
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Final Words
A furnace is a major appliance and needs to be taken care of. There can be instances when the furnace blower makes a loud noise that can disturb the ambiance of your home. You have to understand the model and working of your furnace to identify the problem with it.
Once you have identified the problem with the furnace, you can try out the convenient solutions mentioned above to reduce the furnace blower noise.
There can be many reasons for your furnace blower to make noise, including the improper working of the motor or blade, the lack of circulation of heat, over speed of the motor, etc.
Inspect the furnace carefully and try to determine the source of the problem. Also, don’t hesitate to call for professional help.