Generally speaking, your furnace shouldn’t make a lot of noise when it’s running. A gentle hum is normal, but any other loud sounds that you don’t ordinarily hear could indicate that something is wrong. One sound that you might hear if there’s an issue with your furnace is that of a clicking sound.

Reasons Your Furnace is Clicking

If you hear a clicking sound coming from your furnace while it’s running, it’s best to call a professional furnace repair service to come and inspect your furnace in order to determine the exact problem – and to fix it. The following are some of the potential problems your furnace might be experiencing if you hear a clicking sound:

• There’s a problem with the ignitor – If you have a gas stove, then you’re aware of the brief clicking sound it makes when you first fire it up. You’ll hear this too when the furnace first starts up. However, it shouldn’t last very long. If the clicking continues for more than a minute, it could mean that the igniter is dirty or clogged and needs to be either cleaned or repaired.
• The gas valve is clogged – If the furnace is working perfectly fine and the ignitor isn’t dirty or clogged, then it could mean that there’s an issue with the gas getting to the pilot light. The clicking will continue because the ignitor is trying to spark a flame without gas. This could be a result of your a clogged gas valve.
• The thermocouple is stopping the gas – The thermocouple flame sensor is a safety mechanism in the furnace that will shut the gas off if there’s a problem with the flame temperature. In some cases, the thermocouple may not be working properly and may be improperly sensing a problem with your flame temperature.
• The furnace motor is having issues – If the furnace is running properly and producing heat but you’re still hearing clicking sounds, it could be the motor bearings in the furnace motor. It could also be other small parts knocking around inside the motor. This should be inspected as it could result in an important component getting damaged or breaking.
• There’s an issue with the inducer – If you have an oil furnace, then the fan on the inducer could be dirty, clogged or loose, which will cause a clicking sound as it runs.
• The ductwork is damaged – If the clicking sound is coming from your ducts and not your furnace, then it may mean that there are loose or cracked ducts in your ductwork.

If you’re hearing clicking sounds in your furnace as it attempts to start up or while it’s running, then it could be the result of any of these problems. If you’re in the greater Philadelphia area, we recommend contacting us at W.F. Smith as soon as possible by visiting us online or to schedule a furnace inspection. Even if the issue turns out to be minor, fixing it as soon as possible can help to prevent worse and more expensive problems from happening.

Now that summer is at an end, temperatures are going to begin dropping steadily. Like most homeowners and business owners throughout the Philadelphia area, odds are you’ll be relying more and more on your heating system to keep your property warm and comfortable. Unfortunately, this also means that your heating costs are going to get higher and higher. However, there are several ways that you can keep those heating costs down.

Reducing Your Monthly Heating Costs

The following are a number of tips that you should follow in order to reduce your heating costs while still keeping your home or place of business warm and safe throughout fall and winter:

• Use your curtains wisely – Figure out which windows face the sun during the day and leave them open to let in as much sunlight (and heat) as possible. Keep the curtains on the windows facing away from the sun closed to keep the heat trapped inside. Once night comes around, make sure the curtains are all closed to help prevent heat from escaping. This allows you to depend less on your heating system.
• Change your air filters – Clean or replace your air filters every month. Dirty air filters will obstruct the flow of hot air throughout your home or business.
• Use your ceiling fans – Believe it or not, but ceiling fans can be extremely effective during the winter. Flip the switch on the body of the fan to run it in reverse. The blades will push the hot air that’s rising up back down, thereby keeping your rooms warm and preventing heat from escaping towards the ceilings. Because your home or business will be more evenly heated, your heating system won’t have to work more to replace lost heat.
• Insulate the attic – If your attic isn’t properly insulated, it should be. Insulation in the attic will help keep warm air from escaping through your ceilings and up into the attic, where it’s not needed.
• Install a programmable thermostat – A programmable thermostat will allow you to program your heating system to heat your home to different temperatures at different times of the day for up to a week in advance. This means that you can program it to lower to a more cost efficient setting right after you leave home for work and have it go back up to a more comfortable setting right before you return.
• Get a tune-up – Have your heating system inspected by a professional. They will repair or replace worn out parts, clean dirty components and lubricate moving pieces to ensure that your system will not only function more effectively but more efficiently as well.

These are a few tips that can help you to reduce the cost of heating your home or place of business during the colder times of the year. If you need a residential or commercial heating system inspection in the Philadelphia area, be sure to contact us at W.F. Smith today.

Your furnace filter is meant to help prevent dust, debris, and other contaminants from being spread throughout your home. It traps these things, thereby preserving your air quality as heat circulates throughout the house. However, it’s important that you change your furnace filters before they get too dirty. Once dust, debris, and other contaminants begin building up, they can not only restrict airflow but can compromise the quality of your air as well.

Continue reading →