A booming furnace isn’t just unusual – it’s a red flag that something serious is wrong with your furnace. No matter what the reason for booming, you need to get your system checked out ASAP by our team. Allowing the problem to continue leaves your family at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning.
You can keep reading to learn what a booming sound means, why it’s dangerous, and what may be causing it. Then give our team a call for your furnace repair in Rocky Mount, VA. We can make adjustments to how your furnace is operating or repair parts that are malfunctioning so your furnace is working safely again.
Too Much Gas
One reason for a booming sound is that too much gas is entering the chamber before the pilot light ignites. It may be that the gas valve is too open or something is allowing more gas to leak out into the system than is necessary for beginning a heating cycle.
The result is an explosion that adds a lot of strain to the heat exchanger since it is an airtight chamber. The force of the explosion doesn’t have anywhere to go, but it is adding strain to your gas furnace nonetheless.
Pilot Light Issues
It’s also possible that a perfectly appropriate amount of gas is being released into the chamber, but the problem is that the pilot light is igniting too late. If the pilot light doesn’t ignite on time, a similar problem happens. Too much gas is in the chamber and an explosion occurs when the pilot light does finally ignite.
Risks of Furnace Booming
If you hear a booming sound once or twice, you may not think anything of it. And honestly, the problem happening one single time isn’t that big of a deal. However, you should still call for service any time you hear a booming sound. Otherwise, you risk the explosions continuing and damaging your heat exchanger.
If this happens and your heat exchanger cracks, you may need to replace the entire furnace. A single tiny crack in your heat exchanger can mean big trouble because it allows gas to leak out into your home. If you and your family breathe in these harmful fumes, you could get very sick very quickly.
Ideally, we recommend that you turn your furnace off completely if you hear a booming sound so that the issue does not continue to happen over and over again until we can check it out. This can save you a lot of money over having to replace your furnace because it is irreparable. Plus, you’re keeping your family safe by reducing the chances of carbon monoxide fumes leaking out without you realizing it.
After all, cracks in the heat exchanger can be very tiny and you may not even notice them at first. Gas also does not always have an odor unless your gas service provider adds one. This makes leaks very difficult to detect. If you have any type of gas service at your home, you should always have carbon monoxide detectors in place.
We can help you make the best choice for furnace repair. Rely on the experts at W.C. Butler Heating and Air Conditioning and schedule an appointment today.