DIY guideFurnace
Furnace loud or rattling: the checks from outside
Find where the noise is, check the filter and the vents, and take a short video for the technician. The cabinet stays shut.
- 10 to 20 min
- 6 steps
- Every step animated
6 steps
Tap a step to watch it again.
Stand by the furnace while it runs. Is the noise in the furnace itself, in the ducts, or at a vent in a room?
Set the thermostat to Off and wait for the fan to stop before you touch anything.
Slide the filter out. A filter that's clogged, bent or loose in its slot can whistle or rattle. Put in a new one, arrow toward the furnace, and close its cover all the way.
Go to the vents in the rooms. Press a rattling vent flat and tighten its screws, and move anything lying on a vent or against a return grille.
Still loud? Turn the heat back on and record a short video with the sound, close to the noise but outside the cabinet. Send it to Handyman.
Banging, screeching, grinding or a burning smell: turn it off at the thermostat, leave the cabinet closed, and ask Handyman for a heating tech.
Never open the furnace's panels: there's power, a flame and a fan inside. If you smell gas, leave the house and call the gas utility from outside.
What you need
- A new filter the same size as the old one
- A screwdriver, for a loose vent
- Your phone, for the video
Call a pro if
- It bangs, screeches or grinds
- You smell burning or something hot
- It still rattles after these checks
- It turns on and off every few minutes
Handyman says: Leave it shut. I'll find a tech.
Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.
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