Every furnace owner understands how hard it is to sleep with a noisy furnace blower. Cranking the fan speed higher does not make the noise go away, and turning off the furnace can be dangerous if you live in a cold climate. You need an exhaustive furnace repair procedure to eliminate the noise.
If you’re looking to find out how to quiet a noisy furnace blower, then you came to the right place. Luckily, there are some simple tips on how to quiet down your noisy furnace blower.
Below are ten effective ways.
1. Find and Replace the Loose Parts
A loose part can be noisy. The furnace blower is an air compressor that blows hot air through the system. If there is a loose part, such as the belt or bolts, it can cause the blower to shake and howl.
Check all belts and replace any that are damaged or worn out. Also, check for loose screws in both fans and vents and tighten them if necessary. If your furnace uses two separate fan units (one on each side), be sure to check the screws on both of them.
2. Fix Damaged Insulation
If your furnace’s insulation is damaged, the howling noise can be caused by air flowing through it and around other parts of your home. You’ll need to replace this with a good quality insulation material that will prevent it from moving again. This may take some time, but it’s the best way to quiet howling noises.
You can also use some insulation foam spray or expanding foam in any small crevices you find around your furnace fan blower. Doing this will help prevent air from moving through these spaces and creating noise, while increasing energy efficiency by preventing heat loss.
3. Fasten Your Furnace Motors
If the howling noise is caused by your furnace blower moving, you can use screws to fasten it to its housing. If this howling occurs when the motor starts up or shuts down, make sure nothing is blocking its rotation and that no loose belts are rubbing against anything else in your furnace system.
You want to inspect everything around your furnace motor and fix any loose screws, belts, or other parts attached to the motor. Ensure that you check if the current rubber mount is still present and in good shape. Check the condition of the fastener connecting to the motor as a faulty one could make the furnace blower noisy.
4. Use Return Air Ducts
Another way to quiet a noisy furnace blower is to check the condition of the return air ducts. Most furnaces have grills on the return air ducts, which can be a significant cause of howling. If your howling is coming from this area, shut off the power supply and cover up all other intakes to make it easier for you to work.
If this doesn’t do anything, try pointing a desk fan to the howling side of your ducts. This is a great way to circulate air and help give you peace and resolve howling issues.
5. Replace or Repair Motor Mounting Grommets
If all else fails, try replacing the motor mounting grommets. They may be worn out, which could be causing howling in the blower. It’s a relatively quick and easy fix, but make sure you shut off your furnace before trying this method.
6. Oil the Furnace Motor and Parts
If you have a howling furnace you’ve not used for a long time, the motor may be dry from lack of use. Try adding some oil to the shaft of your blower and give everything a spin before turning on your furnace again. This can also help resolve other noisy motor issues, so keep this in mind during routine maintenance.
7. Attaching the Furnace to Support Beams
This is a more expensive fix, but it can be highly effective. Your howling furnace may have always been noisy, and you think this could have caused damage. If that’s the case, attaching the blower motor securely to support beams will ensure no movement causes howling or other noises in your furnace.
8. Fix the Noisy Blower Fan
There are a few reasons why your howling furnace might have a noisy blower fan. Usually, it’s because the bearings of the motor need to be lubricated or replaced entirely. If this is happening, you’ll notice how much louder and more howl-like noises get over time until finally, they begin howling through your home.
Fixing howling noises caused by a noisy blower fan is pretty simple. If you’re comfortable, try lubricating the bearings yourself or asking someone to do it for you. You can also replace your blower motor entirely if necessary.
Check how much noise your furnace makes when the blower isn’t running and compare that with how much noise your blower makes when it is running. If you can’t hear any howling at all, then the bearings are probably fine and may need to be lubricated.
Listen up if your noisy furnace fan starts howling loudly through your home because that means the bearings are shot and need replacement or lubrication immediately.
9. Adjust Your Furnace Fan to an Appropriate Speed
Once you’ve had your furnace installed, it’s best to have it set to the appropriate speed for your home. If your furnace blower howls when it’s on medium, turn the speed down to see if that helps at all.
It would be best to consider increasing or reducing your furnace speed gradually as you use it. If you’ve turned the fan up slowly and still hear howling noises coming from it, then try increasing its speed very gradually (i.e., by one-speed setting) and check how it does.
If increasing the speed doesn’t make a big difference, you should consider decreasing it in increments until you find one that works.
10. Adjust Furnace Blower Fan Blade Alignment
Some furnaces have an adjustable furnace blower fan blade alignment feature which allows you to adjust the fan blades to ensure the correct spacing between them. This feature can help lower how much noise your furnace blower makes when it’s blowing air through its vents and ducts.
Let the Professionals Quiet Your Noisy Furnace
If you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work for you, it’s best if you hire a team of professionals to quiet the furnace for you. Don’t hesitate to contact us for effective and reliable solutions to your noisy furnace blower.
