Dealing With Noisy Air Vents

Dealing With Noisy Air Vents

July 6, 2018

Clanging! Crashing! Banging! Whistling! Has… a marching band invaded your home, or is it something else? Well, go check to make sure there aren’t any spare tubas or clarinets stuck in your ceiling first, and then you can cross off that suggestion. What’s likely happening is that your air ducts are the source of the noise, and the sounds you’re hearing can be any number of wildly irritating things related to your ducts.

So, that’s the bad news: there isn’t one catch-all solution to the noises you’re hearing coming from your ducts. Diagnosing the culprit is next to impossible without having a trained professional come and take a look at your duct system. However, the good news: there are a few different things you can try to alleviate the issue, and you might be able to fix it yourself while at home! If you’re able to pinpoint where the noises are stemming from, you very well may patch the problem in a single afternoon. If you think the problem might be out of your hands, however, give the duct-noise professionals at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric a call and let them come fix it for you!

What Could Be the Cause?

Like we said, the reasons your ducts are so noisy can be because of any number of things. It’s tough to say exactly what the causes are, but here are a few potential culprits.

• Loose Parts of Ducts: When something gets jarred loose, then the air flowing through it will find ways to rattle those separated panels or mechanical components. The resulting sounds will reverberate throughout the sheet-metal ductwork, making a loud, annoying noise.
• Expanding Metal: Ducts, in their neutral state, are cold, since they’re made of metal. When the furnace kicks on, hot air gets shoved through the ducts, and metal expands when exposed to heat. That’ll make strange sounds like a clicking or creaking, but it’s fairly normal.
• Something Obstructing Airflow: Sometimes, objects get stuck in the ductwork, whether that’s just a broken piece of machinery, or if some unsightly pest decided to make its home there. Obviously, air passing through will have a hard time doing its job if there’s something in front of it.
• Pressure Difference Too Great: This can be the result of any number of things, but it’s when the return airflow, as the name implies, carries a different level of air pressure than the exit airflow. That can make some distracting growling or rumbling sounds.

What Can I Do?

Right. Again, the solutions aren’t always the same, since every system is fickle. But with that said, you can try a few of the following fixes and see if they make a noticeable difference.

• Clean the Air Filter: A clogged filter can soon lead to the undesirable pressure difference we mentioned above. This is something you should be doing every month anyway, so if you haven’t done so already, this might be an easy answer.
• Switch Grilles: Sort of along the same lines as the filter issue. A grille or register that doesn’t mesh well with the airflow your system generates will lead to some weird noises — consider switching to a high-velocity model.
• Consult an HVAC Technician: The best and most recommended option. A trained professional will know what to do, and they’ll be able to identify the particular issue far better than a guide on the internet will.

To skip the guessing game, give Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric a call at 800-937-6736 and have an experienced tech take a look. We’re the most reliable and trustworthy duct experts in the Tampa area, and we’ll have your ducts noise-free quicker than you’ll realize!

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