Diagnosing 3 Worrisome Heat Pump Noises in Kinston, NC
Besides a gentle hum and a temporary clicking sound that may occur upon startup, the heat pump in your Kinston, NC, home shouldn’t make any noise. However, it may start to emit strange noises when something isn’t working right and it’s in trouble. In what follows, we’ll explain what three such heat pump noises usually mean.
Hissing
This is the telltale noise that accompanies a refrigerant leak. When refrigerant gas leaks out of your heat pump, it’ll typically do so through holes in the system’s refrigerant lines. As the gas flows out through the hole, you’ll hear a hiss.
In the event of a refrigerant leak, you may also hear bubbling sounds. These will appear if air flows in, displaces the refrigerant that has already vanished and forms into bubbles. Remember that refrigerant is highly toxic, meaning that you should only entrust the job of stopping leaks to professionals.
Rattling
If some pieces of debris, like pebbles, twigs, acorns or clumps of dirt, get into your heat pump, they may begin tumbling around and making rattling noises. You may also hear banging noises if one of your heat pump’s fan blades comes loose, moves out of position and begins striking some other object. Ultimately, the only solution to these issues is to ask an HVAC maintenance service technician to clean out the debris or fasten the fan blades back into place.
Squealing
Most commonly, high-pitched squeals or squeaks suggest that the pressure inside your heat pump is excessively high and that the system’s compressor is faulty. Your system’s motor bearings may also be dry or lack adequate lubrication. Finally, it’s possible that your heat pump’s blower motor has malfunctioned.
When your ears tell you that your heat pump is in trouble, trust them. With our help, you now have a better idea of what you ought to listen for. If you hear something odd, don’t hesitate to call J & J Mechanical, Inc. to schedule the best heat pump services around Kinston, NC.
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