What’s that strange noise? It seems to becoming from your air vents. A little noise from your vents is normal, but certain sounds can indicate problems. How do you tell what problem your noisy air vents are a symptom of? Here are some of the most common sounds and what to do about them.
Return Vent Noise
One of the biggest sources of noise is your return vents. To some degree, this is normal. Having one large return vent for the whole house will make a lot more noise than if you have them in every room. The latter is also more expensive, though.
However, if your return vents are making a high-pitched noise, that sounds a bit like a tuning fork, then there may be a problem. It often indicates a lack of return airflow. There may be any number of reasons for this. Your air filter may be clogged and need replacing. You may have furniture over the vent, keeping the air out. Or someone may have simply closed the vent, and stopping the noise is a simple matter of reopening it.
If none of these solutions works, though, it may mean that your ductwork is too small for your home, or simply poorly designed. You can replace the ducts, or you can cut in more vents around the house, to increase the volume of return air.
Rattling Sounds
Maybe your noisy air vents don’t sound like a tuning fork. Maybe they’re producing a loud rattling or flapping sound. This may mean there’s something in the duct, such as screws, nails, or other small objects.
Try to trace the noise to its source. Once you’ve done that, remove the vent cover closest to the sound. Attach a cloth to a long stick, and run it around inside the duct until you can get the offending objects out. If that doesn’t work, you may need to call an HVAC professional to help you.
For more tips on how to deal with your noisy air vents, contact us at Arpi’s Industries today. We proudly serve the Calgary area’s HVAC needs.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Calgary, Alberta about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about noisy air vents and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide.
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