Has your forced air heating system been making a real racket lately? Whether it has been banging, clanging, or squealing, you can bet that it needs some attention from a heating repair service. The exact repairs they will need to do will depend on what, exactly, is wrong, but here is a look at a few of the top possibilities.

Replace the Fan Belt

Your heating system has a large fan that is responsible for propelling the heated air into your home. This fan runs via a motor, which has a belt similar to the belt on a car motor. This belt can start to fray and tear over time, which can cause your furnace to squeal and squeak when it blows out air. Replacing the belt is a pretty simple repair. Your heating team will basically have to remove a few screws, slide the old belt out of place, and slide a new one in.

Replace the Ball Bearings

Your blower motor also has a few ball bearings that are supposed to help the car run smoothly. If they get worn flat on one side, instead of rolling, they will grind against the parts they are meant to help move. This will cause all sorts of different noises, depending on which ball bearing is affected and how badly it is worn. Your furnace may squeak, make a grinding noise, or just seem to whir. Some ball bearings are easier to replace than others, but all are pretty minor repairs. The parts are cheap, and the labor may take an hour or two.

Repair Some Ducts

If the belt and ball bearings are not the source of the noisiness, the ducts might be to blame. Your heating contractor might need to replace a section of duct that has come loose. There may also be a seam that has come un-riveted and needs to be put back together in order to stop a piece of metal from banging around every time air flows through. It's also possible that noises are being caused by an obstruction in the air ducts. Birds may have built a nest in there, or a child may have pushed a toy into a vent. 

It's really hard to tell what is causing your forced air heating system to be noisy if you're not a professional. So your best bet is to call a heating repair team and let them diagnose and fix the problem. Likely, you are dealing with one of the issues described above.

For more information on heating repair, contact a local company such as McGuire Plumbing & Heating Inc.