HVAC Question

So the wife and I noticed a rattling sound last night coming from the back of the house, where the HVAC unit is located. Woke up this morning and the sound appeared to be louder (or maybe we just noticed it more). Went outside and saw that it was completely covered in snow.

 

So I guess my question is, will me clearing the snow off get rid of the rattling or is this something that sounds like it's more than just being covered in snow (and ice) that I need to give the HVAC guys a call over?

I guess I would just say, it certainly won't hurt to try uncovering the outside unit.

 

If it keeps on making noise after you do that, give your HVAC service company a call.

Definitely clear all the snow and ice away as best as you can to see. Maybe even use a blow dryer.

 

It's possible your unit got overwhelmed by snow or ice causing your fan to go out of balance and you'll be fine.

 

If the problem returns after doing this then odds are your defrost board has gone bad.

Cleared it as best I could and the rattling continued.

 

Had the HVAC guys come out and due to all the ice the defrost had stopped working. Once he got everything cleared, he ran the defrost cycle 3 times and it worked fine. Thinks I may have a refrigerant leak somewhere so is coming back tomorrow to test that. He was there for almost 3 hours last night. Not bad for a flat $79.

Cleared it as best I could and the rattling continued.

 

Had the HVAC guys come out and due to all the ice the defrost had stopped working. Once he got everything cleared, he ran the defrost cycle 3 times and it worked fine. Thinks I may have a refrigerant leak somewhere so is coming back tomorrow to test that. He was there for almost 3 hours last night. Not bad for a flat $79.

 

That is a good price, usually that and more to just show up.

Cleared it as best I could and the rattling continued.

 

Had the HVAC guys come out and due to all the ice the defrost had stopped working. Once he got everything cleared, he ran the defrost cycle 3 times and it worked fine. Thinks I may have a refrigerant leak somewhere so is coming back tomorrow to test that. He was there for almost 3 hours last night. Not bad for a flat $79.

 

Do you use a company or a guy whose doing the work on the side?

Do you use a company or a guy whose doing the work on the side?

 

Use Schneller.

 

We do the Maintenance Agreement every year which runs ~$180. It gets us a Spring & Fall tune-up, a free plumbing inspection, 15% off all parts/services, and a very large discount on "emergency" calls.

Use Schneller.

 

We do the Maintenance Agreement every year which runs ~$180. It gets us a Spring & Fall tune-up, a free plumbing inspection, 15% off all parts/services, and a very large discount on "emergency" calls.

 

That sounds like $180 WELL spent.

Use Schneller.

 

We do the Maintenance Agreement every year which runs ~$180. It gets us a Spring & Fall tune-up, a free plumbing inspection, 15% off all parts/services, and a very large discount on "emergency" calls.

We do the same thing with a local company. The best part is the spring / fall service because without them calling to setup the visit I'd never remember to do it.

We do the same thing with a local company. The best part is the spring / fall service because without them calling to setup the visit I'd never remember to do it.

 

Yep. Same here.

 

Way I figure it is, I'd rather pay the $180 each year for the tune-ups and (hopefully) catch any potential issues before they become a $3K-$4K total replacement down the road.

Use Schneller.

 

We do the Maintenance Agreement every year which runs ~$180. It gets us a Spring & Fall tune-up, a free plumbing inspection, 15% off all parts/services, and a very large discount on "emergency" calls.

 

We did the same thing when we got our new system installed in 2017. Our maintenance plan is a little more expensive ($200), but I no longer hold my breath and cross my fingers when I turn the heat or air on for the first time each season.

Came back out yesterday afternoon/evening. It had frozen up again. Tested some things and (hopefully) found the defrost sensor wasn't communicating with the defrost board. Said the board itself was working fine when he used his testing equipment, but that the sensor wasn't sending anything to the board. So he replaced the sensor, and fingers crossed this will take care of it.