Furnace RATTLE ~ symptom recognition, troubleshoot & repair noisy furnace

how to fix ~ squirrel cage RATTLE, furnace fan noise, blower motor diy

[@rickyjaypeterson4704]

Best, shortest, most direct, to the point trouble shooting HVAC Blower Motor Fan/"squirrel cage" solution, DIY, FREE REPAIR. You were hiding with all the monetized $$ channels that are 20 plus mins. Videos. Thank You!! Saved me!!

[@AtlanticDrain]

~ Hey Rick ~ Glad to help ~ Thanks for watching ~ Im working on another troubleshooting / resolve / repair for HVAC. I hope to get it out there soon. Thanks again for watching!

[@rickyjaypeterson4704]

@@AtlanticDrain It was the "squirrel cage"! Broke loose from the concave wheel mount on the motor. Loose squirrel cage at 4500 rpm in a tin box! Exciting! So lessons learned. There are Clock wise & Counter Clock wise far wheels (CW & CCW), also Convex or Concave referring to the interior mount that attaches the wheel to the motor. Save you multiple trips to the parts store. Carrier is my brand so Parckard Inc. makes the parts now. Posted video under my profole. Thanks!!

[@qcitizen6738]

Plainly explanatory, straightforward and accurate synopsis of causes and safe, proper repair. Two thumbs up.

[@AtlanticDrain]

Hey Q ~ Thanks for watching!

[@tiger7199]

Even though it was out of my comfort zone. I got the squirral cage all cleaned up and put back in. It's running much quieter now. Thanks for your helpful video. I'm sure it would have cost a few hundred bucks to have it cleaned by a pro. Thank you again.

[@AtlanticDrain]

good job!

[@rikerock]

Thank you so much for this video, I just used it to fix my furnace and its running smoothly now. Merry Christmas.

[@AtlanticDrain]

hey rike, Holiday greetings thank you for watching! Yeah, I think this is the # 1 cause of furnace rattle. So glad you discovered! Thanks again for watching!

[@PracticalGardening]

Interesting channel. Thanks for supporting.

[@westbergcomedy]

Fixed mine with this, thanks so much!

[@AtlanticDrain]

hey luke, thanks for watching, Excellent! mine was soooo noisy before i did this. thanks again for watching👍

[@BuilditRideit]

Subscribed you mate, have a good day.

[@RentAShrink]

Thank you this was very helpful. I almost feel like I want to do it myself even though I know nothing about furnaces.

[@AtlanticDrain]

het shrink, than you for watching

[@dfu1685]

Thank you!!! I could not find any other videos that addressed this. Really appreciate it. I have the same furnace as well!!! Ha. Perfect-A-Mundo.

[@AtlanticDrain]

thanks for watching glad we could help!

[@alphasix911360]

We took a chance and used your video, since I could not find anything in regards to the difference between a gas furnace or electric. My husband found a huge paper coupon wedged in the fan of the squirrel cage. No idea how in the heck it found it's way there. We bought thi house 6 months ago and it seems the previous owner was DYIer, but not very good at it. I joked that maybe the coupon was for HVAC service but it was for auto repair. We're stumped as to how it got in there unless the previous owner had wedged it in to balance the squirrel cage and it just came loose yesterday. Everything works and sounds great now after removal of the coupon and following your other instructions!!! We had just shelled out hundreds the day before for siding repair due to a storm that came through this week, so thank you very much for an informative video!

[@AtlanticDrain]

yay!

[@manuelruella4897]

Great and very instructive video, Thanks a lot

[@AtlanticDrain]

Hey Manuel, thanks for watching

[@manuelruella4897]

@@AtlanticDrain I ended replacing the furnace fan motor and now is a charm, thanks

[@garthewbank2679]

Thanks man, didn’t even remove it just pulled out dust and hair out. Runs like new

[@AtlanticDrain]

No problem 👍

[@johnnykurplutzo6789]

Great vid. To bad my fuses aren't labeled. Cheers

[@TheWamda]

a very good movie, i like it : ))))

[@garycooper1644]

ridin dirty so I cleaned it up took it for a spin and sounds a lot better....just a small rattle now...not enough to complain about.....thanks

[@AtlanticDrain]

~ hey gary ~ thanks for watching. glad this helped.

[@wtb6803]

Very helpful.

[@AtlanticDrain]

hey WT B thanks for watching!

[@sphires]

Thanks! Pulled out the cage and put it through the works with the air compressor, much better surprisingly. I tested all the screws and connections and nothing was loose, just dusted it 🤷‍♂️

[@AtlanticDrain]

Hey Contra, Thank you for watching! yes, duct is the enemy for furnace squirrel cages. amazing what a little cleaning up can do! Thanks again for watching!

[@jaimeelee27]

Thank you! Cleaned out the squirrel cage and it fixed the rattle right up. I used a toothbrush and vacuum to do the job. I see some folks used paint brushes and soap suds. Any other ideas on the best way to clean it?

[@AtlanticDrain]

Great job!thanks for watching

[@acemany1126]

I'm am going to try. Just wanted your opinion on the sound. That's not what it sounded like before right?

[@PL-kc4tm]

I heard the same rattling noise coming out of one of my floor vents. It was sporatic and not constant. I went down to my furnace and the sound seemed to be coming from the return duct and not the actual blower. My question is was your rattle coming from the blower area? I put my ear right next to the blower and didn't hear it. Thanks

[@AtlanticDrain]

~ Hey Phong ~ thanks for watching. you wont hear the blower motor rattling, just the venting as well as the return ducting. Thanks again for watching

[@tiger7199]

So how did you clean the squirral cage? Can I use a vacuum cleaner and a paint brush? Would it be ok to blow it out with a compressed air?

[@AtlanticDrain]

hey tiger, i used soap suds, water and a paint brush.

[@HahahaLOL2011]

I just had my AC installed on Saturday after having an old Payne unit from the 90’s before I was even born. I switched it out for a Lenox unit and now it’s doing this. Should I contact my contractor?

[@AtlanticDrain]

Hey Elias, Thank you for watching. yes if you just had this installed, let them fix it. but, it is probably the squirrel cage set screw needs tightened ion the motor shaft... again, Thanks for watching

[@kevinmoore4887]

Step 1. See if the bolt is aligned with the flat spot on the axle. Mine was rotated slightly. Loosened the bolt, lined up the flat spot. Tightened. Fixed the shaking.

[@user-hm5zb1qn6g]

4:21 on the video, for everyone's reference.

[@Dobemandan]

I just replaced the blower fan with a direct replacement and now the furnace is noisy when on high speed. 20 year old furnace On mid-high it's perfect and sounds like it did before! I've tested the motor/blower when not attached to the furnace and it's quite and spins true. Almost seems like I now have too much air if that's possible. I cleaned the fan and housing before putting it all back nothing is rubbing. Normally I like to let the fan run 24/7 but it's just too noisy now. It's like a harmonic growl/hum/drone but easily heard. I'm thinking of just lowering the speeds and setting to mid/high and mid but I'm sure that's just a band-aid fix. I do seem to be getting more airflow now for what it's worth. Any help would be appreciated as this is driving me nuts!! Thanks in advance!!

[@AtlanticDrain]

sounds like your squirrel cage is out of balance. there are small weights on squirrel cage. check to see that they are fully secured to the cage. also, check to see that all ducting vents are open and register vents are open. the idea of changing the speed isnt a bad one either. thanks again for watching

[@sae1095hc]

Strange how a few milligrams of dust can make that racket. My York 80, that looks very much like yours, isn't making a lot of noise, but is causing a very faint vibration throughout my house. Do you think it may just be a dirty blower fan?

[@AtlanticDrain]

probably. for the longest time, i thought it was my ducting. i could kind of stop it for a while by making slight adjustments to the ducting. but yes i think its probably a dirty fan / squirrel cage

[@sae1095hc]

Thanks for the video and the response man!

[@roberts.3712]

I have same noise in my old furnace. Will try to do same thing when it gets warmer outside. Also i wonder if it will increase air flow since on really cold days the furnace short cycles due to limit switch? Thank you.

[@AtlanticDrain]

Hey Robert, Thank you for watching. You might try changing the fan speeds for that short cycle problem. If you have it set for slow during heater use, you might change it to high or you might have medium setting. Thanks again for watching!

[@c.rutherford]

Do you have to take the motor off to clean the squirrel cage? Or can you just pull it out and vaccuum it on both sides. Mine just started making a rattling sound when the AC and the furnace fan is running just yesterday. Its pretty dirty in there would not be surprised if that was part of it.

[@AtlanticDrain]

hey rutherfotrd, thank you for watching. yes its best.theres no way to clean the 100 blades of the squrrel cage without removing, do maintence same as video shows. thanks again for watching.

[@smithcollins122]

My noise is kind of a smoother sounding vibration noise and it happens as soon as the furnace kicks on (not just when air is actually blowing). The other thing is that it doesn't happen when the furnace is blowing cold air (during summer). Any clues?

[@AtlanticDrain]

Hey Smith, It's just the fuel igniting and /or the exhaust fan kicking on. Thank you for watching

[@corina0001]

My furnace is noisy but I was not able to get the whole thing out only halfway because it got stuck.. I will give it a try during winter time

[@AtlanticDrain]

Hey Corina, Thank you for watching! Well, it's winter time! Did you finish cleaning the squirrel cage? Let us know! Thanks again for watching!

[@nicksteeves3652]

I was hoping this vid would solve my problem but mine must be different. My rattling noise is very quiet. I can only describe it as almost like a very dulling boiling sound. I cant hear it at all while the fan is blowing but if its quiet in the room I can hear this rattling sound co.ing from the furnace.

[@AtlanticDrain]

hey nick ~ sound like maybe its simply the gas burner . it sounds like a dull boiling. recommend you locate the sound /area its coming from. thanks for watching!

[@alphasix911360]

Hoping the husband can use this to fix our rattle today, but we have a gas furnace. You didn't mention if yours is gas. Are there any differences with the squirrel cage repair, ie pilot light, etc

[@AtlanticDrain]

Hey Christie ~ Thank you for watching. No difference. The Furnace in the video is gas.

[@5822huron]

Christie McCombs if you see a flu pipe it's gas

[@matthewurban7031]

Well, mine is making a sound similar to this, and it's only SOMETIMES? sometimes it is barely anything. It's so confusing. I might as well try this before I call someone out to look at it.

[@AtlanticDrain]

Hey matt, Yes, if it has these symptoms, Definitely give it a try! Thanks for watching

[@BrianRhea]

Yo! Mine only does this when the inducer is starting. Once it gets going, the inducer seems to spin just as smooth as can be. I replaced the blower motor already and it runs fine. But it starts humming once the inducer kicks on, then rattles, then slowly winds down. Lasts a couple of minutes at the beginning of each cycle. Any thoughts?!

[@Rezo3]

How much would you charge for that service?

[@AtlanticDrain]

🏆hey rezo, thank you for watching.

[@dannyiskandar]

How much is the cost of that motor squirrel thing?

[@AtlanticDrain]

hey danny-best to check ebay. new and used parts available if neded. thanks for watching

[@matthewgregory8218]

Your starter could go to and if it foes your furnace won’t start but if the main part of the furnace is gone that’s what would cut the cake and time for a new Firnace

[@AtlanticDrain]

mmm... cake

[@leeb.7188]

Rattle? Mine’s more like bam, bam, bam, bang, bang, bang! Super loud! I hope it only needs cleaning, but with my luck, it’s probably something waaaaaay more expensive!

[@AtlanticDrain]

Hey Lee, Thanks for watching. well, What was it???

[@leeb.7188]

The blower wheel (fan) had broken off. Just flopping loose. I have a 1986 Carrier and went to the dealer but they won’t sell to homeowners. So I went to Grainger and they ordered a replacement that was close but not the original size. It was a definite improvement but was a little too wide and exceeded the flat part of the shaft, so it was slightly loose. Then I looked online and found an OEM Carrier; ordered that and now it purrs like a kitten! I probably should have gone ahead and replaced the motor while everything was apart, but just needed to get some heat and was tired of waiting for parts. Cost me $86.

[@nathansheldonlance]

Damm mine is doing this :(

[@AtlanticDrain]

~ hey nathan ~ thanks for watching. sometimes knowing is the hardest part! thanks again for watching

[@jimdavidson5208]

Man, what does the rest of the house look like?

[@SP-rp2qw]

Here we go again.A vibration WILL BE from a dirty blower wheel, or something sucked up into the wheel, ie: plastic bag, loose trash in the return air duct, or accumulated pet hair, OR the wheel has started to separate. And the power switch mounted on the side of the furnace IS NOT for just the inducer blower. It is 120v power for the whole furnace, its a service switch cutoff for servicing the unit. Just the same, always check with a volt meter at the control board incoming power connections. And for Gods sake, do not allow the blower to operate when its out of balance and vibrates. It prematurely wears out the sleeve bearing of the shaft and will cause the motor to need replacing soon. Please just shut the unit down until someone can check it out.

[@AtlanticDrain]

Hey SP ~ thanks for watching and your system inputs