Why Your Furnace Has a Strange Smell
As the weather gets colder and you switch from cooling to heating your home, you may be worried about unusual furnace smells floating in the air. Learn what the most common furnace smells mean and how proactive you should be about them.
The Furnace Smells Musty
Musty furnace smells almost always imply mold growth hiding in the HVAC system. To avoid exposing your family to these microorganisms, handle this problem right away.
A damp air filter can encourage mold, so wiping out the smell might be as straightforward as replacing the filter. If that fails to remove the smell, the AC evaporator coil fastened near the furnace could be the root of the problem. This component collects condensation, which can induce mold growth. You’ll want a professional’s help to check and clean the evaporator coil. When the problem still won’t go away, take a look at requesting air duct cleaning. This service removes hidden mold, no matter where it’s hiding in your ductwork.
The Furnace Smells Like Rotten Eggs
This is one of the most nerve-wracking furnace smells due to the fact that it most likely indicates a gas leak. The utility company adds a particular substance called mercaptan to the natural gas supply to make leaks easier to detect.
If you notice a rotten egg smell around your furnace or out of your air ducts, switch off the heater straightaway. If you can find where the main gas supply valve is placed, shut that off also. Then, evacuate your home and contact 911, in addition to your gas company. Don’t go back in the house until a professional can verify it’s safe.
The Furnace Has a Sour Stench
If you notice a sour smell that stings your nose while close to64} the furnace, this could mean the heat exchanger cracked open. This vital component safely contains68} combustion fumes, including carbon monoxide, so cracks might allow unsafe levels of CO gas into your home.
Carbon monoxide poisoning could be lethal, so turn off your furnace immediately if you recognize a sour odor. Then, call an HVAC professional for an inspection. Consider replacing your furnace if a cracked heat exchanger is the culprit. For your family’s safety going forward, see to it that you have reliable CO detectors on every floor of your home.
The Furnace Smells Dusty
When you turn on the furnace for the first time each fall, you probably expect a dusty odor to fill the house for a little while. This is the smell of six months’ worth of dust burning up as the furnace wakes from its summer slumber. As long as the smell dissipates within one day, you have nothing to worry about.
The Furnace Has a Smoky Smell
Natural gas, oil and propane furnaces are combustion appliances, so they vent fumes up and out of your home. A smoky smell can mean the flue is clogged, and now fumes are backdrafting into your home. The odor can reach through the entire house, risking your family’s health if you ignore it. So turn off the furnace and get in touch with a professional straightaway to arrange for repair.
The Furnace Smells Like It’s Burning Plastic
Overheating and burned electrical components are the most common reason for a burning plastic smell to appear. A malfunctioning fan motor is another possibility. If you don’t correct the problem, an electrical fire could start, or your furnace could end up with irreparable damage. Disable the heating system immediately and contact an HVAC technician for help troubleshooting and repairing this unpleasant furnace smell.
The Furnace Has an Oily Smell
If you use an oil furnace, you may pick up on this stench if the oil filter becomes clogged. Try replacing it to see if that fixes the problem. If the smell persists for more than one day after taking care of this step, it might imply an oil leak. You’ll be better off with help from an HVAC expert to address this problem.
The Furnace Smells Like Sewer Odors
Sewer gas smells very similar to rotting eggs, so first eliminate the possibility of a natural gas leak. If that’s not the issue, your sewer lines could have an issue, like a dry trap or sewer leak. Pour water down the drains, including the basement floor drain, to fill dried-out sewer traps. If the smell sticks around, you’ll need to contact a sewer line repair company.
Contact Winnipeg Supply Service Experts for Furnace Repair
When in doubt, contact an HVAC technician to check and repair your furnace. At Winnipeg Supply Service Experts, we deliver complete diagnostic services to pinpoint the problem before the work begins. Then, we suggest the most viable, cost-effective repairs, alongside an up-front estimate for each option. Our certified technicians can handle just about any heating malfunction, and we back our work with a 100% satisfaction guarantee for one year. To learn more about why your furnace smells bad or to request furnace repair near you, please contact your local Winnipeg Supply Service Experts office today.
