Why Your Furnace Has a Strange Smell
As the weather gets colder and you transition from cooling to heating your home, you may be worried about weird furnace smells filling the air. Learn about what the most common furnace smells could suggest and how worried you should be about each one.
The Furnace Smells Musty
Musty furnace smells almost always imply mold growth somewhere in the HVAC system. To avoid exposing your family to allergy-inducing mold, tackle this problem right away.
A damp air filter can lead to mold, so getting rid of the smell could be as straightforward as getting a new filter. If that doesn’t help, the AC evaporator coil mounted near the furnace may be to blame. This component gathers condensation, which can trigger mold growth. You’ll be better off with a professional’s help to check and clean the evaporator coil. When this still doesn’t help, take a look at requesting air duct cleaning. This service cleans away hidden mold, no matter where it’s hiding in your ventilation.
The Furnace Smells Like Spoiled Eggs
This is one of the most nerve-wracking furnace smells since it frequently indicates a gas leak. The utility company puts in a particular substance known as mercaptan to the natural gas supply to make leaks more easily detected.
If you detect a rotten egg smell around your furnace or originating from your air ducts, switch off the heater straightaway. If you know where the main gas supply valve is, shut that off too. Then, evacuate your home and contact 911, followed by your gas company. Don’t enter the house until a professional confirms it’s safe.
The Furnace Has a Sour Stench
If you discover a sour smell that stings your nose while close to64} the furnace, this may mean the heat exchanger is cracked. This important component safely contains68} combustion fumes, such as carbon monoxide, so cracks could pump unsafe levels of CO gas into your home.
Carbon monoxide poisoning could be deadly, so turn off your furnace immediately if you notice a sour odor. Then, reach out to an HVAC professional for an inspection. Consider replacing your furnace if a cracked heat exchanger is to blame. For your health and safety going forward, ensure you have functional CO detectors on all floors of your home.
The Furnace Smells Dusty
When you fire up the furnace for the first time each fall, you probably expect a dusty odor to show up for a brief moment. 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 disperses within a day, you don’t have anything 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 could mean the flue is clogged, and now fumes are backdrafting into your home. The odor may permeate the entire house, jeopardizing your family’s health if you ignore it. So turn off the furnace and contact a professional right away to schedule a repair.
The Furnace Smells Like Burning Plastic
Overheating and melted electrical components are the most plausible 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 may start, or your furnace could end up with irreparable damage. Shut off the heating system immediately and contact an HVAC technician for help identifying and repairing this weird furnace smell.
The Furnace Has an Oily Smell
If you have an oil furnace, you could notice this odor whenever the oil filter becomes blocked up. Try replacing it to see if that resolves the problem. If the smell persists for more than one day after completing this step, it might indicate an oil leak. You’ll need help from an HVAC specialist to address this problem.
The Furnace Reeks of Sewer Odors
Sewer gas smells quite similar to spoiled eggs, so first determine the possibility of a natural gas leak. If that’s not the source, your home’s sewer lines may have an issue, such as a dry trap or sewer leak. Flush water down all your drains, including the basement floor drain, to replenish dried-out sewer traps. If the smell lingers, you’ll need to contact a sewer line repair company.
Contact Rob's Albertan Service Experts for Furnace Repair
If you’re still uncertain, get in touch with an HVAC technician to examine and repair your furnace. At Rob's Albertan Service Experts, we offer complete diagnostic services to identify the problem before we figure out the best solution. Then, we suggest the most viable, cost-effective repairs, along with an up-front estimate for every option. Our certified technicians can handle just about any heating repair, and we back our work with a 100% satisfaction guarantee for one year. For details about why your furnace smells bad or to request furnace repair near you, please contact your local Rob's Albertan Service Experts office today.
