Furnace problems stink. Sometimes literally.
It can be easy to assume a smelly house is a dirty house, but stinky furnaces donโt care how often you clean the rest of your house. You could have the cleanest house in the world, but your furnace might smell like rotten eggs or burning rubber. Thatโs because thereโs probably something wrong! If your homeโs heater is putting up a stink this winter, it might be a cry for help.
1) Burning Plastic or Rubber Smells, or a Metallic Smell
If you smell something like burning plastic, rubber, or metal, itโs likely coming from an overheating component in your furnace. Turn your furnace off and call us! If a part of your furnace is overheating, it could turn into a fire in your home. Itโs best to have us out to make sure everything looks ok before you turn it back on.
2) Smoke Smells
Your furnace is a controlled fire burning in your home. That means all the gasses and smoke from the fire have to go somewhere. Thatโs what your flue is for! If your furnaceโs flue is blocked, that smoke canโt escape, so itโll stay in your home instead. Sometimes flues can get blocked by debris, but sometimes they can get blocked by animals or bird nests. If your house smells like smoke when your furnace is running, shut it off and give us a call. Our techs can get whatever it is cleared out so the smoke leaves your home again!
You might also be interested in: Dangers of Animals and Your HVAC System
3) Rotten Egg and Sewage Smells
Some gasses donโt naturally smell like anything. Thatโs why gas companies actually ADD a stinky odor to natural gas! That way, if you ever have a leak, youโll be able to smell it and know things arenโt safe. All this to sayโฆ if you smell rotten eggs or sewage when your furnace is running, itโs dangerous! You probably have a gas leak, and you need to get out and call us to take a look at it right away.
4) Burning Dust Smells
If you just started your furnace up for the season and you notice the smell of burning dust, donโt panic! That smell is normal and will start to go away after a couple days of running your furnace. If the smell doesnโt seem to be getting better, check your air filtersโyou might be due to change them. If you change your filters, let the furnace run for a few days, and the smell still wonโt go away, then itโs time to call us to check it out.
5) Chemical Smells
Did you ever have frog dissection day back in school? If you have, you might remember the gross smell of formaldehyde. If you smell this in your home, itโs likely a crack in your heat exchanger. If thatโs the case, your family is at risk of carbon monoxide leaks. Shut your furnace off and have us come out to check it before turning it back on.
6) Pet Odors
If your home suddenly smells like animal urine or wet dog, you might have some pet waste or fur near your furnace registers (the vents in the floor). If you catch a strong animal stink every time your furnace kicks on, check for messes near these vents. Cleaning it up should fix the problem!
7) Moldy Smells
If your home smells like mold or mildew once you start running your furnace for the season, thereโs a possibility youโve got mold on your coils or in your ductwork. Mold can make your family sick and can really bring down your homeโs air quality. You can call us out to check for mold on the unit, but if we donโt find any on your system, itโs probably in the ductwork. Unfortunately, Morris-Jenkins doesnโt clean ductwork. In fact, we donโt even recommend having your ductwork cleaned at all! When you clean ductwork, youโre likely to accidentally damage it (itโs kind of fragile). Instead, youโre better off just replacing all of the ductwork, rather than wasting time and money cleaning it, only to end up replacing it when you realize itโs been torn (which can cause all kinds of other issues in your home). Either way, donโt put off dealing with mold in your home!
Bonus: Furnace Doesnโt Smell, but Carbon Monoxide Detector Is Beeping
Your furnace produces a deadly gas that you canโt smell. You canโt even see it or taste it. If your carbon monoxide detector is beeping, donโt assume everything is ok just because you canโt smell gas. If you have a carbon monoxide leak, you wonโt be able to smell it. You have to trust your detector, get out of your house, and call for help! Weโll send one of our technicians to figure out exactly where itโs coming from so we can get your home heating safely again. Most likely, the leak is coming from a crack in your heat exchanger.
Donโt have a carbon monoxide detector? Nowโs the time to get one! You should have one on every floor of your house. And itโs important to remember to replace the batteries every year and replace the entire detector before it expires. Otherwise, itโs nothing more than a decoration. Here are some of our other recommended furnace safety features.
Related: Flu Symptoms that might actually be Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
HVAC Smells Donโt JUST Come from Your Furnace
Your furnace isnโt the only part of your heating and cooling system that might stink. Your AC can smell funky sometimes, too! If you ever notice a musty stench like sweaty gym socks, thatโs actually such a common thing that itโs got a special name! Itโs called โDirty Sock Syndrome,โ and itโs what happens when decaying organic material hangs out on your evaporator coil. The smell can come from mold, mildew, and bacteria on your unit. If the space around your unit (most likely your attic, basement, or crawl space) is humid, it’s gonna make this problem a lot more likely. Keep up with filter changes to keep this problem from happening in the first place!
Let Us Take a Look
Sometimes, your nose knows when somethingโs not right. If you smell something that just doesnโt seem normal when youโre running your furnaceโtrust your instinct! If it doesnโt seem right, it probably isnโt or if your furnace is blowing cold air. Give us a call (or text us) and weโll send a technician out to take a close look at everything. Your family deserves a home thatโs safe, cozy, and stink-free!