Every time we turn on our home’s furnace system, most of us assume our unit is going to distribute clean, warm, and fresh air throughout our homes. And on a typical day, it does so — effortlessly. On a typical day, we might not even notice our furnaces at all, as it operates silently and efficiently, not a sight or smell. Until one day you notice something. Only it’s not a sound. It’s a smell and a strange one at that. At times, the fragrance inundates you and your family, and at separate times, you only notice a vague whiff of the faint odor. At times, you might even wonder whether it’s even coming from your furnace at all. Regardless of how powerful the odor seems, there are types of smells you should never disregard, as they often mean there could be damage to your furnace or danger to your family.
To guarantee your family remains safe this winter, we at Grove City Heating and Air put together a list of the most common odors that might come from your furnace and the most common reasons behind them.
THE SCENT OF DANGER
Chemicals
If you notice a smell that seems like a chemical-type odor like formaldehyde, it usually means only one thing. There is probably a fracture in your heat exchanger, a part of your home’s furnace system that cycles hot air out of the combustion chamber. A damaged heat exchanger raises the risk of fire and can send carbon monoxide fumes into your home. Because of the potential for this, make sure you have carbon monoxide detectors throughout your home, and they have working batteries.
Electrical Burning Smell
Electrical and metallic fragrances usually originate from extreme heat inside your home’s furnace. An odor similar to scorched wires likely means a metal component is overheating. A more metallic scent could arise from a damaged rubber part.
To avert an automatic shutdown and diminish the chance of fire, turn the furnace off immediately and give us a call. One of our trusted technicians can locate and replace the components that are getting too hot.
Smoke
This is plausibly the worst thing you could smell coming from your home’s furnace. It usually means one thing and one thing only. Your flue or chimney could be blocked up. When they are obstructed, the smoke from your pilot light has nowhere else to travel. As a result, it forces its way into your home. You will need to turn your furnace off immediately and call a professional if this happens. Don’t wait. If the smoke smell is relatively faint, you can crack open some windows and then call, but we recommend you to leave your home and get to safety.
THE NOT-SO DANGEROUS SMELLS:
Burning Dusty Smell
It’s natural for your furnace to grow dusty, particularly if it sits in a basement area like a lot of furnaces. While your heater is off all summer and spring, your furnace often gathers dust on its covering or its internal components. Then once the weather cools off and you turn it on, the collected dust ignites within the heater.
This fragrance is especially prevalent when you first use the heater after it’s been off for months. Ordinarily, a burning dust aroma is not a symptom of a severe issue except when it persists for more than 24 hours.
Oil Smell
When detecting the scent of oil, it merely means you need to change your filter. It is most likely clogged and needs to be replaced. Most HVAC companies carry filters of your size. After changing the filter, if the smell continues, give us a call before letting it go on. Persistent oil smells can mean there’s an oil leak.
Mustiness
Mustiness usually happens when dampness has accumulated in and on the furnace. If the aroma is vague and it fades away after operating the heater for a few hours, don’t worry about it. The problem took care of itself. However, if the odor does not disappear after a few days, there might be mold in your furnace system, and it’s adding a damp scent to all of your treated air. Because mold can be toxic to you and your family’s health, call a professional to evaluate the gravity of this problem as soon as possible. You definitely don’t want you and your family breathing in mold.
If you have any concerns we haven’t covered here or have more questions, please make sure to call Grove City Heating & Air today at 614-490-7540 or schedule an appointment online now at www.grovecityheatingandair.com/schedule-now/.
Thank you, and God bless!
