Furnaces are one of the most popular heating systems available because of their versatile fuel offerings and ease of installation. As a homeowner, it’s important to pay attention to the operation of your heating system and take note of any differences that may indicate an issue.
When it comes to your furnace, it can produce a variety of smells that can indicate underlying problems. Some smells can even indicate a safety emergency. To know what they mean, what to do, and when to call for furnace repair service, read on!
Burning Dust
One of the most common smells that your furnace will produce is that of burning dust. This typically happens when you turn your furnace on for the first time after it’s been sitting throughout the entire summer. Dust accumulates throughout the internal components of your furnace, such as on your heat exchanger.
As your furnace heats up for the first time, it burns off all the dust that’s sitting on its internal components, which creates an unpleasant odor. This should dissipate after running your heating system for a few hours. If the smell goes away, you don’t need professional assistance. However, if it seems to be lingering for days, it can be helpful to consult one of our technicians for a thorough system cleaning.
Metallic Smell
A metallic smell, also commonly described as an electrical burning smell, typically indicates a malfunction with one of the electrical components in your system. This could be overheating wires, defective control boards, or simply hot plastic. If you have this odor coming from your furnace, it’s best to shut it off completely to prevent a fire.
Musty Odor
One rather unpleasant odor you may experience from your furnace is a musty or stale smell. This is typically an indication of mold and mildew growth inside your system. Mold spores can be toxic to your health and greatly deteriorate the air quality in your home. We highly recommend replacing your furnace filter to see if it eliminates the smell. If a musty smell is still persistent, then it’s necessary to contact our professionals to get a thorough cleaning of your ductwork.
Rotten Eggs
A rotten egg odor, also known as a sulfur-like smell, indicates an issue with your gas line. This distinctive odor is specifically added to natural gas and propane to alert you to a leak in your system so that you can respond quickly. As soon as you notice the smell, it’s best to shut your furnace off completely.
Turn off the main gas supply valve for your furnace to prevent any further gas from leaking out. Additionally, it’s best to open your doors and windows to allow any gas buildup inside your home to dissipate into the air outdoors. Gas buildup is not only dangerous to your respiratory health but is also highly flammable. It’s best to evacuate, call emergency services, and then contact our technicians immediately to get professional repair service.
Oil Smell
Most homeowners who have a furnace that relies on heating oil are familiar with the distinctive oily smell it produces when they’re getting their oil tank filled. If you start smelling that distinctive oil when your furnace is operating, it means that there’s an issue with combustion. Normally, your furnace will burn heating oil at a hot enough temperature that you won’t smell the oil.
The issue behind the smell could lie with an overly dirty burner, oil leaks, or another ignition problem. We recommend that homeowners shut their furnace off as well as the valve for the fuel tank until one of our technicians can thoroughly assess the issue and repair it.
Gunpowder or Sharp, Smoky Smell
One particularly alarming smell that may come from your furnace is that of gunpowder. This is distinctive and similar to the sharp, smoky smell fireworks let off when you light them. In many cases, this issue lies with a malfunction of your circuit board or the blower fan motor. Like with electrical or oily smells, don’t keep running your furnace until you’ve had it checked.
Exhaust Fumes
One odor you definitely don’t want to smell coming from your furnace is that of exhaust fumes similar to those from a car. This typically indicates an issue with your venting, which can be highly dangerous. As with other furnace odors, the safest step is to shut your system off until a professional inspects it. You should also open up your doors and windows to help provide more ventilation. In a lot of these cases, your carbon monoxide detector will likely go off, showing that there’s an issue with the ventilation for your heater.
Smells After Servicing
When your furnace produces an odd smell, it doesn’t always point to an actual issue with your system. Many times, you’ll experience smells after your system is serviced, which are completely normal. If you have professional service done on your furnace, you may get a hint of a chemical cleaning odor when you first start running your system.
This is simply the cleaning product burning off the components that were cleaned by one of our HVAC technicians, and it should dissipate fairly quickly. Another time you may notice the smell is when you install a new HVAC filter. New filters can emit a paper or cardboard smell when you first install them. This odor should dissipate within a couple of hours of running your system.
The Ductwork Effect
One thing to keep in mind, when it comes to smelling odd odors from your furnace, is that your ducting can play a role in amplifying different smells in your home. For example, if you paint a bedroom in your home and forget to close the vent, that new paint smell will travel throughout your ducting and end up in all rooms of your home.
It’s important to keep this in mind when you experience furnace smells, as the smell may be coming from something other than your furnace. This is why it’s important to store any cleaning products or other chemicals away from your return vents that could otherwise suck that smell in and redistribute it throughout your home.
Tips on Preventing Furnace Odors
As a homeowner, there are various things you can do to minimize your risk of experiencing unpleasant smells from your furnace. One of the most important things is to get routine heater maintenance every fall to prepare your system for the upcoming season. If you get this service before you plan on running your heating system, one of our helpful technicians will remove all of the dust and other debris from the internal components of your heating system.
This will greatly minimize your risk of experiencing that unpleasant dust-burning smell when you first start up your heating system for the season. We also recommend keeping up with routine air filter changes to ensure optimal performance of your heating system. Additionally, ensure you routinely check the air vents throughout your home to ensure they’re open. Store any chemicals, plastics, paints, and other combustible materials away from your vents, as their odor can easily travel throughout your ducting.
Reliable Furnace Repair Service
Blue Best Plumbing, Heating, Air, & Generators offers reliable furnace service for the Bountiful, UT area. We can help with all your furnace installation, replacement, and maintenance needs!
Call our office today to book your next service consultation with one of our helpful heating technicians.
