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Cleaned your home many times, but those unpleasant smells persist? What if the source is your furnace? Yes, this happens very often, especially in the residential areas of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Many times, the faulty furnace speaks about its fault via unpleasant odors. Having a correct knowledge about the pattern of those smells and their underlying causes can help the homeowners take precise steps to fix the issue. Moreover, it can also help you prevent residential furnace repairs.
In this blog, we will explore strange odors associated with furnaces, their primary causes, and the troubleshooting guide. Let’s uncover this useful homeowners' guide step-by-step.
There is a wide array of factors associated with furnace odors. Here are a few most common ones described.
In many homes, furnaces stay idle for several months, waiting for the winter season. It accumulates a lot of dirt and dust particles on various components. Even many internal parts, like the burner and heat exchanger, can accumulate a lot of debris on the surface. When the furnace is turned on, it starts burning the accumulated dirt, which produces smells.
Smell Pattern: The smell pattern is much like the burning of debrisl
How to Fix It: No need to worry about this issue. The smell automatically disappears in a few hours. If the problem persists, call your professionals immediately.
Mold and mildew often grow in damp and humid places. If your HVAC appliance is accompanied by water leaks or condensation, there are increased chances of mold and mildew growth. This is the issue that must be handled with utmost care. The mold can produce spores that circulate in the air. Your beloved family members are at risk of serious respiratory diseases if these spores are inhaled. These mold and mildew colonies produce strange smells that can be noticed outside.
Smell Pattern: The smells due to mold and mildew are more like musty odors.
How to Fix It: To eliminate this issue, you must clean the appliance, disinfect it, and remove the source of moisture.
This is not just limited to unpleasant odor; it is a serious risk factor. The gas-fired furnaces are often at risk of gas leakage. Exposure to natural gas is very hazardous to health. It may cause illnesses such as nausea, fatigue, and severe respiratory problems. Natural gas itself is odorless; therefore, companies add mercaptan to make it detectable. The professionals at Lehigh HVAC recommend that you exit from your home instantly when you notice a natural gas leak.
Smell Pattern: The smell pattern of natural gas leakage resembles sulphur or rotten egg odors.
How to Fix It: When you notice this kind of smell, evacuate the home immediately and call your local gas utility company's emergency line.
Electrical issues are also associated with certain smells. Especially when the furnace is old with aged or worn-out components, this problem occurs more often. The damaged parts draw more electricity to work. It causes the wires inside the furnace to melt and produce strange smells. Additionally, overheating of components also produces certain odors that are easily noticed outside.
Smell Pattern: The smell pattern due to electrical problems is more like burning odors.
How to Fix It: If you notice this kind of smell, turn the furnace off immediately and call your HVAC professionals.
This is one of the most life-threatening causes. With time, cracks can develop in the heat exchanger due to corrosion, thermal stress, and overheating. These cracks can leak carbon monoxide gas. This gas is extremely hazardous for humans and can lead to death if not addressed immediately. Fortunately, leakage of CO produces some specific smells that can be identified. The professionals recommend installing CO alarms in every home that automatically detect even the smallest levels of CO circulating in the house.
Smell Pattern: Cracked heat exchanger produces chemical or metallic smells.
How to Fix It: Open the windows for ventilation and check the CO alarms. If there is carbon monoxide present, evacuate your home and call for professional assistance immediately.
Furnace smells are a common issue homeowners face. But with proper maintenance and tune-ups, you can escape such problems. The maintenance starts immediately after you are done with the home furnace installation. Here are the best tips and tricks for this purpose, as explained by the certified Lehigh HVAC experts.
These preventive tips and tricks are not for the furnaces only. They can also be applied to almost all kinds of residential heating installations in your home.
Smells in a furnace can be due to a variety of reasons. Each causative agent produces a specific smell pattern that is identified. Some serious scenarios, like those of natural gas or carbon monoxide (CO), are very critical and must be handled with care. While others, like dirt burning, can be left ignored or fixed by a DIY method. To keep these problems at a distance, clean your furnace regularly and maintain all components in their best condition. When you detect any minor or major problem, call your local, certified experts immediately.
All over Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Lehigh HVAC is available 24/7 to provide professional HVAC service to both residential and commercial customers. Contact us at 484-961-7044 to schedule an emergency service or discuss a standard project.
