You’re probably familiar with the slight burning smell that fills the air the first time you turn on your furnace each season, but do you know what causes it? While this odor is normal, other funny furnace smells can be the first sign your furnace needs maintenance or even repairs. Here’s a list of furnace smells, their causes and what to do about them.
- First, the burning smell. If it only lasts an hour or two, your furnace is operating correctly. Dust builds up in the system during the off-season; then when you turn the furnace on for the first time, the dust combusts – which
is what you smell. If it doesn’t go away, your filter is probably dirty and needs replacement. - Next, you might smell a musty, damp odor – like an old basement or laundry that’s sat in a washing machine for days. If you have a humidifier connected to your furnace, mold has likely built up in the humidifier’s water panel. You can replace it, or remove the panel, clean it with a solution of equal parts vinegar and water and re-install it.
- If it’s the smell of burnt electronics or plastic, check your registers for foreign objects. A dropped toy or other object might be causing your funny furnace smells. If you can’t find anything, a component of the furnace might be overheating. Shut the furnace down and call a licensed contractor.
- Oil heating systems rely on a chimney to vent the smoke from the burned heating oil. If you’re smelling smoke or oil, either the oil filter is dirty and you should change it, or your chimney is clogged, which is causing the smoke to flow back into your home. If it’s the second case, call a specialist to clean your chimney.
- Finally, you should be alarmed if you smell gas (or more accurately, the chemical that’s mixed with natural gas to give it a smell). If it’s overpowering, leave the house and call the gas company. If it’s slight, again call the gas company so they can check for leaks.
If you’re not confident you can identify all these funny furnace smells, please contact us at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning Co. in the Twin Cities. We’ll make sure your equipment is operating correctly.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about furnace smells and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock