Your home can host all kinds of smells, and some of them come from your furnace. While some smells are perfectly normal, others can indicate serious problems with your home’s heating system.
These problems can be harmful to you and your family, which is why you should always contact an experienced HVAC technician as soon as you notice these smells!
Why Does My Furnace Smell Like Rotten Eggs?
A furnace can smell like rotten eggs when there’s a gas leak. This is a very serious issue, and you should never delay in addressing it. Because natural gas is odorless, gas companies put Sulphur in it to make it easier to detect. This additive, though, isn’t what you need to worry about – it’s the gas itself.
Inhaling natural gas for a long time cause serious injury or even death. It’s also highly flammable and may cause an explosion under certain circumstances. If you think there’s a gas leak anywhere in your home, open windows to help the gas dissipate, evacuate your home, and call 9-1-1 as well as your local gas company to report the leak.
On your way out of your home, avoid flipping any switches or turning on your car near your home. Any spark – electrical or otherwise – can cause the gas to ignite.
Why Does My Furnace Have a Burning Smell?
Some burning smells are normal while others are signs that something’s wrong. If you smell ozone or burning plastic, it’s often a sign that the electrical components of your furnace are heating up. This can be a sign that something is seriously wrong with your furnace, which may need a replacement. If you don’t address this soon enough, it could cause an electrical fire.
A burning smell isn’t always a sign of trouble, though. Some burning smells are caused by dust in your furnace burning off, which isn’t something you need to worry about. That said, if you aren’t sure if what you’re smelling is normal, the safest thing to do is to call an experienced HVAC technician to check things out!
Chemical Smells & Your Furnace
A furnace can also emit an odor that doesn’t smell like either of the two types of odors. Instead, there might be a “chemical” smell that’s hard to describe otherwise.
In these cases, the culprit can be a cracked heat exchanger, which is an extremely serious issue to address. A damaged heat exchanger can cause carbon monoxide gas to circulate throughout your home, which can be deadly. Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, which is why you should make sure you have a working carbon monoxide detector on every floor of your home – especially near your furnace.
Contact Our Heating Pros Today!
It’s getting colder in Ohio, which means you’ll be using your furnace a lot more in the coming months. If you notice any odd smells coming from yours, or any other possible signs of disrepair, you can always reach out to Bay Heating & Air Conditioning for heating maintenance, repairs, and replacements.
For excellent service you can rely on, get in touch with us today!