Why does my furnace smell weird?
Furnace smells like rotten eggs or like a sewer The smell can indicate a failed heat exchanger, especially if you have a high-efficiency furnace. This is a serious problem because a bad heat exchanger can pump unsafe levels of dangerous carbon monoxide (CO) gas into your home.
What does a furnace leak smell like?
Rotten egg or sulfur smell You may have a natural gas leak in your home. Why does it smell like that? Natural gas is odorless, so a harmless chemical (mercaptan) is added to give natural gas an odor, so you can easily detect a gas leak. Most people would describe the odor as smelling like rotten eggs or sulfur.
Why does my furnace smell like plastic burning?
Burning Plastic The smell of plastic burning could mean a foreign object has made its way into your heating unit. This could be anything from a plastic bottle cap to one of your children’s plastic toys. As the plastic burns from the heat of the furnace, it can emit fumes into the home that are harmful to your health.
Why does my furnace smell like chemicals?
A chemical-type smell coming from your furnace when it is turned on may indicate that there is a crack in your furnace’s heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is responsible for removing the heated air and fumes from the furnace’s combustion chamber and carrying them out and away from your home.
How do I know if my furnace is leaking carbon monoxide?
Signs of a Furnace Carbon Monoxide Leak
- Pilot Light Frequently Blowing Out.
- Fallen Soot in Fireplaces.
- Soot-Colored or Brown/Yellow-Colored Stains Around the Leaking Appliance.
- Solid Fuel Fires Burn Lower Than Normal.
- Smell of Gas (carbon monoxide is odorless, but a leakage may be accompanied by exhaust gases you can smell)
Can a dirty furnace filter cause a smell?
A dirty filter can allow extra dirt to buildup in your furnace, which will lead to a burning smell. A bigger issue that can be caused by a dirty filter is that your blower may have to work harder to move air, which can cause it to overheat and produce a burning smell.
How do you tell if your furnace is giving off carbon monoxide?
What does electrical burn smell like?
Burning smell Call an electrician immediately if you smell something electrical burning. Most electrical wiring has plastic insulation. An electrical fire initially has a fairly acrid smell of plastic burning. The short could be in the outlet or in the wiring inside a wall and can be hard to locate.
What does carbon monoxide smell like from a furnace?
No, carbon monoxide has no smell. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that’s a byproduct of combustion. As a homeowner, this means it can leak from your gas furnace, stove, dryer, and water heater as well as wood stove/fireplace.
Why does my furnace smell like ozone?
Electrical Burning or Smell of Ozone When your furnace is giving off this smell, it means that it’s overheating. It will use up more electricity to drive through the resistance. This increased use of voltage causes too much heat buildup in the motor. This heat can cause other problems like melted wire insulations.
How long does it take to get carbon monoxide poisoning from a furnace?
Quickly Causes Poisoning Carbon monoxide can take as little as five minutes to make you sick, depending on how saturated the air is. The following are common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning: Chest pain. Vomiting.
What that smell coming from the furnace could mean?
When you start up your furnace in the fall, you may notice that the furnace smells. Generally, it means you have some mold growing in your ductwork or on the air conditioning coil mounted above your furnace. Unfortunately, you’re going to have to bring in a furnace technician for an inspection and cleaning.
Why does my furnace have a funny smell?
It smells like burning dust because your furnace is dirty after a long period of inactivity, and it’s burning off what has accumulated. The smell should dissipate after a few hours. This may smell like burning wires, or “like electricity smells.”
What does the smell coming from your furnace mean?
When your furnace is giving off this smell, it means that it’s overheating. It will use up more electricity to drive through the resistance. This increased use of voltage causes too much heat buildup in the motor. This heat can cause other problems like melted wire insulations.
Is it normal for a furnace to smell?
When your furnace operates for the first couple of times, the coating may give off a burning smell. This is normal and the smell should go away the more your furnace heats. To be on the safe side, you’ll want to contact a heating and cooling company if the smell continues.