Why Does My Furnace Smell?

Winters are fairly mild here in Manor, TX, and many households may have fired up their heating systems only recently after a long summer. You may be caught off-guard by a strange smell wafting through the system when you turn it on. In most cases, that’s cause for concern, and the sooner you call in a professional service to get on the issue, the better off you’ll be. Only a trained technician can diagnose and treat the issue in question, but the nature of the smell can sometimes give you an idea of where the technician should look.

ELECTRICAL SMELLS

Most furnaces contain electrical components fed by wires. An electrical smell usually means that one of them has encountered trouble, and has possibly burned out. The smell may also come from burning rubber that forms seals and the like. If you detect this smell and the heater keeps shutting off unexpectedly, you likely have an overheating component somewhere in the system.

DUST SMELLS

Dust can coat the inside of the furnace when it sits unused for many months, and you may smell it when you turn the system on for the first time. In most cases, this will diminish as you run the heater. If it doesn’t, you may need to change the air filter, or possibly schedule maintenance to get rid of a particularly high build-up of dust.

ROTTEN EGGS

The smell of rotten eggs is put into gas that feeds most forced-air furnaces in order for humans to detect it (it is normally odorless). If you detect the smell of rotten eggs, turn your heating system off immediately and get everyone (including pets) out of the home and into the fresh air.

For heating repairs of all varieties in homes throughout the area, the friendly pros at Intelligent Air Services can’t be beaten!