Help! My Furnace in Washington, D.C. Smells Bad
Ideally, the warm air your furnace circulates should be clean and odorless. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. Here are just a few examples of bad furnace odors and what they could mean in your Washington, D.C. home.
Burning Dust
If you haven’t turned on your furnace in a while, you might notice a burning smell. This is due to dust and dirt in your furnace burning away, and it should go away after about 10 minutes or so. If it doesn’t, you might have a clogged air filter that you should clean or replace.
Dirty Socks
If turning on your furnace makes your whole house smell like a locker room, you likely have dirty heating coils. This is common during the spring and fall seasons when temperatures rise and fall. The constant temperature changes cause condensation to form on the heating coils, causing bacterial growth and that unpleasant “locker room” smell.
The best way to deal with this problem is to clean your heating coils regularly. This is a part of regular furnace maintenance, so contact an HVAC professional about scheduling a tune-up for your heating system if you haven’t done so in over a year.
Electrical Burning
If you have an older furnace that has seen a lot of wear and tear, you might notice the smell of ozone or burning plastic when you turn on your heat. This is usually due to an older blower motor that has to work harder to maintain consistent temperatures in your home.
As it works harder and draws more electricity, the motor can heat up your wires and melt their insulation. This can cause an electrical fire, so contact an HVAC repair professional to take a look at your motor if this smell persists.
Rotten Eggs or Sulfur
Natural gas normally doesn’t have an odor, but utility companies often add chemicals to give it a smell like rotten eggs or sulfur. This is a safety precaution to let you know if you have a gas leak in your home. This is a serious issue, so evacuate your home if you notice this smell and call for help as soon as you’re safe.
Furnace smells can be serious issues, especially if they don’t go away. If you notice any of these odors or suspect other issues with your furnace in Washington, D.C., contact Vernon The Heating & Cooling Specialist right away.
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