When everything is working correctly, furnaces shouldn’t produce any odors. If you do notice the smell of rotten eggs or any other unusual odors coming from your furnace in Rockville, MD, it indicates that there’s an issue that you need to have repaired. Let’s take a closer look at what causes a furnace to smell like rotten eggs and also some of the other reasons your furnace may smell strange.
What Causes Rotten Egg Smells?
A rotten egg odor coming from your furnace indicates that it is leaking gas. Natural gas has no smell on its own, but gas companies add a chemical to make it smell like rotten eggs for safety reasons. If you ever smell this rotten egg odor coming from your furnace, you should immediately shut the gas off and then vacate the property until you can have the gas leak repaired.
Burning Smells Coming From a Furnace
Furnaces often make a burning odor when they have sat unused for a while. This smell comes from burning dust inside the furnace and is nothing to worry about.
If the smell persists for a longer time or occurs frequently, it’s usually a sign that your heating system is overheating. When this happens, the excess heat can begin to melt the unit’s wiring and produce a strong burning smell. In this situation, you should immediately contact a furnace repair expert to ensure that the issue doesn’t lead to major damage or create a fire hazard.
Moldy Odors When Furnace Is Running
A moldy or musty smell coming from your vents when the heating system is running usually indicates that there’s mold and mildew inside your ductwork. In this case, the solution is to hire an HVAC company that specializes in professional duct cleaning.
If you have a high-efficiency condensing furnace, moldy smells could be a sign that there’s a clog in your condensate drain line, and you have bacterial growth inside it. The solution to this problem is to have a furnace technician clean and unclog the drain line.
At Vernon Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., we repair and service all makes and models of furnaces as well as other heating and cooling units. If you need any residential HVAC service in Rockville, MD, contact our experts at Vernon Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. today.
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