If your home has a furnace smell, it could range from no big deal to devastating catastrophe. Deciding what to do next is of your utmost priority. Here are a list of odors you might experience and how to tackle the problem:

Burning Dust Odor

When your furnace hasn’t been used in several months, accumulated dust will burn when you finally switch it back on. It should not last more than a couple of hours, and if it goes on longer than that, contact your HVAC professional.

Stinky Odor

If you smell something out of the ordinary, but can’t quite put your finger on it, your heating system’s air filter may need to be changed.

Musty Odor

A musty odor could indicate a mold problem in your home’s ductwork. Since this can also lead to health problems, especially for those already suffering from respiratory issues, contact your HVAC professional.

Smoky Odor

When you close off more than 20 percent of the registers in your home, the heat resistance and heat build-up in your furnace causes a smoky odor. This is easily fixed by opening up the registers. If this is not the issue, contact your HVAC professional.

Electrical Odor

If your furnace’s motor, blower, or other mechanical component is in need of repair, the electrical odor can be quite overwhelming. Even worse, this could be an indication of a potential breakdown of the entire system, so it’s important that you get a technician to check it out.

Rotten Egg Odor

This is one smell you definitely don’t want to ignore. A rotten egg odor is due to a gas leak, which can be extremely dangerous. If you experience this specific smell, immediately leave your home and call either your gas company or the local fire department.

For more expert advice on what your furnace smell could mean, or if you have any other HVAC questions, be sure to reach out to the friendly professionals at Jackson & Sons. They’ve been serving the needs of Eastern North Carolina since 1974.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Eastern North Carolina (including Wayne, Johnston, Greene, Lenoir, Pitt and Duplin Counties) about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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