Uh oh, your furnace has never smelled like that before! Or maybe it has, you were just never around at this time of year to really take it in. Regardless of what the smell is, how bad it is, or how you feel about it, it could absolutely be a signal that something is wrong with your system.
Smells that come from a furnace system can range anywhere from common things to serious disasters and it’s up to you to call for help when you need it. We don’t live at your home, you do! This is why you need to call us when you think there’s something funky giving off strange smells from your system.
We’re the team to call for furnace repair in Bradenton, FL when it comes to strange smells in your system. Whether it’s a gas leak, a carbon monoxide leak, or something else causing the scent, we’ve got your back.
The Start of the Heating Season
We’d like to get something off our chest before we dive into the different types of smells that can come from your heating system. Since we live in Florida, we don’t use our heaters at the same time that other homeowners do. Temperatures are still pretty mild, which is why it’s the first time turning our heaters on for many of us. That’s good news!
Sometimes when furnaces turn on for the first time in the season, they start burning the dust that has collected inside the machine for the last few months. The burning of this dust can sometimes make homeowners nervous because it smells like something is wrong, when in actuality it’s just a simple occurrence that will probably go away after a few minutes. If this smell continues for more than a few minutes, be sure to call us for help.
More Serious Concerns
Sometimes there can be a crack in the heat exchanger deep within your heater. This means that the air you will end up feeling and breathing and the air that contains exhaust, gas, and fumes, will mingle together and cause catastrophic results. Sometimes when homeowners smell the typical “rotten eggs” smell, it could signal that there’s a gas leak coming from your furnace.
Likewise, if you start suffering from symptoms like fatigue, memory loss, nausea, and headaches, then you could be dealing with a carbon monoxide leak. Carbon monoxide is a lot more insidious than a gas leak, because it’s odorless and colorless, which means it’s nigh impossible to detect. CO detectors and other smoke alarms can help you find out when there’s something wrong with your furnace.
Something… Different
Sometimes the culprit of a nasty smell coming from your vents is exactly what you’d think it is. Many critters find our ductwork and furnaces as a warm and cozy place to nest during the rest of the year. The problem is that sometimes they expire or get stuck in there and end up propagating a smell that wafts through your whole home. We can get to the bottom of this problem if you give us a call!
Call Jim McDonald & Sons Heating & Cooling Inc. for targeted heating repairs that will deal with the problem at hand. Cooling Sarasota and Manatee Counties since 1970.