The last thing that any homeowner wants to have happen when they turn on their heat is to have their home fill up with a foul smell. Unfortunately, there are times when foul odors come from your vents because of an issue with your furnace. Knowing what these foul odor mean can help you work toward getting the problem fixed. Some smells are a bigger deal that others. Ambient Heating & Air Conditioning is here to talk about what some of the foul odors coming from your vents could be.

Watch Out for These Strange Furnace Smells

At one point or another, there is a solid chance you will smell something odd coming from the vents when you turn on your furnace. Some of the things that you smell are a cause for concern, and there are others that or simply temporary and can be ignored. Here are some of the most common furnace smells and what they could mean for your heating system:
– Burning Dust: If you smell something that resembles burning dust, it is nothing to be worried about. This usually happens temporarily when you fire up your furnace for the first time as winter gets underway. This is simply dust burning off as the furnace kicks on for the first time. You will smell it for a minute and then it will simply disappear.
– Rotten Eggs: Anytime you smell rotten eggs when your furnace kicks on, you need to be worried. This is likely the smell of a natural gas leak that needs to be addressed right away. The first step to solving this problem is to shut off your heating system and call for emergency personnel to come take a look. They will need to find the natural gas leak and fix it before you can go back into your home.
– Burning Plastic: As your furnace gets older, there are parts that will start to wear down. This can lead to wiring and other plastic pieces getting hot enough that they are in danger of starting on fire. If you smell something that resembles burning or hot plastic, you need to shut of your furnace and call the pros to come take a look. This could mean that using the furnace without fixing it is a risk of house fire.
– Dirty Socks: A high school locker room coming out of your vents isn’t a good thing either. This usually means that there are bacteria built up in your system somewhere that needs to be fixed. This can be done by giving your furnace a deep cleaning.

Central Heating Furnace & Boiler Maintenance, Repairs, Replacement, Emergency Repairs & More in Springfield, Granby, Holyoke, South Hadley, Monson, Chicopee & Agawam, Massachusetts

If you smell something odd coming from your vents when the furnace kicks on, don’t hesitate to call on Ambient Heating & Air Conditioning to come take a look. We will fix whatever problem you’re experiencing so that your furnace can continue to work to keep your home comfortable. Call us today!