It’s the first cold morning for the year in Peachtree City, Georgia. You turn your furnace on expecting to get warm and toasty but there’s a problem. You have a strange odor coming from your furnace. What should you do?

Why Does Your Furnace Have Strange Odor?

It’s normal to have a strange odor when you turn your furnace on for the first time each year. The most common reason is dust. Your furnace hasn’t been used for a year and dust has collected on the filter. When you turn the furnace on, it heats up the dust causing the smell.

Does your furnace have strange odor that smells like mold? If so, your filter probably has mold on it. The problem of dust and mold can be solved by cleaning or replacing the filter.

Safety Concerns with Your Furnace

There are several reasons that might cause the furnace have strange odor that might be a safety issue. Some of these reasons are:

• Oil leaks
• Gas leaks
• Blocked chimneys
• Burned-out motors
• Malfunctioning electrical parts
• Frayed electrical wiring

If you smell burning oil, you might just have a clogged filter that needs replacing. It could also mean your furnace has an oil leak. Likewise, the smell of sulfur is a sign of a gas leak. Either situation is potentially serious and a safety hazard needing to be checked out immediately.

Smoky smells most often point to blocked chimneys causing the smoke to come out your duct work. Have your chimney inspected by a professional to see if this is the problem.

If you smell burning plastic or metal, you might have an electrical problem with your furnace. Burned-out furnace motors, frayed electrical wiring, malfunctioning electrical parts often cause smells like burning plastic or metal. Have electrical problems checked out immediately.

Safety First

Many things can cause the furnace have strange odor. If you notice the smell of sulfur, burning oil, plastic, or metal this could be a safety hazard that puts you and your family in danger. Contact us today at Powers Heating and Air.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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