Many Cleveland residents stay indoors for about four months as soon as the temperature starts getting lower. Hence, it is imperative to have a working furnace at home. Your heating system is your lifesaver and will not only keep you warm but also protect your home appliances and electronics from damages brought about by the extreme cold. However, you must also be wary of various complications caused by your furnace. Running your furnace can endanger your health along with that of your family if it has been around for so long and you haven’t replaced it yet, or when it circulates smelly air inside your home. A Cleveland furnace service is usually necessary when you start to notice that smelly air is coming from your home’s vents.
At times, you’ll be lucky to encounter issues that have simple remedies. But you still need to familiarize yourself with the likely reasons for your smelly furnace.
BURNING DUST
You will likely encounter a distinct smell coming from your vents the first time you start running your furnace in the winter. There is no reason for you to be alarmed since this smell is just the result of the burning off of the dust and debris buildup over the entire summer. In short, your furnace is making an attempt to clean itself. The burning of dust and debris is the primary reason for this foul smell, and might even include some of the buildups from the duct system. But you can do something about this annoying issue. If you do not want to experience this initial burn off of dust and debris, make sure that you thoroughly clean your entire unit before setting it up for the frigid winter months. It might be unavoidable for some minor smell to linger, but you can surely avoid anything disastrous. Besides, you have the assurance that this smell will go away on its own after running your heater twice or more. If the smell persists, that is the time you must involve Cleveland furnace service experts because it signals that your furnace might have some underlying issues with its electrical system that need an expert’s intervention.
BUILDUP OF DEBRIS OR SOMETHING WORSE INSIDE THE DUCT SYSTEM
Even though you start to notice a smelly odor emanating from your furnace other than the initial time you are running it, it does not necessarily rule out that you have a major issue on hand. For example, a renovation at your home will result in an accumulation of
sawdust and other construction debris that will likely enter your vents. The slight smell coming off of it is just your furnace’s way of clearing it from that buildup. A lot of things can cause a build-up in the vents and ductwork. It all ranges from human skin, carpet fibers, pet dander, cooking oil residues, and hair that the furnace also burns off. However, these kinds of debris only release a subtle scent. Your furnace will likely emit such a strong smell if there is a dead animal inside it that ends up being burned by it, like a bird or rodent perhaps. You might encounter this rarely, but its stench is easily recognizable and smells very bad too. By then, you will need the help of Cleveland furnace service professionals in taking the dead animal off your system since they’ll need to cut off your ductwork and put it back together after.
MOLD GROWTH INSIDE THE ROOM
Another smelly issue you’ll likely encounter once you start using your furnace is the smell of mold and that of must coming from your home’s vents. Mold can grow inside your ductwork as long as there is an unknown opening in it, and moisture manages to penetrate inside it. The musty scent coming from your utility room, the actual location of your furnace, can also travel inside your vents and mixes with the warm air being circulated inside your home. If you own a dehumidifier, use it to remove some of the moisture trapped inside. The strong stench can also come from the very room where heat distribution takes place. The furnace can disrupt the buildup of mold on your vents, the floors, or in the walls where the unit sits, which in turn spread the spores and compromise your family’s health and well-being.
FAULTY ELECTRICAL PARTS
If you ever experience having a distinguished burning smell emanating inside your home in the middle of winter, it is a tell-tale sign that you are having some electrical issues. Your motor, fans, and blowers get its power from the various electrical wirings connected to them and is prone to experience several malfunction issues just like any other electrical appliance. Once you start noticing this strange burning smell, start looking for the root of the problem to prevent your home from being consumed by fire and risk losing all your personal belongings. As soon as you smell the scent that resembles that of a heated up curling iron, or that of a burning plastic, turn off your furnace right away. Then, immediately call the experts to look into the issue. The smell of the burnt wirings circulate all over the duct system. By the time the pros reach your home, they are usually too late, and the damage to the various components are already irreparable. Just think about this, it is way much easier and cheaper to change these wires and circuits than to replace your home along with all your belongings and mementos.
OBSTRUCTED OIL FILTER
It is common to catch the scent of your heater if you own one that uses oil to run it. There is a need to filter the oil being utilized by your heater, and it can be the cause of a clog inside your unit. It will soon give off a very strong oily smell all over your home. You have no recourse but to replace the filter every time the oil smell penetrates your furnace at home. A lot of causes can result in a filter clogged with oil. In general, it serves as a warning that you need to install a replacement. Dirty oil resulting in the clogging of sediments is also one culprit, or perhaps you have a faulty unit that restricts the passing of the oil. Cleveland furnace service experts can help diagnose the problem for you that resulted to the clog in your unit, and is the reason a disgusting stench now permeates all over your home.
GAS LEAK
The most dangerous kind of stench you’ll ever encounter emanating from your furnace is that of a rotten egg. It indicates that there is a natural gas leak in it. The gas you use is odorless by nature, which is why the manufacturers incorporates an artificial scent that will alert homeowners of possible leaks. A subtle burning smell usually accompanies gas furnaces, but a strong, persistent odor is a definite sign of a big trouble. In the event that this rotting egg smell fills your home, the first thing you and your family must do is to evacuate your home before you even decide to phone the Cleveland furnace service. Do not also forget to inform your community’s local fire station about this pressing matter.
In the majority of these scenarios, homeowners should not just bear the foul stench or cover their noses to make sure they are all warm inside. When it comes to heating systems, the presence of certain smells is expected. However, be on the lookout for those distinctive smells that indicates there is a pressing issue in your midst, and it needs your attention right away, just like when you own a pet. Don’t hesitate to call your Cleveland furnace service.