Sachin

There are times that your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) units emit foul odors that are inconvenient for everyone in your home. But these foul smells are also indicative that there is something wrong with your HVAC system, and often times some of these bad stench are serious damages that need your immediate attention.

We will provide you with a list of the common HVAC odors and their causes to serve as your guide.

Mildew or Mold Smell

This is the most common odor that comes out of your HVAC unit. This results from not properly draining the excess water from the air creating mold from the residual moisture in the ducts. Then, the only thing that must be done to remove the mold smell is to find where it is coming from and be able to clean it. It would also be best to contact your technician to prevent this from recurring by making sure your HVAC unit is working properly. Moreover, this condition must be eliminated immediately since the poor air quality coming from your AC unit poses great threat to your family specifically respiratory problems.

Electrical Smell

Electrical or the burning smell might be an indication of motor and wiring problem or overheating of the machine. If it is an overheating problem, your air filter, AC fan or compressor needs to be fixed. Since this is a mechanical problem, let your technician diagnose the problem and make the repair.

Burning Smell

The burning smell may be a result of dust burning because of dust settled on the heat exchanger. Sometimes you just have to give it at least half an hour to let the burning smell diffuse. However, you must not do the repair yourself. This electrical or burning smell may be a sign of a serious problem so ask your technician to do the repair to avoid any risk.

Rotten Egg Smell

The rotten egg smell or of sulfur may indicate that there is a natural gas leak (although it is odorless) since the smell is actually utilized by manufacturer to help you detect that there is a gas leak somewhere in your AC vent. If this situation occurs, get out of your house immediately and call your gas company. After which, contact your technician for the necessary repair process.

Rotting Garbage

Aside from the rotten egg smell, there may be times that your HVAC unit emits a rotting garbage stench. This may be caused by a decomposing rodent that made its way to your air duct and have died there. So you must locate where the dead animal is, or let your technician remove it since it may be in the vents in the difficult areas of your home.

Exhaust Fume Odor

If your engine fluid leaks out, you might smell exhaust fumes coming out of your HVAC units. This is a hazardous situation since it may start a fire if not mended right away. Thus, let your technician know about it and start the overhaul as soon as possible.

Now that you know the probable cause of the most common foul odor coming out of your HVAC unit, you understand the need to have your HVAC system inspected regularly to guarantee your home’s safety and your family’s health. Have your professional technician diagnose and repair possible damages and the foul odor-causing problems to ensure good indoor air quality for a long time.

Written by the staff of Controlled Aire Heating and Cooling in Moberly, MO.