No, your nose didn’t betray you. Now that the temperature has dropped and you’ve begun using your furnace once again, sometimes you might notice some out-of-the-ordinary smells. While not all of these smells indicate an urgent issue, some serve as bright warning signs that you need to put in a call to your service provider immediately.

To help you determine which smells warrant an emergency call and which ones you can chalk up to minor annoyances, we’ve put together a handy guide. Hopefully it’ll help put some concerns to rest while also giving you a better idea of when to call someone – like the furnace experts at Freedom Air& Heat!

Rotten Eggs = Bad

If you think that you’re smelling something like rotten eggs, then you should take immediate action. Unless you’ve got a heaping pile of eggs in the fridge that have been sitting there for months, then this smell is indicating the presence of natural gas in your home.

Gas providers add this artificial sulfur smell to gas to alert you when gas is in your home. Since natural gas is odorless, you’d never know when your home is at risk otherwise. So, if you notice this smell, shut off any gas appliances immediately, vacate the home, and call your gas provider.

Dust or Dirt Smell = Fine

Although the smell of dust isn’t pleasant, you’re probably fine. Most of the time, this smell only filters into a home when a furnace kicks on for the first time in a while. Since the furnace hadn’t been used in awhile, dust has likely settled in and is being expelled.

So, if you just smell dust for a bit, then it’s probably safe to ignore. However, if the smell persists, then we’d recommend calling a technician just in case.

Burning Plastic = Bad

When certain parts of your furnace begin overheating,they’re going to start degrading. This will manifest itself through a smell that resembles burning plastic, and we’d strongly advise turning off your furnace and calling a professional as soon as possible.

While it might turn out to be a similar situation to the smell of burning dust – that is, a harmless issue – you’d rather be safe than sorry.

Musty Smell = Fine

Although a musty smell isn’t something that warrants an emergency, it’s still something that you need to address. It isn’t particularly dangerous, but this smell develops when the ducts in your home are saddled with excess moisture that the airflow has picked up.

So while it’s not a life-threatening issue, it’s still one we’d recommend getting cleaned up as soon as you’re able. Excess moisture leads to potential mold problems, and then you’ll actually have a health problem on hand.

Rely on the Furnace Experts at Freedom Air & Heat

Furnaces are critical to maintaining a high comfort level at home, and an unusual smell of any type is cause for at least a little bit of concern. However, differentiating between harmless smells and ones that you should call an expert about can be tricky.

That’s why we’re here to help! At Freedom Air & Heat, we’re dedicated to helping our neighbors stay warm,cozy and safe all winter long, and we’d be glad to help you achieve peace of mind by telling you whatever we can about your furnace smells.

Give us a call at 321-631-6886 to speak to a team member today!