Odor From Heating Ducts

Here are 5 common hvac odors and what they indicate.

Odor from heating ducts.

This article will guide you through the process of finding out whether or not you have mold in your air ducts and what you can do about it. First turn off the ac system. First check the air filter to see if it is very dirty as this can restrict the air flow and overheat the electric resistance heaters. If you notice a musty or moldy smell that goes away when you are not using your air conditioning or heating if they share ducts that can narrow the cause down to mold in your hvac system.

If a critter has died in your hvac or duct system the smell will quickly become impossible to ignore. In many cases you ll smell it before you can see it. Rotting carcass or dirty trash smells. Ducts of this kind are often used with a forced air furnace or a central heating and cooling system.

As a heating repair company that serves buck county pa and many other areas around philadelphia and in south jersey we know that tracking down the smell can be challenging it s challenging for you because your home s ductwork is designed to deliver air to all areas of your home including bad odors so finding the origin of the smell can be difficult. Inspect all the ducts connected to your heating system so make sure there are no gaps. Any odor that drifts into the duct system will lead to odor all through the house as the blower pushes the smell out through the vents. Next open some doors and windows for ventilation.

Air ducts in a ventilation system are designed to transport air so that you feel more comfortable in your home. If the mold problem is quite severe you should be able to spot the growth around the ducts in the vents and the other parts of the ductwork. Unfortunately though microbes and mice often find a way into walls and heating systems from the surrounding soil. But the most common cause of a musty smell in ductwork is the presence of mold in your hvac system.

If your hvac unit smells like it might be overheating it very well could be. Usually this is the result of gaps in the ducts caused by rust or other damage. Tracking down building odors associated with the heating or cooling ductwork can be tricky not only because there is a larger variety of possible sources of duct smells and stinky ducts than you might guess but also because once an odor source has invaded the hvac system smells can be delivered to other more remote building areas. Turn your unit off before attempting to diagnose the problem.

Dealing with odors coming from heating vents can be maddening particularly when the odor smells of rotten eggs or dead animals you d like to think your house is not only clean but tightly sealed against invasion from the outside. The quicker you detect the decomposition the better. Contact a professional hvac or pest management company immediately. However sometimes you will notice not so desirable smells coming from your air duct system.