If Your Furnace Smells, It May Need a Clean

This is a common occurrence and a source of discomfort if you have allergies. Dust, which has an odor all its own, can accumulate inside your furnace during the warmer months. When the furnace starts running, it burns up the dust from the off-season and disperses it through your home’s air ducts. The remedy? Call a furnace cleaning professional to clean your furnace and evaporator coil each year before the cold winter weather arrives.

If your home has underground ductwork, mold and mildew are a typical source of bad household smells. Over time, water can leak into underground system components – evaporator coil drain trays and drains and humidifiers – and create not only putrid odors, but health concerns in the form of mold. The remedy? Cleaning your humidifier, evaporator coil, and ducts is the best way to handle odors from mold and mildew, but underground systems may require more intense effort resulting in the ductwork lined and sealed by a qualified professional.

Unless you have your furnace cleaned or maintained on a regular basis, you’re asking for trouble. As electrical parts age, they become failure-prone, often overheating, or experiencing burnouts resulting in the distinct odor of burnt wires or melting plastic. The remedy? Contact Steve's Air Duct Cleaning or your local furnace cleaning professionals for a yearly inspection, because even if your unit appears to be working, the motor or other electrical component may be overheating and close to failure. Get this checked out before it's too late.

This is a worst-case scenario for homeowners and furnace cleaning professionals alike. No one likes the thought of removing decaying animal carcasses from HVAC systems, but the fact of the matter is furry or feathery animals like a warm environment to live in just like we do. Countless birds and chipmunks have been known to meet their maker in chimneys and inducer fans, while mice and other rodents in search of nesting materials from filters, wiring, and flexible air ducts, never take another breath. How do you get rid of these odors? Look for signs of damage in the inducer fan, flue pipe, blower compartment, and ductwork, and search for a dead animal carcass. The animal carcass is then removed, and the affected ducts or components are cleaned and disinfected.

One of the reasons we’ve been in this business for so long is because we pride ourselves on quality work at affordable prices, are honest with customers about what can and can’t be done and strive to educate homeowners on easy steps they can take in order for their HVAC systems to run at peak efficiency. There are, of course, certain repair and replacement tasks the average homeowner can’t do themselves, but simple cleaning and maintenance is possible. Here are some things to consider doing on your own, but please reach out if you have any questions.

High-quality air filters can be purchased at many retailers, but it’s important to make sure you install filters recommended by a furnace cleaning professional or your furnace manufacturer. Clean air filters help your furnace work at peak efficiency. A dirty air filter causes the furnace to work harder to distribute through the system, using costly energy and resources. Replacing the air filters each year is a simple process that could reduce utility bills, keep your furnace working properly, and helps eliminate noxious odors from your home.

Keeping the exterior of the furnace free of dust and detritus is important and may help avoid expensive repairs in the future. You may also want to clean the blower assembly, located next to the air filter, and is the next place air goes. An instruction manual should have come with the furnace and will help locate the blower location, but a furnace cleaning professional can also provide advice. A damp cloth should work nicely.