If you live in colder weather conditions, then you feel how important your gas furnace is to your family’s comfort, and how frustrating it can be when something goes wrong.
There isn’t anything more frightening than turning on your gas furnace in the Winter time and experiencing smells coming from it, and while some smells coming from your gas furnace may be a sign of an extreme problem, other smells are normal, and may not be a cause for concern.
Here are a few examples of smells that you might encounter coming from your gas furnace, what they mean, and what you can do about them, then if you smell sulfur or rotten eggs coming from your gas furnace, you may have a natural gas leak, natural gas in its raw form is odorless, and gas companies use additives to alert people of its presence in their homes. If you smell rotten eggs or sulfur coming from your gas furnace, turn it off immediately and contact your gas dealer. If you smell mold or mildew coming from your gas furnace, you may have excess moisture in your ductwork, but during the Summer when you aren’t running your gas furnace, it is possible for moisture to build up within your ductwork, and when you turn it on, you may smell mildew coming from your gas furnace. If you are experiencing mildew in your ducts, it may be a relaxing system to have your ductwork cleaned by a heating & A/C serviceman. If you smell burning dust coming from your gas furnace, this is officially not a cause for concern. During the warmer months, dust can build up inside your gas furnace and become ignited when you turn your gas furnace on. This smell is normal, and should go away within a few hours.