When should you call a heating and air conditioning pro?
When you first boot up your heating and air conditioning equipment for the season, it often has a musty smell. That scent normally disappears after 10 or 20 minutes as the dust clears out of your vents. There are other HVAC smells, however, that point to system problems. Be prepared to call a service technician the next time you catch a whiff of the following:
1. Rotten Eggs
Natural gas contains an added ingredient to make it smell like rotten eggs. This helps people tell when there's a leak. Breathing in too much gas can kill you, but it can also cause an explosion. If you smell a gas leak, don't turn any lights off or on, shut doors or use the phone. Leave your home and call the gas company from a neighbor's house or use a cell phone. If you use your cell phone, be far away from the home when you do!
2. Burning Plastic
The smell of burning plastic can indicate a problem with your HVAC unit’s electrical components. It can also be a sign of overheating. If your system doesn’t shut down automatically, the motor or other parts can burn out. There might even be a fire. It’s best to shut things down until a technician identifies and fixes the problem.
3. Mold
A cheesy odor from your HVAC system signals mold or mildew in your ductwork. Different types of mold release toxins capable of making people and animals sick. If left to circulate through your home, mold growth can hurt your family or pets. It's important to bring in a specialist to clean the ductwork and any HVAC components affected by fungal growth.
When in doubt, have a heating and air conditioning professional give your system a clean bill of health. Connect with our team at G + S today.
