Your gas furnace is a crucial part of your HVAC system, keeping your home warm during the winter months. To ensure reliable heating when you need it most, it’s essential to maintain your furnace in excellent condition. And while you love your furnace and the comfort it creates, you might not love the many noises and new furnace smells it can emit.

You may be tempted to ignore those strange smells as an unfortunate byproduct of your furnace, but these smells could actually be a big indicator that something is wrong. And you’ll need to stay vigilant as it could pose a threat to your home during the heating season. These smells may very well mean you need furnace repair services immediately.

With over 100 years of experience servicing all types of home furnaces, including oil and electric systems, we can identify which furnace odors may signal more serious issues. To help you identify those smells and figure out your next steps, here are the furnace smells you can’t ignore and what they mean for your home.

If Your Furnace Smells Like Burning Dust

If you’ve ever turned on an old light fixture, you likely know the smell of burning dust. When the light bulb heats up, the dust that accumulated on top of the bulb starts to burn, similar to how dust burns in your furnace. It’s a natural occurrence for most appliances throughout your home that haven’t been used in a while.

Because your furnace has a long off-season (i.e. summer), it’s a given that the furnace and air ducts will collect dust. If a burning dust smell from your furnace makes itself known in your home just after turning the furnace on for the winter, it’s a normal smell that should dissipate soon. However, if the problem persists, it could mean that your air filter is dirty or clogged. A quick trip to the furnace room and replacing the furnace filter should do the trick and eliminate the smell.

If you still haven’t been able to solve the problem and eliminate that musty smell, give us a call for a furnace maintenance inspection where we’ll check, clean, and fix the issue.

If Your Furnace Smells Like Rotten Eggs

A rotten egg smell will definitely make itself known throughout your home and it is one of the few furnace smells that requires immediate action. Also compared to smelling like sulfur, a rotten egg smell in your home could be dangerous for your home and the people in it as it could be an indication of a natural gas leak coming from your gas furnace. If you smell rotten eggs, take the following action immediately.

Once you smell rotten eggs or your furnace smells like gas, turn off your gas supply to the furnace, open your home’s windows, and evacuate the building. After you’ve reached a safe distance, call the gas company and inform them of the situation. Your utility company will arrive and perform a careful inspection of your gas lines and repair any leaks they find.

Think evacuation is an extreme measure? In August 2017 a natural gas leak caused an explosion at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, decimating two floors. Two people were killed from the blast and nine were left injured. Just imagine what the damage could have been if school was in session. Don’t risk similar damage to your home and family–act immediately

If You Smell Burning Metal, Plastic, Rubber, or Wax

Finally, be alert for any smells of burning metal, rubber, or wax, as these odors could point to electrical problems in your furnace. As furnaces and their components age, they become more susceptible to damage from extreme heat. With  prolonged use and heat exposure, critical furnace parts can start to melt, or even crack, causing damage that needs to be repaired.

If you smell an electrical burning smell, or your furnace smells like burning plastic, candles, or rubber, turn off your furnace to prevent potential damage. In fact, your furnace might beat you to the punch and shut itself off as a protective measure when its parts get too hot. Once your furnace is no longer running, call a professional
to repair your furnace and replace any damaged or outdated parts.

What Else Should You Look Out for?

Furnace smells aren’t the only indication that something could be wrong with your furnace. Warning signs could include unusual noises, failure to heat, and more. If you notice these issues, call an expert HVAC technician for a comprehensive inspection. Check out our furnace troubleshooting guide or common HVAC noises for more information on how to spot a faulty furnace.