Check the all the returns for a chemical or possibly one of those plug-in air fresheners near the return openings. Just suggesting barb. It's hard to give an accurate answer over the web without actually seeing your unit.
I would suggest that you check the heat chamber very closely, there may be a hairline crack, and this could be carbon monoxixe gas fumes. also, check for clogged vent pipes,or disconnected vent pipe letting furnace fumes directly into home.
My furnace is natural gas. The smell is not rotton eggs, it's more sweet/yeasty, (some days stronger than others), and happens only while the furnace runs. I've had my vents cleaned, my furnace serviced, tests for CO... I can't get rid of it. Help. What is it, how do I get rid of it, and is it harmful. I've had symptoms.
has anyone figured out the problem with the smell?
I have the same problem, and I would like to get some ideas about what could be wrong.
thank you
I have the same problem, and I would like to get some ideas about what could be wrong.
thank you
Four year old manufactured home was purchased in Michigan last fall, winterized with furnace left on at 50 degrees.
There is a smell that comes and goes with using gas stove and/or furnace, or simply having the house closed for afew days. Not a gas smell, it is sicky yeast odor as someone said. Affecting family members differently. I feel it in my nose and throat, hubby smells it and gets a headache, son gets queazy from it.
We have been airing out the house thinking it may be formaldehyde residue buildup from being closed all winter. Could this be? How long would it take to air a house out?
We have had furnace cleaned and checked, the gas company found no gas leaks, mold testing came up negative, tore out like new carpet, CO battery changed with no detection, nothing found to give us a clue, etc.
Are these issues mainly with manufactured homes?
NO problems with water or previous water damage.
We have looked into cleaning vents, but didn't have it done since it could mean tearing the underside of the manufactured home all apart.
Has anyone found any information or solutions?
Please help? Thank you!
jj
There is a smell that comes and goes with using gas stove and/or furnace, or simply having the house closed for afew days. Not a gas smell, it is sicky yeast odor as someone said. Affecting family members differently. I feel it in my nose and throat, hubby smells it and gets a headache, son gets queazy from it.
We have been airing out the house thinking it may be formaldehyde residue buildup from being closed all winter. Could this be? How long would it take to air a house out?
We have had furnace cleaned and checked, the gas company found no gas leaks, mold testing came up negative, tore out like new carpet, CO battery changed with no detection, nothing found to give us a clue, etc.
Are these issues mainly with manufactured homes?
NO problems with water or previous water damage.
We have looked into cleaning vents, but didn't have it done since it could mean tearing the underside of the manufactured home all apart.
Has anyone found any information or solutions?
Please help? Thank you!
jj
our A/C smells like old man pee due to condensation in the flexible ducts. Menards has a rebate on insulation, so we are going to blanket all the ducts in the unconditioned attic and hopefully not get any more condensation next winter. (condensation is from household moisture seeping into ducts in winter)
im having the same problem it kind of smells like a old heater that's heating up and burning thedust off but it just keeps getting stronger. my farther is a hvac tec and he looked at the furnace and couldn't find anything wrong he asked me to check to see if I could see if there was any burn residue on anything in the furnace where the components areand there was nothing but while I was looking at it I smelled a buring rubber smell and came and went as we turned the furnace on and off to see if we could find aproblem. still haven't found the problem yet I will keep every one posted if we do discover the problem.
I have the same problem. My old furnace was moved a few inches, and a new filter installed. My new furnace has the same filter, so that can't be it.
The smell is silicon-like. I have a feeling they filled in some openings with cheap silicon and when the heater is on, that stuff starts to gas off. I have been running my heater on high with all windows open hoping the smell will "gas off". No success so far. I'll have yet another company come over and check. It's exhausting.
The smell is silicon-like. I have a feeling they filled in some openings with cheap silicon and when the heater is on, that stuff starts to gas off. I have been running my heater on high with all windows open hoping the smell will "gas off". No success so far. I'll have yet another company come over and check. It's exhausting.
The smell I'm experiencing when the furnace is running is similar to one in a plant where foam is manufactured. Is it possible that the new filter has a different foam than the previous ones? How do we know what to look for in buying a filter so that it, itself, is odorless and free from chemicals? Thank you. Brand names would be helpful.
When my heat is turned on 70 I get a gas smell and it really bothers me a lot. I called the gas company but they did not find anything. Does anyone have this problem and is it dangerous.
I totally understand what the first person was saying about the smell being a sweet/powdery smell. That is how I would describe it. I do not have gas. I just had a new Trane 20i system installed a little over a year ago and this sweet smell only happens periodically and can happen whether it is heat or AC running. They have checked it out and can find nothing and say they have never had complains of this before. But it certainly is a sweet (sickening) smell. I truly wish someone would figure it out as I too am concerned about toxic chemicals. I have no air fresheners/etc. in my house. It has been happening a lot lately and is doing so now that is why I Googled and found this thread.
I read this on another thread. It makes a lot of sense too.
"My first guess is that dust and other crap from your house is getting past the filter, hitting the heat exchange and burning and that's what you're smelling. If it's old/ripped/cheap to begin with/missing replace it with a decent one and see if that makes a difference " That is just what mine smells like.. Dust burning
"My first guess is that dust and other crap from your house is getting past the filter, hitting the heat exchange and burning and that's what you're smelling. If it's old/ripped/cheap to begin with/missing replace it with a decent one and see if that makes a difference " That is just what mine smells like.. Dust burning
we also have a peepee smell which started when we started up the humidifier when we swithed the unit to heat when the weather turned cold. So far no luck with stopping it. in the summer we accidentally had the humidifier on with the a/c until we found out and switched it off. This may have caused condensate in the ducts, which dried but is now causing the odor.
Any comments ?
Any comments ?
Has anyone found an answer? I have a 6 month old Carrier heat pump and have been smelling this sickening sweet smell. It sometimes smells like wet paint or mildew. We had technicians come over and completely inspect the system. They said nithing was wrong. There is no mold or mildew, and they said it could be sewer fumes backing up into the system, but they weren't sure. I may have to move if this doesn't get resolved. I can't live in a house much longer if the smell doesn't get resolved. It is affecting my health. I have been nauseated, had increasing migraines and headaches, and have been hospitalized with pneumonitis.
I have the same issue with the old furnace in my rental unit. I've never lived anywhere with gas so have no clue if this is normal or what but I have Copd, and when the heater kicks on my nose gets stuffy and I cough a lot. Eventually it goes away however. I'm scared about gas leaks but smell nothing like rotten eggs either...it is almost like someone sprayed perfume on a space heater and it's burning off.
I am happy to see this! We have the same problem. We moved into this house and have the sweet/powdery smell when the heat is on. I've shampooed carpets, steamed the walls and floors, painted, had ducts cleaned, have run through 3 filters... It's still there! It burns your eyes, and it feels like my sinuses are raw. Carbon monoxide detector doesn't pick anything up. Had the furnace cleaned. Thought maybe some heat escaping the ducts was hitting something smelly, so taped up all joints. Help. Feel like I'd have to move to escape it. Any thoughts? No scented products used in this house, though previous resident did scented laundry.
Same issue here we had a 5 ton unit put in a year ago and been smelling this smell for about 4 months now. Comes and goes
has any one discovered the answer to the sweet smell coming from vents when gas furnace is on? I too have changed the filter, had the ducts cleaned and still the smell is there and it is making me sick
Hello,
As for me my sweet smell coming out of the vents was sewer gases.
When the furnace kicks on it sucks in air, that air circulates through the duct work. The furnace guy told me when the sewer air passes over the flames it is changed to a gross sweet smell.
You will have to wash your bedding, curtains ect to get the smell out as it settles on everything.
The pipe was cleaned out and the smell is gone!...... Hope this helps.
As for me my sweet smell coming out of the vents was sewer gases.
When the furnace kicks on it sucks in air, that air circulates through the duct work. The furnace guy told me when the sewer air passes over the flames it is changed to a gross sweet smell.
You will have to wash your bedding, curtains ect to get the smell out as it settles on everything.
The pipe was cleaned out and the smell is gone!...... Hope this helps.
I have this smell too and it's driving me crazy! We've tried many of the suggestions listed here to no avail. Going to have the pipe cleaned next, though I am wondering which pipe you were referring to? I don't wantto spend extra time and money cleaning the wrong pipe since we've already explored soma dead ends. Thanks!
I'm having a similar issue too.
Background:
We moved in just a few months back, and are the first owners. Brand new furnace. Builder recommended that we change the filters more often the first year. SO, two days back, we did! Previous filter was the hazy cob-web type with flimsy cardboard. Installed new filters from Home Depot, with reasonable filter rating. Furnace itself seems to work fine, is blowing air as usual, warms up the house.
Issue:
I can't quite put my finger on it, but something has changed about the quality of air. It has sort of an extra must or particles or something to it... not quite 'sweet' as some describe above, but something like that. It causes eye irritation for me, and sometimes at night, I feel like I can't take a nice deep proper breath and have this urge to open a window.
Also:
Furnace is in its own small utility closet in the basement. When I go down there, the closet is full of some fume. No particular odor, (e.g. not the burning smell, nor gas, nor dust), but something... almost sweet? And it too has the same effect, eye irritation. I just noticed there's a cold air return outside the closet door. But, the haze has been there from the start, why would it suddenly start circulating that - was it the filter change?
What is that 'new furnace smell'? Can changing to a brand new well-rated filter suddenly cause this?
Any thoughts appreciated, and I hope some of the above helps others too troubleshoot these strange furnace fumes...
Background:
We moved in just a few months back, and are the first owners. Brand new furnace. Builder recommended that we change the filters more often the first year. SO, two days back, we did! Previous filter was the hazy cob-web type with flimsy cardboard. Installed new filters from Home Depot, with reasonable filter rating. Furnace itself seems to work fine, is blowing air as usual, warms up the house.
Issue:
I can't quite put my finger on it, but something has changed about the quality of air. It has sort of an extra must or particles or something to it... not quite 'sweet' as some describe above, but something like that. It causes eye irritation for me, and sometimes at night, I feel like I can't take a nice deep proper breath and have this urge to open a window.
Also:
Furnace is in its own small utility closet in the basement. When I go down there, the closet is full of some fume. No particular odor, (e.g. not the burning smell, nor gas, nor dust), but something... almost sweet? And it too has the same effect, eye irritation. I just noticed there's a cold air return outside the closet door. But, the haze has been there from the start, why would it suddenly start circulating that - was it the filter change?
What is that 'new furnace smell'? Can changing to a brand new well-rated filter suddenly cause this?
Any thoughts appreciated, and I hope some of the above helps others too troubleshoot these strange furnace fumes...
I found the problem to be sewer gas coming from an empty drain trap next to the furnace that is used to drain condensation from the A/C. It dries up during the heating season from lack of use. the sewer gas is drawn through the pipe into the furnace causing all of the various smells, eye and lung irritation others are reporting. I poured 3 pails of water down the pipe and after running the furnace for a while, the smell and other irritants are gone!
I'm so glad to find this thread!!! I recently moved into a new apartment and my bed is next to the closet with the furnace and this smell is killing me - it wakes me up at night! It is almost like rotten strawberries.
My super thinks I'm crazy but it is because it is all over the building too - but is never consistent. So frustrating!
I'm on the second floor of a 4 story walk-up so if anyone figures this out, I would greatly appreciate it.
The bathroom is next to the closet so there is a possibility of sewage clog but not sure that I can sell that to the Super...?
Would love help/ advice on how to resolve.
My super thinks I'm crazy but it is because it is all over the building too - but is never consistent. So frustrating!
I'm on the second floor of a 4 story walk-up so if anyone figures this out, I would greatly appreciate it.
The bathroom is next to the closet so there is a possibility of sewage clog but not sure that I can sell that to the Super...?
Would love help/ advice on how to resolve.
Me too. Only Two different odors. One yeasty and the other like cherry pop. I took a photo during the night using my iphone at the duct return and there was a red tinted color coming into the room. Other times the odor shows like a fog of white in the room. It is a brand new home as well!
My house smells bad from the furnace. Including the bedding, cloth furniture, and the smelly air is making me sick.
This may be because of some dust in the filter. It may also because of clogged chimney or electrical defect in the furnace. Contact professional on the subject.
It is because of dust collected in the duct. You have to get it cleaned by professional electrician, who shall have best knowledge on the subject. Even when the fault is not get corrected, there might be some other problem.
There is more than one smell described here, but the one most often described is without a doubt hydrogen sulfide. It's a component of sewer gas (along with methane, and other nasty stuff). Some sources say it's non-toxic, but it can cause health problems like migraines.
We have had the same problem, and it turned out the the p-trap for a bathtub we don't use had all of its water evaporate. That allowed the gas to collect under our home, which meant the first run of the heater made us sick. All it took to fix it was running the water in that tub.
1. Make sure your toilets have wax rings and the bolts holding them to the floor are tight.
2. Flush your toilets, run the water in your sinks, and run the water in your bathtubs.
3. Flush the gas by pouring bleach down the drain.
That should clear it right up. You may want to run your blower with the windows open early in the heater season to clear out any lingering fumes and air that has been trapped since last year.
We have had the same problem, and it turned out the the p-trap for a bathtub we don't use had all of its water evaporate. That allowed the gas to collect under our home, which meant the first run of the heater made us sick. All it took to fix it was running the water in that tub.
1. Make sure your toilets have wax rings and the bolts holding them to the floor are tight.
2. Flush your toilets, run the water in your sinks, and run the water in your bathtubs.
3. Flush the gas by pouring bleach down the drain.
That should clear it right up. You may want to run your blower with the windows open early in the heater season to clear out any lingering fumes and air that has been trapped since last year.
FIXED the sour odor smell. After HVAC guy couldn't figure it out I cut open my furnace exhaust where it goes in the wall to the chimney. Sure enough it was clogged. Vacuumed and removed by hand nearly 5 pounds of dirt, dead bird, and other debris. Problem solved, no more smell.

I have the same burnt rubber odor when the system runs. I note that the big duct coming up out of the furnace and going through the air conditioning evaporator just above it gets very hot--perhaps 150 degrees. I had the entire system cleaned and checked--nothing found. The tech said it was OK I may have to open the air conditioning section and see if there is something in there that is cooking. Anything like a dead mouse would have dried up by now. Help!
Adding my 2 cents:
We bought our 30 year old home 2 months ago and when investigating our not sickening, but not really that unpleasant, odor coming from the forced air furnace, we found 2 mummified squirrels and 3 more recently decomposed mice. I'm still dry heaving. :(
We bought our 30 year old home 2 months ago and when investigating our not sickening, but not really that unpleasant, odor coming from the forced air furnace, we found 2 mummified squirrels and 3 more recently decomposed mice. I'm still dry heaving. :(
Very helpful comment stream. Same story as everyone else and I've excluded carbon monoxide, gas, and refrigerant leak for our oddly sweet odor in the air. The hydrogen sulfide points made hit the mark and I checked out some public health department notes on it which may help others (http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/factsheets/hydrogensulfide.htm). Will be calling plumbers right away because it's causing shortness of breath, sore throat, dizziness, and mild headaches. Opening windows and shutting doors to rooms not in use helps in the meantime.
We have had a powdery odor in our home for months. It irritates eyes, noses, mouths, throats and lungs. It first started over a year ago when we did a little bit of painting. First the odor was strong and sharp. Got into everything: furniture, clothes air all over house. Others are having these same problems with latex paint fumes. I will have our chimney, furnace, and plumbing checked, but the smell problem started the day we painted and has been in the house since. Google this phrase without any spaces:edpaintinginteriorgettingridofpaintsmell. Lots of people are having this problem after painting. Thanks for the info.
Two possibilities:
If you have laminate flooring and you're having respiratory issues, nasal problems and burning eyes it could be that the flooring is off-gassing formaldahyde. Consider whether any laminate flooring has been installed recently. The A/C will circulate any odors that are in your home but it may not be the A/C itself that's responsible.
Second point, is that I once had a heater core in a car crack and it spilled out antifreeze. It smells sweet, almost like cookies (sweet/baked odor). This may or may not be a factor in home HVAC but it may warrant further investigation.
If you have laminate flooring and you're having respiratory issues, nasal problems and burning eyes it could be that the flooring is off-gassing formaldahyde. Consider whether any laminate flooring has been installed recently. The A/C will circulate any odors that are in your home but it may not be the A/C itself that's responsible.
Second point, is that I once had a heater core in a car crack and it spilled out antifreeze. It smells sweet, almost like cookies (sweet/baked odor). This may or may not be a factor in home HVAC but it may warrant further investigation.
I am smelling an odor and it is getting stronger. I get a metalic taste on my lips. The smell is now on my sheets, and clothes.
It seems to happen when there is moisture outside. Aright before and during. Rain and snow. We are having a lot of snow here Now. This is the strongest odor. And the furnace is constantly running the fan goes off the sound comes on then the fans again. I need help too!
It seems to happen when there is moisture outside. Aright before and during. Rain and snow. We are having a lot of snow here Now. This is the strongest odor. And the furnace is constantly running the fan goes off the sound comes on then the fans again. I need help too!
I also describe it as a sweet smelling yeast smell. Nasty and faint. However, no one else but a lady who cleaned my home can smell it. It is nauseating. I placed mini filters in ceiling vents, replaced furnace filter with a charcoal filter/screen. I have a filter for hallway where heater/ac air blows throw and will replace the old filter. It is so confusing since I have only lived in this home for about 1 year. It is so strong in master bedroom I have not been able to sleep in there. Now the smell seems to be spreading to other parts of home.
I read one of these blogs and maybe there is something nasty stuck in the chimney? So upsetting - I had a person check furnace and another person go in my attic to see if smell originated there. Anyway, my home is for sell now. I'm exhausted climbing up 15 feet to get to my high rise ceiling and replace filters. I'm about done.
I read one of these blogs and maybe there is something nasty stuck in the chimney? So upsetting - I had a person check furnace and another person go in my attic to see if smell originated there. Anyway, my home is for sell now. I'm exhausted climbing up 15 feet to get to my high rise ceiling and replace filters. I'm about done.
Are you running a dehumidifier? It might be a mildew wet smell being drawn up. I had a similar smell in my older basement, and a dehumidifier improved the air quality in my home drastically.
Can anyone give me advice When my furnace is running it smells like A exhaust leak in car but instead it's coming out of my heater ducts?What should I do?
It's formaldehyde get yourself a Temtop1000s itis inexpensive and you can check your rooms yourself don't just rely on your HVAC guy.
New furnace for 6 months. Sweet sickening smell in the room near the furnace only.
It’s only when the lower comes on .
Will try the water down the drain thing .
Hoping
It’s only when the lower comes on .
Will try the water down the drain thing .
Hoping
Here is solution that worked for me . Elivated the drain pipe from the furnace to the drain . Just a few inches above the drain . With a plastic object.it drains when needed. Does not suck up the sewer gas into the furnace . Drain always had water in it but smells anyway . So no more sweet sick smell with blower
It is an ozone vocs smell you are smelling. I am battling this myself. It's the byproduct of an ozone treatment which has found it's way I to your home. Many people suffer from this and it created major health & respitory issues and if you are sensitized you will smell it more. You may need to check to see if you have been gassed out at some point by a car, hotel, or anywhere who uses those machines. I have no solution on how to remove it as we have tried everything. Trying vinegar into return now. It's nasty & ozone machines should be outlawed.
I have been having a strange odor now for 2 years. Most prominent when my forced air heater is running. I smell it throughout the house. It smells smoky/sulfury/cinammonlike. It is very hard to characterize. It gets so strong that I smell it with every breath. I get burning eyes and a headache and feel nauseated. My HVAC guy has checked my furnace multiple times and my system is only a few years old. He said nothing is wrong with it. I change the filter with the best type I can get every month. I bought a very expensive air purifier and even that doesn't get rid of the odor. If I don't have the heater running, after a few days the odor usually goes away. It's a closed system, so no real fresh air gets in. I am at my wit's end trying to figure out what it is. My neighbors smoke, but we have a cinder block wall between our townhouses, and it's not really a cigarette smell, nor is it a creosote smell (and my chimney was recently cleaned). I am losing my mind with this awful odor. I've tried tracking temperature/humidity/barometric pressure/wind. It seems to often start in damp conditions but not always. Help!
For what it's worth for anyone on this thread, we've been having a sweet smell recently whenever the furnace runs at my office. We discovered it is an antifreeze leak. When the furnace runs, the antifreeze leaks onto the hot surface of the furnace, then burns off, emitting a sickly sweet smell into the air and into the entire office. I don't know that it is dangerous to smell, but for folks who find this thread, I thought commenting could help. In our case, you can see the antifreeze leaking out of a spot where it looks like a plug came out.
Others have described different smells here, but with the sickly sweet and headache-y smells some mentioned, that sounds like what we've got too. Check for an antifreeze leak in the boiler/furnace! Good luck to all.
Others have described different smells here, but with the sickly sweet and headache-y smells some mentioned, that sounds like what we've got too. Check for an antifreeze leak in the boiler/furnace! Good luck to all.
I have the same issue, has anyone found a solution? Things I've tried: new ERV system, checking supply and exhaust of furnace, blower isn't near a sewer, blue light, new filters, new furnace, cleaned ducts. I'm beyond sick over this and my kids are as well. Please any feedback would be appreciated.
Go to home depot. Open a box containing exhaust fan duct tubing. Is that your smell? I replaced my bathroom exhaust fan with brand new tubing from home depot. Smells sweet like buckwheat. I live in a windy area and the outside wind blows that duct smell into the house. The next best comparison smell is maple flavored oatmeal
Everything I can find mentions formaldehyde and a possible crack (even a tiny one) in the heat exchange. Which cam be dangerous.
So we purchased this house a year ago and was told the sunroom was added on. Over the summer we noticed a smell coming from the vents (like the smell of our mulch around the house). It got worse as time went by. We had the vents checked for mold.. they used a device to measure. No mold.. had AC and furnace checked. All was good but the smell continues especially when heat comes on. Only in this room. I can’t even sit in there. It bothers me so much. Is it possible smell is coming from the mulch outside. Any suggestions? Thank you. We are desperate here.
I think folks are overlooking mold here. It can live in wall and attic cavities. The hvac supply runs in the floor ceiling and wall cavities are typically not air tight and thus when they operate the naturally will pull air from some of those wall cavities. Solution for the smell is to seal up the ductwork via areoseal. However you need a mold inspection to make sure it’s not toxic mold which can do long term hard slowly but surely.
Just purchased a house and immediately started having this sweet smell... Burns eyes and nose and no one can find anything wrong... Its making us crazy....comes from time to time.. Previous owners says he had no problems....huh..
My Name is Jordan Bronson. I HOLD THE KEY of the answer that ALL OF YOU looking for! I just made a Video on YouTube about this. I am PROUD, to be THE FIRST IN THE WORLD to solve this problem!
Jordan
Jordan
We have the same problem, It started when we put in a new air conditioning unit. The smell only started once the cold weather came and furnace was running. The technician came back and moved the evaporator from above the heating unit to the cold air return. This solved the problem but we were then advised it was against code to put the evaporator unit there. It was returned back to above the heating unit. Once the cold weather returned the smell came back. The colder the weather the stronger the smell. We have had our vents cleaned and several technicians tell us everything is okay. They also said they didn't notice any smell. The problem is that the smell only starts when it is very cold and the furnace is working a lot. The smell is much more noticeable in the air coming from the vents as opposed to the furnace room. My next step will be to change the evaporator.
We just bought a 20 year old house in August last year. There is no mold/mildew in the house. Our furnace which was 20 years old was not heating our house well during colder days and we had the same sweet and noxious smell problem when the furnace turned on. It remind me of the smell of embalming fluid (formaldehyde). I was the only one that was able to smell it and also was suffering with respiratory problems since October. We had a technician check it out, this February. The heat exchange compartment was corroded and some aldehyde gases (the sweet/noxious smell) and some CO (not enough to set CO alarm) spillage was creeping into the house through the vents. Problems went away when we replaced the furnace. I hope this helps.
I read many replys. I search sweet burnt smell in house no furnace or ac. The post about reminds of old dust burning triggered test theory. Poured cup of water on my gas fireplace ( which heats whole house and 2 fans circulating air) + ( note renovations , framing and drywall residue all over it) and instantly sweet burnt smell 100 x stronger.
Cleaning tomorrow.
However. Posts of fake plumbers, and "duct cleaning scammers"
And electrical burning out. Is a bitter sour burnt smell not a sweet smell, dirty ducts means 0 .....hence quality filter duh.
Plumbers are assholes. The dried p trap is vile horrible smell. SOUR MILK / BABY DIAPER INSTANT GAG PUKE CLEAR THE ROOM INSTANTLY. (NOT ROTTEN EGGS)
SERVICE PLUMBER COMPANIES PLAY ON FEAR SMELL WAS CHOSEN ON PURPOSE FOR PROPANE , NATURALGAS IS SIMILAR FOR SURE BUT LESS STAGNANT DOMINANT SMELL.
ELECTRICIANS AND SAFETY BOARD PROFITS ARE SCAM. POWER EITHER WORKS . FAULTS DEVICE OR KICKS BREAKER FAULT.
BASICALLY. NOT WORK NOT WORK OR FINE.
ITS SHAMEFUL THAT I HAD TO READ 30 POSTS GARBAGE WHICH DIDN'T ACTUALLY ANSWER POSTER QUESTION BUT ARROGANT IDIOTS POSTING STUPID TO TEY AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES .
BOBVILA.COM ? BOB VILA 20 YRS AGO PAID FACE "TIPS" COMMERCIALS.
FURTHER BOBVILA DIDNT ANSWER A FUCKING QUESTION
RANT DONE
Cleaning tomorrow.
However. Posts of fake plumbers, and "duct cleaning scammers"
And electrical burning out. Is a bitter sour burnt smell not a sweet smell, dirty ducts means 0 .....hence quality filter duh.
Plumbers are assholes. The dried p trap is vile horrible smell. SOUR MILK / BABY DIAPER INSTANT GAG PUKE CLEAR THE ROOM INSTANTLY. (NOT ROTTEN EGGS)
SERVICE PLUMBER COMPANIES PLAY ON FEAR SMELL WAS CHOSEN ON PURPOSE FOR PROPANE , NATURALGAS IS SIMILAR FOR SURE BUT LESS STAGNANT DOMINANT SMELL.
ELECTRICIANS AND SAFETY BOARD PROFITS ARE SCAM. POWER EITHER WORKS . FAULTS DEVICE OR KICKS BREAKER FAULT.
BASICALLY. NOT WORK NOT WORK OR FINE.
ITS SHAMEFUL THAT I HAD TO READ 30 POSTS GARBAGE WHICH DIDN'T ACTUALLY ANSWER POSTER QUESTION BUT ARROGANT IDIOTS POSTING STUPID TO TEY AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES .
BOBVILA.COM ? BOB VILA 20 YRS AGO PAID FACE "TIPS" COMMERCIALS.
FURTHER BOBVILA DIDNT ANSWER A FUCKING QUESTION
RANT DONE
The sickly smell is Ozone. It is a dangerous compound and it can only be picked up by an ozone detector. Sometimes it is so strong I have to leave. It has been going on and off in the two years I’ve lived here. I live in an apartment and I went down to the storage locker area and I definitely got a strong whiff of it. I think it has something to do with the boiler for the fan down there. Ozone makes your eyes water and is terribly dangerous for your lungs and can cause permanent damage. Look up information about ozone generators from the EPA and you will see why it is dangerous. It is probably not coming from a neighbour using an ozone generator. It is coming from somewhere in the building. My building manager thinks I’m crazy and thinks it smells fresh. The fresh smell is actually Ozone. It’s like the smell you get after lightning storm. If anyone knows anymore I would love to hear
I also experience a strange smell coming from our vents. We have an AprilAire whole house purifier with UV light attached to our furnace, so all air goes through the filtration before going in to the ducts. We can run the filter independently of the heat. When just the filter is running the air smells fresh and clean, but when the heat is added I notice a metallic dirty smell. It's not musty nor is is sweet. At times it does smell like a locker room though. No one else can smell it in the house. I have a constant sore throat and stuffy nose and headache over the winters. We had mold testing that did verify quite a bit of mold in the air as well, but this smell really doesn't smell like mold to me. We have removed moldy wood and fixed water intrusion in the house and the only issue that remains is the odd smell. UGH!
If it’s ozone - how do you detect it, and then how do you fix it?
If it’s the heat exchange do I just ask the tech to check the heat exchange? Would that only smell with the heat on- or also when the ac is on?
If it’s the heat exchange do I just ask the tech to check the heat exchange? Would that only smell with the heat on- or also when the ac is on?
All I know is it smells all the time with the vents blowing and is driving me crazy. The smell sticks to everything. What is it? What should I be checking for?
We just now experienced this sweet musty smell after having the air on during the day and then the heat on at night. Furnace and house are only 2 yrs old and all electric. What the heck is this?
Ive been having this sweet powdery smell for a couple weeks, had the heat exchanger replaced and its still the same smell there...it bothers my lips and tongue and its starting to give me headaches...pls help
The smell I smell occasionally is like the smell of coolant in an overheating car; sweet methanol kind of smell. Could the refrigerant be leaking or a leftover leak of refrigerant when the furnace was installed (it is only 2 months old)?
Not sure if you’ll check this again.
@BVO24114- Was your heat exchanger cracked?? Was it leaking fumes?
@BVO24070- do you think capping the AC evaporator pipe will get rid of the smell? Why do you suggest that?
Thanks.
Signed,
Mystery smell driving me crazy.
@BVO24114- Was your heat exchanger cracked?? Was it leaking fumes?
@BVO24070- do you think capping the AC evaporator pipe will get rid of the smell? Why do you suggest that?
Thanks.
Signed,
Mystery smell driving me crazy.
We had a smell coming up from our furnace vents too. Our eyes and throats were burning. We discovered we had a humidifier running that was not running distilled water and blowing the cold water vapor into the house. The furnace filter actually had the white calcium powder all over it. We changed to a evaporation type humidifier with a filter that filters the air that comes into our room. Made a big difference.
Linda
Linda
BV023893 No the heat exchanger wasn’t cracked or leaking at all...i still had it replaced anyways...still no luck
Have had the same problem as everyone has commented on. Very sickening odors coming from all of the vents. We've been sick for months with burning eyes, headaches, and much more. Even closing vents in bedroom didn't help. Called heating and repair repair to check unit, and the problem was a burned out HVAC UV light. Apparently a UV light was installed quite some time ago and had burned out. The UV light kills mold, bacteria, etc. He replaced it with a new one and the smell is GONE! Problem solved. Yay!
Have had the same problem as everyone has commented on. Very sickening odors coming from all of the vents. We've been sick for months with burning eyes, headaches, and much more. Even closing vents in bedroom didn't help. Called heating and repair repair to check unit, and the problem was a burned out HVAC UV light. Apparently a UV light was installed quite some time ago and had burned out. The UV light kills mold, bacteria, etc. He replaced it with a new one and the smell is GONE! Problem solved. Yay!
This has me baffled. I’ve had an Aprilaire 5000 electrostatic air filter for about 18 years now. I change the filter element every three months. Every time I install a new filter element, there is a musty odor that seems to emanate from the new filter element, which only lasts about six hours or so. I run the fan in the air handler constantly, and this odor is evident without any heat or air conditioning activated. It’s clearly something in the new filter element, but I would have thought that after this model being in use for over 18 years now, Aprilaire wouldn’t be having any problems with the filter elements. I’ve purchased filters from numerous different suppliers, but always experienced the same unusual musty odor… Makes your eyes and tongue burn. Wonder if it is some kind of chemical used in the manufacture of these filters? Anybody else ever experienced this with the Aprilaire 5000 air filter? The filter element is the model #501.