If you’re discovering a smell from your heat pump, it’s attempting to tell you that something is wrong. We’ve developed a list of the most commonly encountered six heat pump smells, what causes them and how you can correct them.
- Heat pump smells musty
- Heat pump smells like fish
- Heat pump smells like sulfur
- Heat pump smells like sewer
- Heat pump smells like burning
- Heat pump defrost cycle smells
1. The Heat Pump Smells Like Mold
If your heat pump smells musty, there’s probably mold growing on wet evaporator coils or in the ductwork. This heat pump odor is often called dirty sock syndrome. You can deter this by scheduling routine heat pump maintenance and air duct cleaning.
2. My Heat Pump Has a Fishy Smell
If your heat pump smells like fish, there could be a few things wrong:
- Motor is too hot
- Wiring problem
- Plastic components or coating is melting
- Other mechanical difficulties
Electrical problems are unsafe, so turn your heat pump system off immediately at the breaker box and contact us at 561-270-6228 for heat pump repair.
3. The Heat Pump Has a Rotten Egg Smell
Usually when you smell a rotten egg smell, you have a gas leak. But your heat pump doesn’t run on natural gas. If your heat pump smells like sulfur, a small animal may have creeped inside it for warmth and died. One of our A2Z Air Inc technicians can remove the smell by cleaning your heat pump.
4. The Heat Pump Smells Like Sewage
As we discussed above, your heat pump is electric, so any rotten egg smells are connected to a gas leak elsewhere. If your heat pump smells like sewer, you might have a backed-up or broken sewer line. We suggest contacting a company that does sewer line repair.
5. My Heat Pump Smells Like Burning
You might have an electrical problem if your heat pump smells like burning, burning plastic or burning rubber. This burning smell can be caused by melting plastic on electrical wires. Electrical problems in HVAC systems are unsafe and could result in a fire. If you notice this smell, shut off your heat pump at the breaker and contact us at 561-270-6228.
6. Why Your Heat Pump Defrost Cycle Smells
Like we discussed previously, a dirty socks smell can happen when your evaporator coils need sanitizing. You might experience this smell when your heat pump is in defrost mode.
It’s common for your heat pump to have to turn on defrost mode during heating season. When the air is much colder, frost can form quickly on the coils from condensation and impede heating. During defrost mode, your heat pump shortly switches to air conditioning to clear away the frost.
Having a A2Z Air Inc HVAC technician clean the coils will help get rid of the smell.
Trust Us with Your Heat Pump Repair Needs
It can be confusing to troubleshoot your heat pump by yourself. Your comfort matters to us at A2Z Air Inc, so you can count on our experts to assist you when you need us. When you need heat pump repair in Boynton Beach that you can rely on, call us at 561-270-6228.
