If you’re recognizing a smell from your heat pump, it’s attempting to tell you that something is wrong. We’ve put together a list of the most commonly encountered six heat pump smells, what causes them and how you can repair 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 Has a Musty Smell
If your heat pump smells musty, there’s likely mold growing on wet evaporator coils or in the ductwork. This heat pump odor is often known as dirty sock syndrome. You can prevent this by scheduling routine heat pump maintenance and air duct cleaning.
2. Your Heat Pump Smells Like Fish
If your heat pump smells like fish, there could be a few things wrong:
- Overheated motor
- Wiring problems
- Plastic components or coating is melting
- Other mechanical problem
Electrical problems are serious, so turn your heat pump system off right away at the breaker box and contact us at 863-216-2923 for heat pump repair.
3. The Heat Pump Smells Like Sulfur
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 little animal may have gotten inside it for warmth and died. One of our Air Commander's Heating & Air Conditioning Co. technicians can eliminate the smell by cleaning your heat pump.
4. The Heat Pump Smells Like a Sewer
As we mentioned earlier, your heat pump is electric, so any rotten egg smells are connected to a gas leak somewhere else. If your heat pump smells like sewer, you might currently have a backed-up or broken sewer line. We recommend calling a company that does sewer line repair.
5. The Heat Pump Smells Like Burning
You might be dealing with an electrical concern if your heat pump smells like burning, burning plastic or burning rubber. This burning smell can be the result of 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 get a hold of us at 863-216-2923.
6. Heat Pump Defrost Cycle Smells
Like we talked about previously, a dirty socks smell can happen when your evaporator coils need sanitizing. You might notice 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 fast on the coils from condensation and interfere with heating. During defrost mode, your heat pump shortly switches to cooling to remove the frost.
Having a Air Commander's Heating & Air Conditioning Co. HVAC technician clean the coils will help get rid of the odor.
You can Count on Us for Your Heat Pump Repair Needs
It can be hard to troubleshoot your heat pump by alone. Your comfort matters to us at Air Commander's Heating & Air Conditioning Co., so you can count on our specialists to assist you when you need us. When you need heat pump repair in Haines City that you can count on, call us at 863-216-2923.