If you’re recognizing a smell from your heat pump, it’s trying to tell you that something is wrong. We’ve put together a list of the most common 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. My Heat Pump Smells Like Mold
If your heat pump smells musty, there’s probably mold growing on damp 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 several things wrong:
- Motor is too hot
- Wiring issue
- Plastic components or coating is melting
- Other mechanical problem
Electrical problems are dangerous, so turn your heat pump system off immediately at the breaker box and contact us at 703-260-9467 for heat pump repair.
3. The Heat Pump Has a Rotten Egg Smell
Normally when you have a rotten egg smell, you have a gas leak. But your heat pump doesn’t use natural gas. If your heat pump smells like sulfur, a small animal may have creeped inside it for warmth and died. One of our Air-Right Energy Design technicians can eliminate the smell by cleaning your heat pump.
4. Your Heat Pump Smells Like Sewage
As we discussed earlier, your heat pump is electric, so any rotten egg smells are connected to a gas leak in another place. If your heat pump smells like sewer, you might have a backed-up or broken sewer line. We suggest getting in touch with a company that does sewer line repair.
5. Your Heat Pump Smells Like Burning
You might have an electrical concern 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 cause a fire. If you notice this smell, shut off your heat pump at the breaker and get a hold of us at 703-260-9467.
6. Heat Pump Defrost Cycle Smells
Like we discussed above, a dirty socks smell can happen when your evaporator coils need sanitizing. You might encounter this smell when your heat pump is in defrost mode.
It’s typical for your heat pump to have to use defrost mode during heating season. When the air is much colder, frost can form rapidly on the coils from condensation and restrict heating. During defrost mode, your heat pump temporarily switches to air conditioning to clear away the frost.
Having a Air-Right Energy Design HVAC technician clean the coils will help eliminate the smell.
You can Count on Us for Your Heat Pump Repair Needs
It can be confusing to troubleshoot your heat pump by yourself. Your comfort matters to us at Air-Right Energy Design, so you can count on our experts to support you when you need us. When you need heat pump repair in Manassas that you can count on, call us at 703-260-9467.
