If you’re discovering a odor 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 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 Musty
If your heat pump smells musty, there’s most likely mold growing on damp evaporator coils or in the ductwork. This heat pump odor is often referred to as dirty sock syndrome. You can prevent this by scheduling frequent heat pump maintenance and air duct cleaning.
2. The Heat Pump Smells Fishy/Rotten
If your heat pump smells like fish, there could be several things wrong:
- Overheated motor
- Wiring problem
- Plastic components or coating is melting
- Other mechanical issue
Electrical problems are serious, so shut your heat pump system off as soon as possible at the breaker box and contact us at 512-355-1482 for heat pump repair.
3. My Heat Pump Has a Rotten Egg Smell
Often when you are dealing with a rotten egg smell, you’re dealing with 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 crawled inside it for warmth and died. One of our Evenaire Heating & Air Conditioning techs can eliminate the smell by cleaning your heat pump.
4. My Heat Pump Smells Like a Sewer
As we mentioned before, 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 have a backed-up or broken sewer line. We suggest calling a company that does sewer line repair.
5. The Heat Pump Has a Burnt Plastic/Rubber Smell
You might be dealing with an electrical issue 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 issues in HVAC systems are unsafe and could result in a fire. If you notice this smell, turn off your heat pump at the breaker and call us at 512-355-1482.
6. Heat Pump Defrost Cycle Smells
Like we mentioned previously, a dirty socks smell can happen when your evaporator coils need sanitizing. You might notice this smell when your heat pump has 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 interfere with heating. During defrost mode, your heat pump shortly switches to air conditioning to remove the frost.
Having a Evenaire Heating & Air Conditioning HVAC technician clean the coils will help get rid of 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 Evenaire Heating & Air Conditioning, so you can count on our specialists to support you when you need us. When you need heat pump repair in Pflugerville that you can rely on, call us at 512-355-1482.
