If you’re recognizing a smell from your heat pump, it’s trying 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 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 most likely mold growing on moist evaporator coils or in the ductwork. This heat pump odor is often called dirty sock syndrome. You can avoid this by scheduling routine heat pump maintenance and air duct cleaning.
2. The Heat Pump Smells Fishy/Rotten
If your heat pump smells like fish, there could be a couple of things wrong:
- Motor is too hot
- Wiring problems
- Plastic components or coating is melting
- Other mechanical problem
Electrical problems are serious, so shut your heat pump system off as soon as possible at the breaker box and call us at 863-216-2923 for heat pump repair.
3. The Heat Pump Has a Rotten Egg Smell
Usually when you are dealing with a rotten egg smell, you’re dealing with a gas leak. But your heat pump doesn’t utilize natural gas. If your heat pump smells like sulfur, a little animal may have crawled inside it for warmth and died. One of our Air Commander's Heating & Air Conditioning Co. experts can eliminate the smell by cleaning your heat pump.
4. My Heat Pump Smells Like a Sewer
As we mentioned above, your heat pump is electric, so any rotten egg smells are tied to a gas leak elsewhere. 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 Has a Burnt Plastic/Rubber Smell
You might be dealing with an electrical problem 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 troubles in HVAC systems are serious and could result in a fire. If you notice this smell, shut off your heat pump at the breaker and call us at 863-216-2923.
6. Why Your Heat Pump Defrost Cycle Smells
Like we discussed earlier, a dirty socks smell can happen when your evaporator coils need cleaning. You might notice this smell when your heat pump is in defrost mode.
It’s ordinary for your heat pump to have to use defrost mode during heating season. When the air is much colder, frost can form fast on the coils from condensation and impede heating. During defrost mode, your heat pump temporarily switches to air conditioning to remove the frost.
Having a Air Commander's Heating & Air Conditioning Co. HVAC technician clean the coils will help eliminate the odor.
Trust Us with 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 depend on, call us at 863-216-2923.