A weird smell from your heating and cooling systems got you worrying? Don’t stress out! The certified HVAC experts at Top Notch Heating, Cooling & Plumbing have you covered.
Our team has encountered every HVAC and indoor air quality (IAQ) problem under the Kansas City sun – so scroll down to find out if that smell in your vents is something to worry about and what’s causing it.
Getting Nosy: Common HVAC Odors to Look Out For
More often than not, bad smells in your home originate in your ductwork, vents, or HVAC equipment. Common bad odors you may catch a whiff of in your home include:
Dusty, Thick Smells
Starting to notice more dust on your belongings? Does the air from your vents give off a musty attic or house smell? Dusty smells can be normal, but only for short bursts of time usually after your vents or ducts have been unused for a prolonged period.
If you notice a lingering odor – musty smells that stick around longer than the first few minutes after you turn your system on at the start of the season – then you most likely have a large buildup of dust in your ventilation system. This buildup can clog your ducts, resulting in a lack of cool or warm air. The air that does escape will be filled with airborne contaminants from dust to pet dander and other allergens, posing a serious health risk to family members who suffer from allergies.
When you experience a dusty smell from your ductwork, call our professional team for fast, efficient ductwork cleaning services.
Sickly Sweet or Rotting Smells
We’ve all been there – you pop open the fridge to find your delicious leftovers have turned bad overnight and now emit several foul odors. While these unpleasant smells are never welcome, they’re especially a cause for concern if you notice them coming from your ducts or vents.
Unfortunately, in this case, the source of the smell is likely mold and mildew in your ductwork. Mold spores are extremely common in the outdoor air across Kansas and Missouri, especially in the humid months. As your HVAC systems work hard to keep your home comfortable throughout each season, they can inadvertently allow spores into your ductwork.
Left unattended and combined with normal amounts of dust in your home, the spores can rapidly accumulate and turn into a full-on infestation. This isn’t just dangerous for the performance of your heating and cooling equipment, but for your family as well. Mold poses serious health risks to those with heavy or prolonged exposure.
While regularly changing your air filter can help prevent mold infestations, routine professional duct cleaning is the best treatment and prevention method.
Rotten Egg Smell
A sulfurous or bad egg smell is a blaring alarm in your Kansas City home. These odors are a clear indication of a gas leak and demand immediate attention to safeguard your home and family.
But wait – you’re probably thinking, natural gas doesn’t have a perceptible smell, and you’re right! The smell of a gas leak in your home is actually a chemical called mercaptan. Your gas company adds this chemical to their gas so it can act as a recognizable warning sign when a natural gas leak occurs.
The leak could come from your HVAC equipment, gas lines, or another source in your home. But it’s not your job to stick around and find out. As soon as you notice the smell of rotten eggs, call 911 and your provider’s emergency number and evacuate your household until emergency responders arrive to handle the situation with expert care.
Burning Smell
Burning smells, such as the scent of burnt wiring or melted plastic, almost always indicate an electrical issue. Additionally, fishy odors, which are often mistaken for pest or ductwork-related problems, are another common indicator of an electrical emergency.
When your HVAC equipment’s electrical components experience heavy use, they can break down over time. From your wiring to the outlets, damaged electrical equipment can easily spark a fire if not addressed by a professional.
When you catch a whiff of fish or burning smells in your home, immediately shut off your heating, cooling, and indoor air quality systems. Check your appliances and unplug them. Then, call an electrician for an inspection. If the issue is tied to your HVAC equipment, contact a professional HVAC contractor for emergency repair services.
First-Rate Ductwork Cleaning Services in Kansas City
Eliminating musty, dusty, and moldy smells from your ductwork and HVAC equipment isn’t as easy as popping open a container of baking soda to absorb odors. To eradicate these household odors for good, while also protecting your household from health and safety risks, choose Top Notch Heating, Cooling & Plumbing for quality ductwork cleaning services.
Your ducts work overtime to bring comfort to your home – running year-round with both your heating and cooling equipment. So it’s safe to say a lot of airborne contaminants pass through it. Dirty ducts can lead to increased asthma symptoms, allergies, and sinus conditions as a result of poor indoor air quality. A particle buildup can also pose an operational risk to your HVAC equipment, leading to frequent and costly repairs and premature replacements.
According to the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA), you should schedule a deep cleaning of your air duct every 3-5 years. At Top-Notch, our duct cleaning specialists will examine your ductwork and clean out all the dust and contaminants that could blow into your Kansas City home.
And if our inspection uncovers more serious problems with your ductwork, our team is trained to provide comprehensive air duct services, including:
- Ductwork Design
- Ductwork Installation
- Ductwork Modification
- Ductwork Repair
Call Top Notch Heating, Cooling & Plumbing for duct solutions you can trust and get rid of unpleasant house smells today.
Smell Better, Breathe Easier with Top-Notch Ductwork Cleaning
You deserve a Kansas City home that smells as good as it looks. At Top Notch Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, we’re proud to offer effective ductwork cleaning and other indoor air quality and HVAC solutions, such as air purifier installation, to kill bacteria, eliminate dust, and improve the overall comfort and safety of your household. Since 1974, we’ve provided quick responses and affordable prices on our professional home services for residents in and around Johnson County and Lawrence, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri.
