If you’re recognizing a odor from your heat pump, it’s trying to tell you that something is wrong. We’ve developed a list of the top 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 Has a Musty Smell
If your heat pump smells musty, there’s likely mold growing on moist evaporator coils or in the ductwork. This heat pump odor is often known as dirty sock syndrome. You can avoid this by scheduling regular heat pump maintenance and air duct cleaning.
2. Your Heat Pump Smells Fishy/Rotten
If your heat pump smells like fish, there could be several things wrong:
- Motor is too hot
- Wiring problems
- Plastic components or coating is melting
- Other mechanical problem
Electrical problems are unsafe, so turn your heat pump system off immediately at the breaker box and get a hold of us at 971-245-2459 for heat pump repair.
3. Your Heat Pump Has a Rotten Egg Smell
Often when you smell 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 small animal may have crawled inside it for warmth and died. One of our All Solutions Heating & Cooling technicians can eliminate the smell by cleaning your heat pump.
4. My Heat Pump Has a Sewage Smell
As we discussed 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 currently have a backed-up or broken sewer line. We recommend calling a company that does sewer line repair.
5. The Heat Pump Smells Burnt
You might have an electrical c