If you’re discovering a smell from your heat pump, it’s trying to tell you that something is up. We’ve developed a list of the most popular six heat pump smells, what causes them and how you can fix 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 probably mold growing on damp evaporator coils or in the ductwork. This heat pump odor is often called dirty sock syndrome. You can avoid this by scheduling frequent heat pump maintenance and air duct cleaning.
2. The Heat Pump Smells Like Fish
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 problem
Electrical problems are serious, so shut your heat pump system off as soon as possible at the breaker box and get a hold of us at 956-553-3265 for heat pump repair.
3. Your Heat Pump Smells Like Sulfur
Usually when you smell a rotten egg smell, you’re dealing with a gas leak. But your heat pump doesn’t use natural gas. If your heat pump smells like sulfur, a tiny animal may have gotten inside it for warmth and died. One of our Cytech Heating & Cooling L.C. experts can remove the smell by cleaning your heat pump.
4. Your Heat Pump Smells Like Sewage
As we reviewed earlier, your heat pump is electric, so any rotten egg smells are linked to a gas leak elsewhere. If your heat pump smells like sewer, you might be dealing with a backed-up or broken sewer line. We suggest calling a company that does sewer line repair.
5. Your Heat Pump Smells Burnt
You might have an electrical concern if your heat pump smells like burning, burning plastic or burning rubber. This burning smell can be due to melting plastic on electrical wires. Electrical problems in HVAC systems are unsafe and could lead to a fire. If you notice this smell, shut off your heat pump at the breaker and call us at 956-553-3265.
6. Why Your Heat Pump Defrost Cycle Smells
Like we mentioned earlier, a dirty socks smell can happen when your evaporator coils need cleaning. You might notice this smell when your heat pump goes into defrost mode.
It’s typical for your heat pump to have to use defrost mode during heating season. When the air is much cooler, frost can form quickly on the coils from condensation and restrict heating. During defrost mode, your heat pump shortly switches to ac to clear away the frost.
Having a Cytech Heating & Cooling L.C. HVAC technician clean the coils will help eliminate the smell.
Trust Us with Your Heat Pump Repair Needs
It can be difficult to troubleshoot your heat pump by alone. Your comfort matters to us at Cytech Heating & Cooling L.C., so you can count on our specialists to help you when you need us. When you need heat pump repair in Rio Grande Valley that you can rely on, call us at 956-553-3265.