If you’re recognizing a smell from your heat pump, it’s attempting to tell you that something is wrong. We’ve put together a list of the most common 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 Smells Musty
If your heat pump smells musty, there’s probably mold growing on wet evaporator coils or in the ductwork. This heat pump odor is often referred to as dirty sock syndrome. You can prevent this by scheduling regular heat pump maintenance and air duct cleaning.
2. The Heat Pump Smells Like Fish
If your heat pump smells like fish, there could be a few things wrong:
- Overheated motor
- Wiring problems
- 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 973-270-9244 for heat pump repair.
3. My Heat Pump Smells Like Sulfur
Often when you have a rotten egg smell, you have a gas leak. But your heat pump doesn’t run on natural gas. If your heat pump smells like sulfur, a little animal may have creeped inside it for warmth and died. One of our Willco Air Conditioning, Refrigeration & Heating Inc. techs can eliminate the smell by cleaning your heat pump.
4. Your Heat Pump Has a Sewage Smell
As we reviewed earlier, 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 advise contacting a company that does sewer line repair.
5. The Heat Pump Has a Burnt Plastic/Rubber Smell
You might have 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 lead to a fire. If you notice this smell, turn off your heat pump at the breaker and get a hold of us at 973-270-9244.
6. Heat Pump Defrost Cycle Smells
Like we talked about previously, a dirty socks smell can happen when your evaporator coils need to be cleaned. You might encounter 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 colder, frost can form fast on the coils from condensation and interfere with heating. During defrost mode, your heat pump temporarily switches to cooling to remove the frost.
Having a Willco Air Conditioning, Refrigeration & Heating Inc. 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 all by yourself. Your comfort matters to us at Willco Air Conditioning, Refrigeration & Heating Inc., so you can count on our specialists to support you when you need us. When you need heat pump repair in Sussex County that you can rely on, call us at 973-270-9244.