If you’re noticing a odor from your heat pump, it’s trying to tell you that something is up. We’ve created a list of the most common 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. Your Heat Pump Smells Like Mold
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 known as dirty sock syndrome. You can deter this by scheduling frequent heat pump maintenance and air duct cleaning.
2. The Heat Pump Smells Fishy/Rotten
If your heat pump smells like fish, there could be several things wrong:
- Motor is too hot
- Wiring problem
- Plastic components or coating is melting
- Other mechanical issue
Electrical problems are serious, so turn your heat pump system off as soon as possible at the breaker box and get a hold of us at 520-416-5415 for heat pump repair.
3. The Heat Pump Smells Like Sulfur
Normally when you are dealing with a rotten egg smell, you’ve got a gas leak. But your heat pump doesn’t run on natural gas. If your heat pump smells like sulfur, a tiny animal may have gotten inside it for warmth and died. One of our Desert Husky HVAC/R Services experts can get rid of the smell by cleaning your heat pump.
4. My Heat Pump Smells Like a Sewer
As we reviewed above, your heat pump is electric, so any rotten egg smells are connected 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 getting in touch with a company that does sewer line repair.
5. My Heat Pump Smells Burnt
You might be dealing with an electrical issue 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 troubles in HVAC systems are unsafe and could result in a fire. If you notice this smell, turn off your heat pump at the breaker and get a hold of us at 520-416-5415.
6. Heat Pump Defrost Cycle Smells
Like we discussed above, a dirty socks smell can happen when your evaporator coils need sanitizing. You might encounter this smell when your heat pump is in defrost mode.
It’s ordinary for your heat pump to have to turn on 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 briefly switches to air conditioning to remove the frost.
Having a Desert Husky HVAC/R Services HVAC technician clean the coils will help eliminate the odor.
You can Count on Us for Your Heat Pump Repair Needs
It can be hard to troubleshoot your heat pump by yourself. Your comfort matters to us at Desert Husky HVAC/R Services, so you can count on our professionals to assist you when you need us. When you need heat pump repair in Tucson and Phoenix that you can depend on, call us at 520-416-5415.