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.

  1. Heat pump smells musty
  2. Heat pump smells like fish
  3. Heat pump smells like sulfur
  4. Heat pump smells like sewer
  5. Heat pump smells like burning
  6. 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