Many homes are heated by a gas furnace. If you smell gas near your furnace, it can be a very serious situation. Natural gas is normally odorless and tasteless, but utility companies add a rotten egg smell to it so you can detect it.
Is It Your Furnace?
Make sure the smell really is coming from your furnace and not something nearby. The smell can come from a compost bin, garbage can, or propane grill sitting nearby. It could also come from the furnace exhaust pipe getting blown back in through a window.
When It First Turns On
When your gas furnace cycles on, it can emit a faint smell of gas. This is normal and will go away in a few moments. You may also smell it the first time you turn the furnace on in the winter as dust is burnt. These are the only times it is normal for a furnace to smell like gas.
Cracked Heat Exchanger
The most common reason a furnace smells like gas is that the heat exchanger has cracked. The heat exchanger is a metal device that contains combustion gasses, so they’re vented outside. If it cracks, gas leaks into your home and can be smelled around the furnace.
Central Aire Heating & A/C, Inc of Bossier City, LA, can diagnose why you can smell gas around your furnace. If the problem is the heat exchanger, it likely makes sense to replace your furnace instead of having it repaired.
What to Do If You Smell Gas
If you smell gas, and it’s not obviously coming from something other than your furnace, turn off the furnace and leave your home immediately. Call your gas company and explain the situation to them.
Central Aire Heating & A/C, Inc repairs, replaces, and tunes furnaces, heat pumps, air conditioners, and packaged systems. Our company also installs thermostats and provides indoor air quality solutions. Please get in touch with us today to find out more or to schedule an appointment.
