If you live in a colder climate, then nothing is more disheartening than turning on your oil furnace on a frosty afternoon, only to discover that funny smells are emanating from your vents.
While some smells coming from your oil furnace can be a major cause for concern, other smells may go away on their own. Here are some examples of smells that may be coming from your oil furnace, what they mean, and what you can do about them. Your oil furnace may smell like rotten eggs or sulfur if you have a gas leak. Natural gas is naturally odorless, however gas companies use additives to alert people to its presence. If you smell rotten eggs or sulfur coming from your oil furnace, you should turn your oil furnace off immediately and contact your gas dealer. Sometimes if you turn your oil furnace on for the first time in a year, you may smell burning dust, but this is a natural occurrence, as your oil furnace can collect dust in the summertime months while it is not in use. When you turn it on in the winter, the dust can ignite, leaving a smell of burning dust coming from your oil furnace. If you smell burning dust coming from your oil furnace, don’t worry, as this smell usually goes away on its own. If you smell burning oil or metal coming from your oil furnace, you may have a mechanical issue. If you smell burning oil or metal coming from your oil furnace, it is a good idea to turn your oil furnace off, and call your Heating and Air Conditioning provider immediately to prevent further damage.