Furnace Smells Like Gas - Hello, I have a gas furnace in my house for home heating. It is in the attic. My wife and I were in the attic reorganizing some things, and the furnace was off. On occasion, I got a whiff of gas.
I know natural gas is odorless, but they add an odorant to the gas so you can smell it. It is a rotten egg smell, and that is what I smelled in our attic. Can you please advise us on what to do? Thanks!! And I enjoy reading your site to help me understand my HVAC system. Good Info!!!!
The smell of natural gas or propane gas around your gas furnace is not good. It likely means you have a gas leak. It could also mean you have a dead rodent in the attic somewhere. So before you call for HVAC service, look around and make sure you don’t have a dead rodent in the attic somewhere. Finally, anything that has a rotten smell can be a problem.
To be 100% safe, call your gas company and ask them to check for you. Some will offer this service free of charge, but others will charge you for a service call. Furthermore, make sure to check before you ask for the service. Sometimes, you can also call the non-emergency number for the fire department, and they may send someone to check for you.
Explosive Gas Detectors for Leaks
Furnace Smells Like GasSome detectors can detect explosive gas. Your gas company uses these to check the neighborhood including lines outside your home randomly. Moreover, I have responded to service calls where the gas company red-tagged a gas meter.
They did this because they randomly checked the gas line outside your home and detected a leak from the gas meter to where the gas pipe goes inside the home. Furthermore, the exposed piping was either rusted through or damaged in some way.
Once the line is repaired, make a call to the gas company. They respond by rechecking the gas line for a leak(s). Finding no leak, they unlock the meter and restore gas service. It kind of sucks because you have to wait for the water heater to heat the water again and the furnace to reheat the house, but it’s the safest way to handle the situation.
Repairing quickly and efficiently is important to get restored gas service. For that reason, make sure you call a reliable company for repair.
A gas line is locked out.
Properties of Natural Gas and Propane and the Danger | Gas Leaks
If the gas leaks in your home it is important to remember the properties of the specific combustible gas your system uses. When you have a large tank outside, you have propane. Additionally, when you have a meter with associated piping outside, then you likely have natural gas. The properties of the gases are different.
And here’s how it will affect you: Propane is heavier than air and will settle in low places. Natural gas is lighter than air and will settle in higher places and possibly dissipate through natural venting especially in an attic.
Make sure you don’t smoke and limit turning on electrical devices, including lighting. Use a flashlight. If the odor is heavy, immediately leave and make a call to your fire department. Make sure to evacuate other people and pets inside the structure. Additionally, you could also turn off the gas service at the meter if you have natural gas.
You will need a large adjustable wrench for this purpose. For propane service, you turn the gas off as the tank. If you are not comfortable doing this, ask a neighbor or wait for the fire department.
US Natural Gas Pipeline Infrastructure
Conclusion
Make sure to take this situation seriously and get the problem resolved. Piping needs to be installed in such a way as to avoid damage from most situations that can occur. Despite that, problems do occur. Finally, it is important to have the piping inspected from to time and preventive maintenance done to take care of the piping system.
Black iron piping can be painted to prevent corrosion and rust. Taking common-sense precautions and regular inspection and maintenance can prevent problems like this from concurring in the future. Finally, have a safe heating season!!!
Furnace Smells Like Gas
Furnace Gas Leak Video
Furnaces that burn natural gas are the most common type of home heating found in America. Consisting primarily of methane, natural gas has no odor in its unprocessed state. Nevertheless, many homeowners experience smells—such as rotten eggs—that are potentially related to their furnace and are concerned about it.
Are gas-related smells to be expected with a gas-burning furnace? The answer is not as simple as a yes or no, however, since smells in certain scenarios are to be expected while others are not.
As mentioned in the introduction, natural gas has no odor in its natural state. That could prove quite dangerous in residential environments, so utility companies mix in the chemical mercaptan. Mercaptan is sulfur-based, and it creates a smell that many people associate with rotten eggs. Mercaptan is harmless to humans and pets, and the unsavory smell simply serves as a warning of gas leakage. But it can crop up at other times as well, and smelling it does not necessarily mean that you have a gas leak.
Let us begin with the most hazardous scenario: a gas leak. It is worth mentioning that gas leaks involving home furnaces are uncommon, but there is certainly the potential. If the smell of gas is strong and persistent, it is possible that you have a gas leak. At this point, you have to make a judgment call. Is the danger of combustion imminent? If so, leave the home immediately. If not, turn off the valve to the gas source, and open any windows that can be opened quickly and easily. Then, depart the home. Once you are outside and at a safe distance from the home, call your local fire department. Next, call your gas company. Once the issue has been identified, it may be necessary to call an HVAC technician. Do so as soon as possible. Most heating companies provide emergency services for such situations.
Let us dispel a prevalent misconception: carbon monoxide detectors do not detect gas leaks. If you would like gas leak detection added to your heating equipment, dedicated leak detectors are available that can identify even relatively minor seepage. Nevertheless, carbon monoxide detection is important, and most residential building codes required CO detectors to be installed alongside gas-burning furnaces. But keep in mind that you cannot smell CO. It is a byproduct of an incomplete burn, which can occur due to various furnace malfunctions. As CO levels increase, CO poisoning occurs. This will eventually lead to suffocation, and CO is also combustible and can lead to a fire in the home.
There is a long stretch throughout the year during which your furnace goes unused. What is almost unavoidable during this period is dust accumulating in and on the various components of your furnace. When you run the furnace for the first time in fall or winter, the dust is heated and eventually burns away. The burning dust does not present much of a risk, but what it does do is react with the mercaptan that has been added to your natural gas. You may smell this odor not just near the furnace but coming through the vents. Such smells are perfectly normal and nothing to be concerned about. If the smell lingers, then that can indicate an actual problem. If you would like to avoid these early-season odors, you can do so for the most part by having your furnace and your ducts cleaned. In fact, the ideal scenario is to have a trusted heating technician be the first one to fire up your furnace each season.
The average furnace cycle is 10 to 15 minutes, and depending on how cold it is outside, it may need to run twice or even thrice an hour to maintain the desired temperature. When your furnace turns on and ignites, it is totally normal for it to emit an insignificant amount of gas each time. If you are standing in proximity to the furnace, then you may be able to smell the mercaptan. Some people are more sensitive to the mercaptan than others, but the smell will be fleeting even for the most sensitive noses, and you will tend to have to sniff the air to detect it. Note that this regular emission can be more problematic if the furnace is short cycling, which is a malfunction that demands furnace service as soon as possible.
Potential Exhaust Problems
If you smell gas not to the degree that would suggest a leak but on a regular basis, then the first place to look would be the furnace exhaust. Furnaces have an exhaust pipe that is used to dissipate used natural gas from the home. Even high-efficiency furnaces are not 100-percent efficient. The unused gas in the exhaust mixture will still have the mercaptan and thus still smell like rotten eggs. When the exhaust is functioning well, this is not a problem since the mercaptan quickly dissipates into the air. However, there are scenarios where the exhaust can be redirected back into the home, which results in the smell.
Many people associate the smell of Mercaptan with the gas used for home heating, but there are other potential sources as well. Garbage disposals and trash bins can be a common source of rotten egg smells. Clean your garbage disposal and remove all trash from the home. Another potential source is compost. While compost bins are usually kept outdoors, if they are maintained near the home, the rotten egg smells can seep in.
Schedule a Furnace Inspection
If you have smelled gas and are concerned, then the best way to get peace of mind is to schedule a furnace inspection. This is particularly true if you are a homeowner who forgoes seasonal furnace maintenance and instead takes a break-fix approach. Your technician will inspect the furnace, clean it and ensure that the natural gas is being combusted and exhausted as expected.
Better yet, schedule seasonal maintenance. Many companies, including ours, offer maintenance agreements that help you save money and ensure that your furnace is inspected, cleaned and maintained each year. Doing so extends furnace lifespan and ensures that your furnace is running well throughout the season. Homeowners who schedule routine maintenance often never smell gas at all.
The Peace of Mind You Deserve
White Mechanical, Inc. has served Foothill Ranch and the neighboring communities for nearly 20 years. We are a Lennox Premier Dealer and fully licensed and insured. Our technicians are NATE certified. We are HomeAdvisor Screened and Approved and have earned the Best of HomeAdvisor award. Our company performs heating installation, maintenance and repair, and we offer maintenance agreements. We also install, maintain and repair cooling systems, and we can install and program your smart thermostat.
The Peace of Mind You Deserve
White Mechanical, Inc. has served Foothill Ranch and the neighboring communities for nearly 20 years. We are a Lennox Premier Dealer and fully licensed and insured. Our technicians are NATE certified. We are HomeAdvisor Screened and Approved and have earned the Best of HomeAdvisor award. Our company performs heating installation, maintenance and repair, and we offer maintenance agreements. We also install, maintain and repair cooling systems, and we can install and program your smart thermostat.
Contact us online or call White Mechanical, Inc. today to learn more or to schedule an appointment.
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