A Burnt Smell Comes Out of My Home's Air Vents

Air Conditioner

• If you notice the burnt smell coming out of your home’s air vents when your air conditioning is running, the cause could be something known as odoriferous coil. Strong odors can cling to your air conditioning unit’s condenser coil. Every time the unit runs, the smell is blown into your house through the vents. The odor could also be clinging to the system’s filter. After someone smokes in the house or something like a bag of popcorn has burned, the odor lingers in the filter and is recirculated into your home when the air conditioner runs.

Heating

• If you smell smoke when your furnace runs, there could be something blocking your chimney from venting properly. The waste gases from your furnace can’t escape up the chimney, so they back up into your air ducts and come out your air vents. If you have an oil furnace, the problem could also be a clogged air filter. The clogged filter overheats, sending the odor of smoke and burnt oil into your home every time the furnace kicks on.

Solutions

• To solve the problem of an odoriferous coil, create a solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. Using a sponge, clean the coil inside your air conditioning unit. If that does not help, try replacing the filter on the system with a new one. In the case of a burnt smell coming from your furnace, you might be able to knock down a blockage inside your chimney. If you can’t, contact a professional HVAC technician, who can also clean a clogged oil filter and let you know if it was damaged or merely dirty.

Considerations

• You can prevent a burnt smell coming from your home’s air vents through regular maintenance of your heating and cooling systems. Before turning on your air conditioning, change the filter. Before cold weather arrives, check your chimney for any obstructions like a fallen bird nest or clump of leaves. When filling your furnace with oil, check the filter to be sure it is not clogged by debris or bent out of shape.