My Furnace Vent Has An Oil Smell After a Spill

Stand in your basement at the site of where the spill occurred and first look into any cracks, grooves or crevices where oil may have seeped and avoided the your cleaning efforts. Depending on how recent the spill was, the oil may still be liquid or may have been thin enough to create a dried film; in either event, you’ll need to clean the floor with soapy water and a wire brush that can get deep into the grooves – a metal wire brush works better than a plastic brush in this instance.

Don your safety gear and brush the soapy oil-filled runoff into a central puddle where it can then be sopped up with clean but old rags that can be discarded appropriately. Do not brush the water into a sump area for it to be pumped out of the home; this is environmentally damaging, against U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations and unlawful in many jurisdictions. If the scent is still present following a thorough cleaning, residue may be elsewhere.

Check around the immediate area to find evidence of oil spill residue. In most cases, an oil scent will dissipate after a few days following cleanup, but if you’re still smelling oil coming from a vent, chances are some oil may have leaked somewhere near the intake valve leading into the home or at the site of the filter. In either case, clean these areas well, following the same method as you did for cleaning the floor.

Check the nozzle-tip that’s responsible for spraying oil into the furnace’s burner. In cases of overfilling, as well as over time and use, the tip can become slightly clogged, creating a small residual buildup that could be the culprit. If the tip looks clogged or oily, purchase a new nozzle at a home improvement or hardware store and replace it according to the package’s directions.