A homeowner turned to fellow Reddit users for help after a persistent smell from their heating system left them feeling nauseated enough to open a window.
Fresh filters offered little relief from an odor that lasted all day and had returned for a second winter.
Here's what to know
In a post on Reddit's r/HVACAdvice, the homeowner asked what could be causing the odor and where to look next. They had owned the home for nearly six years.
"But it lasted all winter, all day every day, and I started to think I was being slowly poisoned by gas or something," the original poster said.
The single-level home spans 2,500 square feet and relies on a heat pump for both heating and cooling, the homeowner said.
Replacing the filters eased the odor only slightly, and the improvement lasted just a few days. The filters sit in two ceiling-mounted hallway intakes and are dirty when they are changed.
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More background
The heat pump's compressor was replaced during a service visit. The homeowner said the odor disappeared with the switch to air conditioning, then returned when heating season began.
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In a follow-up, the homeowner said their husband could not detect the odor, and their child noticed it only occasionally. The smell persisted for the poster even when the heater was not running.
The homeowner also reported that the primary bathroom's vent delivered almost no air. That room was the farthest from the system.
One commenter pointed to a possible ductwork problem.
"I wonder if you have a crack in the return such that it's pulling dust in all winter long."
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What can be done?
One user said, "Probably just need some components deep cleaned in your furnace. Your blower wheel, for one."
Another user suggested, "Check the heat strips"
A more detailed response identified two ways dust could bypass filtration and recommended checking for both: gaps around the filters and separated joints in the return ductwork.
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The weak bathroom airflow had already led the homeowner to question the condition of the ductwork.
"I kind of suspected there was a gap somewhere in the ducting," they said.
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