HEATING
Don’t get left in the cold! Is your furnace acting up, blowing cold air, or making too much noise? Our experienced team of professionals is here to keep your space warm and cozy.
COOLING
Is your air conditioner having trouble keeping up? Nobody enjoys heat and humidity indoors during those warm summer months! We’ve got the experience to keep your space comfortable.
Maintenance
Protect your investment with maintenance from Robben and Sons. Regular maintenance not only extends the life of your equipment but also keeps it running efficiently.
Robben and Sons Heating, Inc.
We have been helping customers with their home heating, air conditioning, boiler heat and water heaters for over 85 years. We are ready to help you now whether it be service or maintenance or providing replacement equipment.
You can trust our team of NATE-certified Service Technicians to deliver expert service and installation in residences, housing complexes, and businesses throughout the Portland area.
As a factory-authorized dealer of equipment from Bryant Heating and Cooling, we can install and service the most advanced equipment in the industry. Our team is also fully trained to work on boilers, furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps and more by many different manufacturers.
We specialize in energy efficient systems and provide expert tune-ups and repairs. When you work with us, you’ll see that we always put customer satisfaction at the top of our priorities.
We Service All Makes and Models
Why Does My Furnace Smell?
If your furnace is producing a strange smell, you should always treat it with caution. While the cause for the odor may be benign, it could just as easily be harmful to inhale. When in doubt, always open windows to ensure ventilation, and evacuate your home.
For your convenience and protection, our Robben and Sons Heating team developed a list of five common furnace scents and what they mean:
1. Burnt Plastic
If you just turned on your furnace for the winter, your nostrils may detect a burning scent. If this is the case, you don’t need to panic yet. Furnaces collect dust over time, which is burnt off when you first turn on your furnace. It might be a good idea to check your filter to see if it needs replacing. However, if the scent doesn’t dissipate after about 30 minutes, contact one of our HVAC technicians to check it out.
2. Rotten Eggs
The sulfuric rotten-eggs scent usually points to a natural gas leak. Gas distributors often give it this scent in order to tip you off when a leak occurs, since gas is typically odorless. If you believe there is a natural gas leak, open your doors and windows, then be sure everyone gets out of the house to safety. From there, you should call 911, as well as your gas company.
3. Musty And/Or Mildewy
This scent is usually indicative of dirty air ducts. Over time, your ductwork becomes overrun with dust, debris, mildew, and mold. Ventilation carries this scent around the house. Not only is this scent unpleasant; it’s bad for your indoor air quality (IAQ). To solve the scent issue, have your ducts cleaned by a professional.
4. Metallic And/Or Electric
This is likely the scent of your motor overheating. In this case, it’s a good decision to power down your furnace immediately. Then, schedule a repair with one of our professional technicians.
5. Formaldehyde
If you can smell a pungent chemical scent similar to formaldehyde, this presumably means you have a cracked heat exchanger. You should evacuate immediately and call 911. Cracked heat exchangers are known to release carbon monoxide (CO) fumes that are potentially lethal when inhaled.
Our team at Robben and Sons Heating hopes you found this list of common furnace smell useful! Remember, always treat chemical scents with the utmost wariness. Call us at 503-233-5841 here in Clackamas, OR, or any of its surrounding areas with additional questions or to schedule service.
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For 80 years, Robben and Sons has been serving the Portland community, providing excellence in heating and cooling service and installation. We service all of Portland and the surrounding communities: Beaverton, Clackamas, Damascus, Forest Grove, Gresham, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego, Oregon City, Portland, Sherwood, Troutdale, Tualatin, West Linn, Wilsonville. If you do not see your city listed here please call our office and we will be happy to help you.