The house is one of the most important parts of everyone’s lives. Nobody likes living in a house that smells terrible. However, our houses can sometimes smell due to known and unknown reasons. Today, we are going to discuss and find out why a house might smell like exhaust.
Why does my house smell like exhaust?
The house can start smelling like exhaust fumes for a number of reasons. Most of the time, a gas leak caused by the furnace can fill the house with the smell of exhaust fumes. The burnt wires of the electrical system can also be the reason behind the exhaust smell inside the house.
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There can be a lot of reasons why your house might smell like exhaust fumes. Let’s discuss in detail about some of them.
Faulty furnace:
Furnace is one of the crucial parts of your house’s HVAC system. It is used for maintaining the temperature of your house. To be precise, the primary purpose of a furnace is heating.
But a furnace can cause great problems when it becomes faulty. For example, the gas leak from the furnace can many of the times smell like exhaust smoke. The furnace manufacturers use smelly ingredients in your furnace to let you know about a gas like.
Otherwise, it would not occur to you to check the condition of your furnace without the smell of furnace exhaust.
Your house can also smell like diesel exhaust if you have unintentionally spilled oil while refilling your furnace. The oil leak caused by the furnace of your house can also smell like exhaust fumes.
According to experts, your house can additionally smell like exhaust fumes if you have not used the furnace in a long time. The buildup of dirt and dust on the furnace will be released to the entire house upon starting the furnace.
Faulty wiring:
Another reason why your house might smell like exhaust fumes is if you have a faulty wiring somewhere in the house. When the wiring of the house becomes faulty or bad and starts burning, then it comes across as the smell of exhaust fumes throughout the entire house.
If you suspect faulty wiring as the cause of exhaust smoke, then you should contact an electrician immediately.
Faulty ventilation:
The ventilation system of your house needs to be in top condition to maintain the outward flow of any smell.
If the ventilation of the house becomes faulty, then all the smells created by different machines of the house can not be dumped outside and it will start smelling like exhaust fumes.
Most of the time, if the furnace fails to release the exhaust fumes outside the house with the help of ventilation, then the entire house starts smelling like exhaust. Sometimes nests of birds can also be responsible for causing ventilation problems.
Attached garage:
Most of the houses have an attached garage. But the attached garage can also cause problems. For example, the exhaust fumes emitted by your car can often find its way into your house through the holes and cracks.
Houses with attached garages face the problem of exhaust fumes more than others.
Because of burnt parts:
If the source of exhaust fumes can not be tracked by following the smell, then you will need to get hold of a HVAC professional to help you out. Because the exhaust fumes can be caused by burnt parts of your HVAC system.
It is not wise to ignore the continuous smell of exhaust fumes in your house.
Because of mold:
The mold building inside your house can also emit a similar smell like exhaust fumes. Despite the differences between the smell of mold and exhaust fumes, an inexperienced nose can often confuse the two smells.
Coming from outside:
Sometimes the source of exhaust smell might not even be present inside your house. The exhaust smell can come into your house from your neighbors.
When you are able to connect the smell of exhaust gas to any of your neighbors, it is wise to let them know for both your and their safety.
Does mold smell like exhaust?
The smell of mold can not be described as the smell of exhaust fumes. But the smell of mold has some similarities with exhaust fumes. So it can be said that the mold of your house might start smelling like exhaust fumes at some point of time.
Both the exhaust fumes and the mold emit a strong smell that can be sensed by your nose. The mold can mess up the quality of air flow in your house. It is not good news for you when the house starts smelling like exhaust fumes or mold.
Can a gas leak smell like exhaust?
A gas leak has the ability to smell like exhaust fumes. The important thing to remember here is that natural gas does not possess the ability to smell like exhaust fumes or anything as it does not have any odor.
But furnace manufacturers add smelling additives to natural gas so that you can detect a gas leak by smelling the additives. The additives of natural gas do have the same smell as the exhaust fumes. So it is not unnatural for a gas leak to smell like exhaust fumes.
HVAC professionals should be contacted in case of gas leak. And you should leave your house as soon as possible upon smelling a gas leak.
What happens if you smell exhaust fumes?
If you suddenly smell exhaust fumes in your house, then many things can happen.
First of all, the smell of exhaust fumes can be caused by a potential gas leak which needs immediate action. If you keep ignoring the smell of exhaust fumes, then you are making it easier for the gas leak to become bigger.
When the gas leak becomes big enough, it has the capability to cause fire related accidents in the house which can spread far beyond your house. Exhaust fumes can also be caused by faulty ventilation when the outward flow of exhaust gas gets blocked by any object in the ventilation.
When faulty ventilation is the cause behind the smell of exhaust fumes, it can prolong the duration of exhaust smell.
How to get rid of exhaust smell in the house?
Getting rid of exhaust smell in the house can seem like a difficult task if you do not have prior experience regarding the matter. However, there are some steps and methods you can take to accomplish the task. Let’s discuss in detail about some of them.
Repair your furnace:
One of the primary reasons why your house might start smelling like exhaust fumes is faulty furnaces. Most of the time, exhaust smell is caused by the burnt parts of the furnace. These burnt parts include the wires and core elements of the furnace.
In this case, you will need to get your furnace fixed by a HVAC professional. Otherwise, your house will keep smelling like exhaust fumes.
The exhaust smell can be caused by a gas leak from the furnace which will also need to be repaired.
Clean your furnace:
If you have not used the furnace for a long time, then the dust and dirt building up on the furnace can create the smell of exhaust fumes. You will have to regularly clean your furnace to get rid of this smell.
When you start the furnace after a long time, giving it enough time to settle down will also get rid of the smell.
Check your chimney:
When the path of the chimney is blocked by a nest of birds, it can affect the flow of exhaust fumes out of your house. If the exhaust fumes get stuck inside, then the entire house can start smelling like exhaust which is not a good sign.
You will need to check the state of your chimney and get rid of anything that is blocking the exit of exhaust fumes.
Check the wiring:
The exhaust smell can also be caused by the faulty wiring of your house. The internal wires of the house can start burning due to some reason which can cause the awful smell of exhaust fumes in the entire house.
The wiring of your house has to be inspected by a professional electrician if you sense something is wrong with the wires.
Clean your garage:
The attached garage of your house can be the reason behind the smell of exhaust gas inside your house. You will be required to clean your garage regularly so that excessive exhaust fumes do not get into your house by using the cracks and holes.
Final Thoughts
A gas leak can make the house smell like exhaust. The mold inside the house can smell like exhaust fumes too. When the ventilation of the house becomes blocked, the outward bound exhaust fumes can spread inside the house. Faulty furnace is also responsible for making the house smell like exhaust.