Direct Vent Furnace Exhaust Smell
Check each vent register for a pet mess that needs cleaning.
Direct vent furnace exhaust smell. When compared to the natural vent this one is more flexible although it is also costlier. Had a case a few weeks ago same as you described. I would advise not using that furnace until its checked. If you see thick soot and smoke at your sidewall or direct vent exhaust flue or chimney like the black soot around the vent in our photos here and at page top the heating equipment vented by this exhaust system is not operating properly and it s probably unsafe click to enlarge any image article series contents.
Since the exhaust pipe is running on a sidewall the fan works together with the furnace. Clogged or otherwise unchanged air filters can also cause your furnace to smell musty. One of the most common vent contamination issues is the smell of pet hair or urine. Like the area around your outdoor intake system what s near your indoor vent registers can affect your furnace smells.
Musty odors can manifest themselves from dark and damp environments especially after long periods of inactivity. The oil burner has a nozzle that sprays oil and then ignites it creating heat to warm the air. The original oil fired boiler was replaced in 2015 with a utica boiler. In the warm weather when we have windows open exhaust will drift in the windows near the vent when the furnace runs very annoying.
The furnace uses an exhaust vent motor that pushes the exhaust gas through the vent pipe creating a positive static pressure in the vent. Also known as the induced draft fan this one has a fan that is located on the end of the pipe. Taking care of the mess should resolve the smell as well. These cracks can eventually grow larger and ruin the furnace unless they are repaired early.
The condensing furnace produces condensed exhaust gases that contain water and carbon dioxide which together form carbonic acid that results in a corrosive condensate. The oil ignition pressurizes the compartment and if there is a crack in the exchanger it can leak oil fumes out creating a smell. Do not inhale the exhaust fumes outdoors carbon monoxide levels will be extremely high there. Homeowners carbon monoxide detector was going off.