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Ec
Lv 4
Ec asked in Home & GardenMaintenance & Repairs · 6 years ago

Trane Bvent Gas Furnace smells up the whole house. Even when the furnace is off and the AC turns on, the house smells like the basement.?

I have a 3 year old Trane Xr80 BVENT Furnace, uses inside air for combustion. Air condtioner obviously doesn't use any pilot lights. It's in a old basement. When I turn either on the house stinks like the basement. If I blow a match out the smoke sucks inside the air intake and smells the house like smoke. I turned the furnace on and put a CO detector in front of the vents and they didn't detect any gas, so I don't think the heat exchanger is broke, could it be?

I checked all the vents with smoke and none draw smoke in. I also taped and sealed them anyway. My previous furnace never smelled the house and I didn't have AC before. It seems this draws everything in and stinks up the house.

I saw info talking about AC hooked up to a furnace with a condensation pump that molds up and draws air through mold. Mine doesn't have a pump. It has the AC tubing going strait across the ceiling into the top exhaust duct work, then a piece of fountain tubing running across the floor to a drain, should it go this way?

My yearly maintenance, say "Oh your basement is too dirty" When cleaned even if the basement smells, the furnace shouldn't be drawing a smell & sending it through the house. The same yearly maintenance man will be here tomorrow. He put it in 3 years ago, so he will say "Oh it's good, nothing wrong" So any ideas of what issues to tell him, would be appreciated. If I light a match the smoke sucks in. The filter is brand new. I taped over it and any hole I could. Still smells bad.

Update:

Everywhere I look, furnaces are sealed systems. The only way they should blow bad smell out the vents is if it can draw bad smell from the air intakes from upstairs, down through the filter and back up and through the ductwork. Somehow this system is drawing air/smell from around it (in the room it sits in) It has no air return in that room. If I hadnt switched furnaces this never would have happened. I switched Furnaces because I wanted Central Air. I don't know if that has to do with this.

Update 2:

I had a tech & owner out today. I showed him smoke from a match draws into the furnace with door on & off. Into areas it shouldn't. He said New furnaces just draw so much stronger than older furnaces theres nothing you can do to stop them from sucking air into cracks. Said it's my duct work. Said all the joints can draw air & there is always holes you can't see so there is nothing you can do to stop it. True? No gas leaks so heat exchanger is good. Smoke didnt get 2 ducts b4 house smelled smoky

6 Answers

Relevance
  • 6 years ago

    maybe a dead critter crawled up in there. if its pulling in from the basement, then to me , that means theres an obstruction somewhere in the return or in the bottom of the furnace itself. is it possible the man didn't cut out the return opening where the return screws up to the furnace cabinet?? ive seen it done!! the supply air will follow the path of least resistance, as does the return, I still think blown heat exchangers!!

  • Marko
    Lv 6
    6 years ago

    "AC tubing going strait across the ceiling into the top exhaust duct work, then a piece of fountain tubing running across the floor to a drain, should it go this way? "

    Have your maintenance man fix this to go directly toward and into the floor drain.

    Also, clean out the coil box really well to remove mold and rust and water.

    Make sure the access panel is secure.

    Your return air grill is where the air supply for the vents comes from so have him look in there.

  • ?
    Lv 7
    6 years ago

    Why not work on the basement smell. If there is mold down there, get it remediated. If There is a damp smell, put in a dehumidifier. If it's musty, air it out. The guy who said that the duct work is leaky could be right. Get them sealed.

  • 6 years ago

    Is your furnace vented properly? Is the vent clogged? Any odor that is in a house will be distributed

    throughout when the furnace is on.

    Source(s): Knowledge.
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  • bob
    Lv 7
    6 years ago

    Try a hepa/charcoal filter.

  • 6 years ago

    Have your duct worked cleaned. It is very dirty at this time and needs cleaned.

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