A regular client of our HVAC company called about a terrible smell coming out of their ductwork.
I was dispatched out for a ductwork cleaning and possibly an entire HVAC cleaning.
Traditionally, I’ve discovered that when your HVAC system is putting out a bad smell it can be anything from mold to a dead animal that chewed its way into your ductwork and died. I was happy to find that the source of the stench was not a dead animal and it was a little bit different than expected. The vent was not covered in the kitchen and our clients four year old child had apparently been throwing food down into the ductwork. The parents had no idea that the boy was doing this although they did say they make him clean his plate every meal. I guess there is more than one way to clean a plate and there was now a few months worth of old, moldy food in the ductwork. Of course I had to clean it all out. The smell was pretty bad too; maybe even worse than dead animal smell. The scented candles that the family had put around did little to nothing to help with the stench. They told me they had been trying to find the smell for a few weeks before they finally narrowed it down to the HVAC system. I was able to clean out the ductwork really good and I also installed a charcoal, baking soda filters to help with any lingering scents. I also put a new cover over the vent in the kitchen but I suggested that the child’s seat be moved away from the vent anyhow. He could still put food down the ductwork if he wanted to with the vent on it.