One of the worst things that can happen to your HVAC ducts is having a dead rodent get trapped inside. As its body starts decomposing, it will emit a rank odor that permeates the entire house.
Air conditioners that smell like rotten eggs are caused by dead animals caught within the unit. Distinct and unmistakable, this odor will be sent throughout your entire home as soon as you turn the unit on. Additionally, animals could also nest in ductwork, getting trapped and possibly damaging the system.
One of the worst things that can happen is having a dead animal in air duct. As it starts to decompose, its decaying body will flood the house with a horrible stench. Dead animals can also carry many viruses and bacteria that will enter the air that's being circulated throughout the living environment.
If you choose to wait it out, it can take up to 3 weeks to a month for the stinking odour to pass. After this time, the carcass has had enough time to completely dry out, and the rotting process has passed through its most noticeable phase. A decomposing mouse smells like propane gas or rotting meat.
The decomposing smell will circulate throughout your entire home as long as the system is running. If the dead animal is a rat, you'll also likely notice yellow stains seeping through the ceilings or around the vent — the trail left behind when they urinated.
Removing the animal should be straightforward if it is close to the vents. All you need to do is open the barrier, reach in with your gloved hand, and put the dead body inside a plastic bag. Use disposable gloves that you can put inside the plastic bag to dispose of as well. Seal the bag and throw it right away.
The smells coming from a dead animal are unpleasant, and they can often make you feel like you are going to be sick. However, simply smelling a dead animal is not likely to affect your health.
A putrid sweet odor so strong it can make you gag or even vomit if you get close enough to the carcass. The warmer the weather the worse it gets. Once you realize what the stink is you never forget it.
It is usually difficult to remove them when they are inside a wall. A room deodorizer might help. The only way to get rid of the carcass would have to be by cutting into the wall. This may be difficult, as the odor may permeate through the walls and it is hard to localize the exact point to cut the wall.
You'll have to turn off your HVAC system and remove all the vent covers. You'll need to load a trap for each vent. Most do-it-yourself-ers use snap traps baited with peanut butter, meat, or cheese. Place the trap just inside the vent and wait.
The best solution for lingering smell from a dead rodent is professional duct cleaning. Pros can thoroughly scrub and disinfect most duct surfaces. This is often the best way to get rid of any lingering odors and offers peace of mind about bacteria or viruses the dead animal may have left behind.
Switch off your central heating and cooling system and let the grates reach room temperature. Unscrew and remove the grates that cover your heat vents. For each vent, bait a snap trap with the fragrances of fetching foods, such as raisins, dates, cheese, chocolate or peanut butter. Place a trap in each air duct.
Carbon monoxide gas is colourless and does not smell, so you cannot tell if it is around you. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include: headache. dizziness.
Dead animals will smell until they are entirely decomposed or dried out. The damper the site, the longer the odor will last. For example, if a rat dies near a steam pipe, the smell can be horrible for weeks, but the odor from a dead mouse may last only a day.
If your furnace smells like a dead animal, it's possible that it IS a dead animal (like a squirrel, mouse or rat). Unfortunately, something may have crawled into the furnace and gotten trapped. This can happen if there are gaps in the furnace that provide access to the interior of the cabinet.
If there's no evidence to point you in the direction of an impromptu mouse graveyard, follow your nose to the most concentrated area of the stench. If there's still no sign of the corpse, it could possibly be in an air duct, a wall cavity, the attic, the crawlspace or in the sealed underside of a kitchen counter.
FAQs on Dead Animal Smell Coming from Air Vents
Then clean the area with an odor-neutralizing product to help eliminate the odor. What do dead mice smell like? Dead mice produce a rancid smell due to the gases released from the decaying body. The smell may resemble rotten cabbage, rotten eggs, and general decay.
The surest sign there is a dead animal is the putrid stench caused by decomposition. Fluids drain out and leech into nearby materials, causing foul stains which spread and grow as the animal's body continues to rot.
Unfortunately it may take three weeks or more to completely decompose. A professional may be contacted to break through and rebuild affected walls. This can be costly and not a viable option. Even after elimination of the source of dead rodent smell, the unsettling scent may linger for up to two weeks.
A weird smell in a house can come from numerous sources, including appliances, furniture, carpets, fabrics or issues like mold or mildew. Occasionally, odors may be caused by sewer gas, natural gas leaks or animals that have died between walls, in attics or under decks.
Can mold smell like dead animal? Yes, as it is a bad odor, people used to confuse one smell with the other, but with the explanation above, you will be able to distinguish one from another.
Use a screwdriver to remove the cover of the suspected air duct. Use a flashlight to look inside the duct and see if you can find the dead animal. If the distance to the dead animal is beyond a turn in the air duct, you will need a tool such as a telescoping inspection camera to find it.
Vinegar is a great and cheap option for cleaning the home that is safe but also effective at neutralizing strong odors.
A deceased animal in your air ducts can significantly compromise indoor air quality and pose a risk to health, emphasizing the need for immediate attention and professional help. Not only can it affect the air quality, but a blockage in your system can affect its functionality.