During winter, the outside temperature regularly falls below zero. This requires people to switch on their heating in order to keep their homes warm. Because of this, a boiler expert is sounding the alarm on potentially deadly odours that come from your heating system. The general public must be aware of the dangerous odours that can come from your boiler.

You need to look out for rotten eggs, burning and metallic-like scents. Noticing and identifying these odours will allow for quick action, which could be calling a professional or an immediate evacuation of your property. 

Our Boiler Expert, Joshua Houston, has gone into more detail below about why you should be aware if you pick up any of these scents. 

If you notice an unexplainable rotten egg-type smell, then this could be a sign of a gas leak. Firstly, turn off your gas supply at the energy control valve, or your heating systems equivalent. Then evacuate all of your household members immediately, along with any pets. This is because a spark could cause a potentially deadly explosion. Finally, contact a Gas Safe registered professional who should be able to identify and fix the problem.

Burning is one of the most concerning smells to have in a home. It can be caused by a wide variety of things and is often hard to identify. Boilers can cause this smell if dust or other debris burns when coming into contact with their hot metal coil. This isn’t a big problem as the smell should go away after 30 minutes. If it hasn't, then this might be a sign that your boiler is overheating, especially if your hot water supply is inconsistent. In this scenario, you should turn off your gas supply, before calling a professional to have a look.

A metallic smell could be for the same reason as the rotten egg smell. The same actions should be taken, as a gas leak is extremely dangerous. 

Alternatively, it could be an oil leakage from your boiler. Don’t try and fix the problem yourself, instead call a professional who will try and rectify it safely. Another area of concern is carbon monoxide, a metallic smell is a sign that it might also be leaking. Carbon monoxide itself is odourless, but this strengthens the importance of bringing in Gas Safe Engineers to take a look.

‘’It’s crucial that the public is aware of these three smells related to boilers. As otherwise they could be in serious danger without their knowledge. Calling a professional or evacuating a home can save lives.

On average, 40 people die a year in the UK from deaths relating to boilers. So, smells that you might think are innocent, really need to be taken seriously.’’