Smell of food coming through heat vents

NotAgain

Hi,

I'm a bit lost here. I have a 3200sq ft two story home and its 4 yrs old. The problem i'm having is, everytime we cook and the heat is on the smell of food blows right through the vent in all the downstairs rooms. This only happens when the fan is blowing heat through the vents. Second level is fine. It's been like this since day one. I had no idea that it was coming through the vents until I was sitting next to it today. As soon as it started blowing heat in, I could smell the food like I was in the kitchen.

I for one, like to figure out the problem before jumping to conclusions and having to pay for anyone and everyone to come out and tell me they have no clue. So, that's why i'm here.

I would appreciate it if anyone has any answers and a cure for fixing this problem.

Thanks.

ben's plumbing

without seeing my guess is someone installed return air vents in the kitchen.... which would circulate food smell through house via furnace blower

joecaption

That would be my fist guess also. Return air vent to close to the kitchen.

msaeger

What's wrong with that :-)

ben's plumbing

with what???

qbert

I guess it is better than the bathroom

how

Hey NOTAGAIN.
When the return air is situated too close to the kitchen, it sucks up that smell laden air and spreads it through the whole heating system and out the heating vents. If you have a number of return air grills around the home, you might be able reduce the size of the one that's closest to the kitchen. You can do this test with cardboard covering a portion of that return air grill but you need to be doing a temp rise test on the furnace at the same time to make sure that you are not causing your furnace too run above the recommended temps. .
The other consideration is to make sure that the filter on your kitchen fan is not dirty and thereby not working properly. A more powerful fan may be the better solution if your filter is clean.
I mounted mine on the outside of my house so I could use what ever size I wanted with minimal noice in the kitchen.

NotAgain

Thanks to all you guys for that information. It makes alot of sense and I will look into it. And thanks for the funny comments also lol.

Tator1076

Worst calls are going to homes were India people are cooking. You have that smell on you all day long

how

Hey Tator1076
That's because you never invited my very British mother to live in a basement suite that shares the same venting system with the upstairs where I live.
Imagine waking up in the morning to the smell of Kippers & milk, followed by Tripe (cow intestines) being slow boiled on a stove for at least 6 hours and topped perhaps at dinner with some bizarre sweet meat that makes you wonder about mad cow disease. I dream of smells as benign as curry.

hvac5646

oiy

i'll stick with Greek cuisine thank you.

harleyrider

I would rather smell curry in my sleep for a month, over the rancid smell of cigarette smoke.......

Doc Holliday

That is one of the best smells IMO.

And of course I love eating good Indian food. Had some last week, think I'll go again today now that we're on the subject.

__________________
Thanks.

raylo32

One thing you guys missed... maybe there is a mouse on the air side of the heat exchanger and he starts cooking when the heat comes on. ;-)