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Ah, autumn! It’s time for putting pumpkins on your doorstep, curling up with a mug of spiced cider, and turning on your furnace for the first time—wait, why does it smell like something’s burning?
A sudden worry about your heating system in the midst of your cozy fall routine is no fun. We’re here to help you sort out the problem, so you can determine whether everything’s fine or whether you actually need furnace repair.
Step 1: Wipe Down Dust
If the burning smell happens the very first time you’ve started up your heat for the season, it’s most likely that the burning smell is caused by dust. A gas furnace’s heat exchanger, or an electric furnace’s heating element, probably developed a layer of dust during the summer. While you should definitely not try to touch those components, wiping down external dust on your heater and the vents or registers throughout the house is a good idea.
Step 2: Wait
Because you can’t clean up all the dust, especially the dust that may have accumulated inside your ductwork, some of it will simply have to burn off. This should not take more than an hour. Hopefully, you’ve started up your heater on a day that’s not too terribly cold, so you can crack a window and air out some of the burnt-dust smell.
Step 3: Check Your Filter
If more than an hour has gone by and the smell is not decreasing, it’s time to check your filter. If it’s thick with dust, pet hair, and other particulate matter, the hot air passing through it may be making an unpleasant smell. And it’s best to clean it anyway because a clogged filter decreases efficiency and increases wear and tear on your heating system! So make sure it’s good and clean, whether that means cleaning a reusable filter or replacing a disposable filter with a new one. And don’t forget to repeat this process every 1-3 months throughout the heating season.
Step 4: Schedule Repairs
At this point, you’ve done all you can. If the burning smell persists, it’s a problem that needs to be addressed by a trained, experienced professional in furnace repair. There are multiple possible causes for this smell, and a technician from our team will be able to accurately diagnose the cause and repair or replace the faulty component. It may be a problem with the heating element, or it may be that the motor burned out. Either of these need to be addressed as soon as possible, so don’t delay in getting your heater the help it needs.
Step 5: Get Back to Your Spiced Cider
Once you’ve got the smell sorted out, and you’re confident that your heating system will keep you cozy when you need it, you can get back to your autumn relaxation with total peace of mind.
Contact Celco Heating and Air Conditioning today to schedule heating repair in Hamden, CT.
