Temperatures have finally begun to cool, and while we still aren\u2019t using our furnaces on a daily basis, you may have turned yours on one night this past weekend to get a little bit of chill out of the air indoors. If so, hopefully you didn\u2019t notice anything out of the ordinary. However if you did detect an odd smell coming from your furnace, it\u2019s not something to be ignored.<\/p>\n
The simplest explanation to a bad odor coming from your furnace is that you have a buildup of dust and debris on your electric heating coils or on the burners in your furnaces. Summer gives this dust and dirt plenty of time to collect on these components since your furnace wasn\u2019t in use. So, you may smell the dust burning off of them when you first start up your furnace for the year. If the smell doesn\u2019t go away after running the furnace for a little while, then you may worry.<\/p>\n
If the smell persists, it could be the sign of an electrical issue that is creating too much heat within your wiring. Hot wires can start to burn their plastic coating, creating a foul odor. This kind of electrical problem puts the integrity and condition of your furnace at risk, not to mention it creates a fire hazard.<\/p>\n
Another possibility is that a foreign object, such as a pet\u2019s toy, has gotten into your vents on accident. Check for this and if it\u2019s visible, remove it, then wait to see if the smell goas away. If there\u2019s no object immediately visible or you still detect an odor, then it\u2019s time to call our professionals.<\/p>\n