Just Turned On Your Furnace And Your House Smells Like It's On Fire? Call An HVAC Technician!
It is fall, and the weather is turning cooler. A lot of people are excited about the calmer temperatures, while others are reaching for their thermostats to make it warmer. If you just recently turned on your furnace and your entire house smells like it is burning down around you every time the heat comes through the vents, you can call the fire department, but you should also call an HVAC heating repair technician. Here is what might be going on with your furnace when you smell incineration odors.
Not a Big Deal- Your Furnace Is Fine
You have not smelled anything like this all spring, summer and part of fall because you have not had the heater on. When the furnace runs long enough, it is almost as though the smell has dissipated over time, when really, you just grow accustomed to it. The smell is nothing; it is just your furnace firing up for the season, and the smell will either go away on its own, or you will not notice it as much in the next couple of weeks.
Old Fuel Is Burning Off
If you have an oil, natural gas, or propane furnace, these furnaces have residual fuel hanging around from last winter. It takes a little time to burn off the leftover stuff from last February or March, and then the new fuel begins to burn. The smell can initially be off-putting and even smell like your home is on fire, but it is just fine. Still, you can have the technician take a look at it to make sure it is okay and that there are not any real problems.
The Igniter or Ignition Switch and/or Electrical Wiring Is Burning off Ozone
That smell that electricians like to call "ozone" is really electrical wiring burning. It is rather common in furnaces where the wiring is old, the igniter or ignition switch is old, and/or some of the other electrical components are getting in the way of the flames that heat the air for your home. This is actually a problem, albeit a much smaller one than your house burning down. The technician can replace wiring and switches such that these things will operate better and not be burning themselves up every time you turn the heat on or turn the heat up. Then all you will smell is either burning fuel (if you have any of the three types of fuel burning furnaces) or some other funky air odors.
To learn more, contact a company like IMS Heating & Air Inc.