Is a Burning Smell Normal When I Turn on the Heat?

The season of Frosty Nights have arrived, and home-heater systems are being switched on across our cities. Ahhh! Warmth reaches our bones. Nice. And then you smell a strange, distinctive burning smell.

Is a burning smell normal? Is my family safe?

Some odors are normal, and others are signs of potential danger. We’ll help you know the various smells that can occur, what they mean and whether they require any action.

Elements and Dust

The most common smell associated with first-time heater firing up is the burning smell of accumulated dust as well as the inevitable native insects being burned off the vents, registers, and heat exchangers. When the furnace fires up  after months of non-use this accumulated layer that has come in contact with heating elements heats up quickly and creates a distinctive odor as it burns off.

Fortunately, this smell should only be noticeable for a few minutes and only for the first time or two that you run your system.

Take comfort in knowing that, if you’ve had the same furnace in your home for several years, you’re probably familiar with the system’s ordinary burning smell.

Smells that are not normal:

What’s sitting next to your space heater? Yes, it seems obvious, but we all can overlook that during the year we may have stored some items near the furnace when it was not in use. First procedural steps when first firing up the heater, take a minute to notice the surrounding areas and clear any household objects that had accumulated around the furnace. Then it’s safer to fire it up.

On rare occasions, there are potentially dangerous burning smells emanating from your furnace that are  a cause for concern, and for which you should contact one of our Paschall Plumbing Heating Cooling HVAC technicians. Please do not hesitate to call us for any of the following:

• The burning odor persists for more than a few minutes
• You smell smoke which is a different smell than the typical seasonal burning odor
• You smell burning rubber or plastic
• The smell has an electrical odor, like burning wires

Anything that seems unusual is a cause for concern. Our experienced professionals can help diagnose your furnace issues quickly to ensure a safe, breathable environment.

Preventative Maintenance:

To avoid that burning smell this year or any year, schedule your furnace’s maintenance visit before your first time firing up the heater. Part of Paschall Plumbing Heating Cooling preventative maintenance tune-up is a thorough system cleaning. This can help you avoid any burning odor.

With one of our maintenance agreements, you can make regular tune-ups an easy part of your home care routine. Contact us at Paschall Plumbing Heating Cooling 775-825-6500. We’ll check your system to make sure it is operating at optimal performance to give you peace of mind during the winter months. If you require a repair, you can trust we won’t leave you in the cold. Ready to upgrade to a new system? Let our expert technicians guide you through the process of selecting the system that meets your needs whether it be for your home or business.