Why Does My Heater Smell Like It’s Burning

Why Does My Heater Smell Like It’s Burning

While you may not need to use your heater much during the the colder months in Houston, TX, it’s good to be prepared with a reliable heating system for the weeks where the temperatures drop low. Unfortunately, after sitting unused for months at a time, you may notice an unexpected and unpleasant surprise when you go to turn on your heater. A burning smell coming from your electric heater, furnace, or heat pump is a common worry, but generally is not a cause for alarm. Most often, if your heater smells like it’s burning, it because of one of the following reasons:

 

 

Heater Smells Like Burning Dust: Dust that has accumulated on your heater throughout the warm spring and summer, tend to be the most common source of a burning smell from your heater. Whether you operate an electric heater, furnace, or heat pump, a system that has remained dormant can collect dust and other particles from the air in your home. When the heating system is turned on, these materials burn up, causing that short-lived burning dust smell. While you don’t need to contact the fire department, you should take a look just to be sure that there isn’t another source of the smell. You may notice that as the system completes a heating cycle, the odor fades. If it continues after one or two heating cycles, contact Autumn Mechanical for an inspection of your unit.

 

 

Heater Smells Like Burning Plastic: Occasionally, rubber, plastic, or other materials end up working their way inside of the ductwork, through air vents. If you smell a burning plastic smell or burning rubber smell that is not consistent throughout your house, try to isolate the location. Inspect the air vents in the area that has a strong burning odor to make sure that there isn’t an obstruction. Just make sure you don’t close your vents because this can affect the balance of your HVAC system and reduce its efficiency. If this doesn’t remedy the burning smell, contact the experienced HVAC technicians at Autumn Mechanical for help.

 

Autumn Mechanical proudly serves the Greater Houston area, including Atascocita, Briarpark, Champion Forest, Conroe, Klein, Magnolia,  Midtown, Oak Ridge North, Sugar Land, Cypress, Pearland, The West University Place, The Heights, Spring, Tomball, Willowbrook, Houston, Spring Branch and The Woodlands. Don’t hesitate, give us a call today to find out what we can do for your home or business.

 

Autumn Mechanical
18812 Tomato St.
Spring, TX 77379
(713) 864-8368
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