Furnace DIY » Furnace Questions » Smell Furnace
Smell Furnace
Question
As the season is getting a little chilly here, I started up the gas
furnace last night. Having extinguished the pilot light at the start
of the summer season, I lit that first and then started up the
furnace. After a minute, something smelt like it was burning. The
smell was coming up through the heating vents.
My own belief is that some settled dust in the vents may be burning
off. Has anyone else suffered a similiar problem when starting up the
furnace ? Anything to worry about ? Note, the gas company agrees
with me in that it may be dust. That’s why they recommend leaving the
pilot light running through the summer.
Answers
I observe the same thing each fall. I have no pilot but an electric ignition.
Here on Long Island the Oil Heat Institute says ” OIL HEAT- IT’S SIMPLY BETTER”
I say “WRONG !”
Associated Smell Furnace Question: What would cause a burnt plastic smell when furnace is running?
This morning, we started noticing a burnt plastic smell (primarily in our bathroom and kitchen) when the furnace is running. You can sort of smell it in other rooms, but it is more prevalent in the bathroom and kitchen. We have a gas furnace. Any ideas on what could cause this?
- Answer:I don’t want to scare you, but that could be wiring insulation melting. Have a furnace place check this out ASAP!!
Associated Smell Furnace Question:Why do I still get this smell from my furnace when the fireplace is burning? Help Help Help?
main furnace – heatpump. emergency backup – oil burner. only use oil when pump cant sustain. when fireplace is burning and furnace comes on – i get a gassy smell from the registers blowing out. read all about this backdrafting and added a fresh air vent (although not very big) that leads right to the furnace. still getting smell, but only when fireplace is burning. have been reduced to turning off furnace when burning fireplace. have since read furnace materials and for the oil burner it specifically says to not vent into chimney if it’s used with an open fireplace. DING DING DING! mine is. my question is – why do i still get the smell when not using oil burner? is the air from the chimney with fire gases still being sucked down into the blower and spread throughout the house even though the heatpump doesnt need vented? if the fire is creating mad draft up the chimney, how does that stuff get sucked back down at the same time into the blower? this is keeping me up at night! help me! let me make clear that this only happens when we are burning the fireplace which is only on weekends from about dinner time until we go to bed. it’s not that we have this going on 24/7 or even 24/1.
- Answer:I don’t know weather you own or rent your house but, for what I’m reading here, you have a very dangerous situation. Stop using the furnace and the fireplace until you can find out what is going on. Remember, your breathing in these fumes, and you eventually feel the effects of it, not to mention the threat of a fire breaking out in your house. Call the gas company to come out and check your furnace. Good Luck
Associated Smell Furnace Question:Weird smell from furnace, could duct cleaning help?
Okay, I moved into this house last winter and ever since we have had a horrible smell coming from our registers/air returns. Even when the AC or heat is off, you can still kind of smell it lingering. It is kind of musty and just feels like we’re breathing in dirt. It is NOT a dead animal. Our house is also really really dusty. We do have 3 cats so I know that adds to it but I also bought an air purifier for my room and it doesn’t help at all! We change the filter monthly and just bought a more expensive kind that is washable but nothing helps. We had someone come out and check it and he said the coil was fine but there was a huge pipe coming from the attic into the furnace which he sealed off. We thought maybe that was causing the smell and dust but that still didn’t help. The only other thing he could think of was getting the air ducts cleaned. Do you think this will help? I tried to bleach them out myself but the dirt was caked on and I couldn’t get any of it out.
- Answer:Duct cleaning would certainly help. As would checking that the pipe that was sealed has REMAINED sealed… you know, heat or vibration or whatever may have dislodged whatever the serviceman used to seal it off. I have three cats, too and while that might contribute a “bit” to the dust/dander issue, it’s not gonna be by much, and certainly not to the point where I’d say my house is “really dusty.” I use a feather duster on all my flat surfaces weekly and follow-up by vacuuming and have no noticeable dust. You might want to try changing your air filters twice a month (buy a 10-pack of the cheapo paper filters for this experiment) for a couple of months to see if the air in your home being sucked through TO the furnace is the issue or the air coming FROM your furnace is the problem. If the filters aren’t disgustingly dirty every two weeks, it’s likely the culprit is the air discharging from your furnace and, obviously, through the air ducts. If the furnace filter is changed regularly, then you’ve pin-pointed the isue… your ducts. Hope this helps, Â Â TX Griff
Associated Smell Furnace Question:My central air conditioner knocks out my furnace pilot light & I am getting gas smell in house?
There is no odor when pilot light is lit, but the a/c keeps blowing it out & sends gas smell through the house. I tried keeping pilot off & turning off the gas flow to the furnace but this resulted in a stronger gas smell in furnace room . Any help on keeping the pilot lit would be fantastic
- Answer:You definitely have a problem. Follow the gas line from the furnace and turn it off and call for service right away. There is a safety that should shut the gas off if the pilot goes out, so if the pilot is out there is no reason you should be smelling gas. It is odd that the pilot blows out when the a/c is running. It sounds like the fan is blowing air into the heat exchanger which would indicate that it is cracked. I’m not sure if that is the case, I am just speculating. You need to have it checked out right away.
Associated Smell Furnace Question:A strange smell coming from my furnace, what could it be?
A few weeks ago, I noticed a strange smell emanating from my furnace. It’s a central furnace system. The strange thing is, the smell is only around the furnace itself. It’s an extremely pungent and nauseous smell – kind of sulfuric. It has me really concerned, and I stopped sleeping in my bedroom which is across the hall from the furnace, because I smelled the strange smell in my room. Thanks for your help in advance. It can’t be because dust is burning, because the pilot light isn’t burning – it was extinguished.
- Answer:you turned the pilot off and still have gas leaking
Associated Smell Furnace Question:Is it normal to have a propane smell after a furnace kicks on right after a new motor is replaced in furnace?
Had the motor replaced in my oil burning furnace. Since then (a week ago) it smells like propane immediately after the furnace kicks on (it never did with old motor). Is this normal for awhile after the motor is replaced or is it something to be concerned about? I called the oil company (who fills my tank and did the replacement) and the secretary (who I don’t really think has much of a clue) stated it is “normal” in all homes when a furnace kicks on, but mine never did before the new motor. Is this really “normal”?
- Answer:No you shouldn’t smell it and if you do you are probably getting Carbon Monoxide also have the company that installed it come back out and do a carbon monoxide test.
Associated Smell Furnace Question:Why is my electric furnace creating a burning smell?
My furnace is causing my heat and smoke detector to go off from time to time. It creates a burning smell for a minute or two and then goes away and the detector stops beeping. My furnace is only about 4 years old and the filter is clean. I am uncertain if it is a dust or wire smell.
- Answer:Before calling a service technician, I would disconnect the power, open the face panel, and clean out the inside with a vacuum. Clean out all the dust. Look for signs of burnt material around the motor just in case. Lubricate the fan motor. This should be done on an annual basis.
Associated Smell Furnace Question:Strange smell from my furnace?
I have noticed an akward smell coming fomr my furnace. The heat company person came to my house and said everything was fine and he believes it smells like burning metal, but he is not sure what metal would be burning. We turned the thermostat on after he cleaned eveything out. Now he states he will report to my landlord that it is fine and he told me to run the heat for a few days while i leave my house and hopefully it will be gone. It makes me dizzy, but he states it shouldn’t What do you think it could be?
- Answer:It’s completely normal. If you don’t use a furnace for a while (over summer, for example), the heating element can get a buildup of aerosol sprays, cooking vapors and smoke, dust, etc. So, when you turn it on the first time in fall or winter, that residue has to burn off. Just keep your house well ventilated and run the furnace for a couple of hours. The smell will go away after the residue burns off.
Associated Smell Furnace Question:is it normal to smell a faint smell of gas when your furnace is running and you have your nise right on it?
just had a new furnace installed and i smell a small amount of gas when im right next to the furnace was told that its venting that i may smell? is that true its a brand new furnace , connections all seem tight, any ideas what it may be?
- Answer:Yes, it is normal, but you might want to have it checked out just in case. The pilot light can give off odors.
Associated Smell Furnace Question:Why is my furnace smell like it’s burning?
I turned my furnace on for the first time this year this morning and it smells like something is burning. And it is making a buzzing noise. My neighbor said it was the “dust” burning off that its collected all year.. Just wondering if there’s any other senarios and is this safe? And should I try going in the attic to dust it off?
- Answer: This Question has not been answered yet! Send us Your best smell furnace Answer!
Categories: