Burning Smell From Heating Ducts

These items could be smoldering and cause an odor.

Burning smell from heating ducts.

Mold can also grow in vents causing a musty smell to circulate through the home. You may smell heating combustion flue gases. If you smell smoke or your smoke detector goes off turn off your furnace immediately. Some people even describe the smell of heated dust as being like a burning cigarette in the vents.

If a burning smell is coming from your vents this could be the result of a mechanical problem. It is just your furnace heat pump burning off. But if combustion gases from a heating or hot water system or possibly a wood stove or coal stove are not being safely vented to outdoors you may smell other telltale products of combustion including those gases entering the duct system either through a leak in the heat exchanger or by return air duct system defects that draw heating flue gases into the duct system through that route. If there is a burning smell spreading around your home it is essential to find the source of the smell.

Instead of taking the risk of doing this as a diy project an expert should be hired to examine the. Burning or smoke most people catch a whiff of this heating system smell once a year or so. Give it 20 to 30 minutes and see if the smell dissipates. If you re using ac something is most.

If you re using heat for the first time this season it is a normal smell. The most common burning smells result from burning oil. When you turn on your heating system for the first few times the hot system burns off the layer of dust that has formed over the summer off season. Professional duct cleaning services can eliminate these smells.

The smell of the decaying animals will drift into the home through the vents when the heat is running. When you re confident your home is not on fire you should have your heating system checked. If the smell is strong call your gas company and follow their instructions. In the fall the first few times the heater kicks on it may emit a burning odor that can smell electrical and dusty.

If the heater is causing the smell it could be that the fan is overheating or otherwise faulty. Though the most common reason is dust in the duct work there are several other reasons why you might notice a burning smell when your heat comes on. Smoke odors usually result from a blocked chimney that forces the smoke to go through the ductwork rather than out the chimney. An oil leak can burn off due to the motor s heat output.

If it does it probably was just the dust burning off. Burning dust accumulated dust is the most common source of a burning smell from your heater. In some cases this smell can be pulled up into the air ducts and cause the smell throughout the home. Whether you operate an electric heater furnace or heat pump a system that has remained dormant can accumulate dust and other particles from the air supply in your home.

Be sure to check the top of the heat exchanger for debris that may have fallen into the duct work during construction or at another time when your registers might have been off. Turn off the furnace via the shutoff valve generally it s a red valve switch.