Why Your Furnace Smells When You Turn It On in the Fall

Every fall we turn on our furnaces for the first time and are rewarded with “those” furnace smells. You know the smell. Actually, it isn’t that new furnace smell as much as it is that old furnace smell. It reminds me of burning dust. Most of us wait until the fall temperatures drop low enough making it necessary to test-fire our furnaces, with a percentage of us finding out that they aren’t working at all. I encourage you to turn on your furnace early in the fall, say today, for example, to avoid calling for emergency service when “Baby, it’s cold outside”! Don’t getcaught off guard and unprepared. May I suggest you try turning on your furnace for five minutes to exercise the components before it gets cold enough to need your faithful furnace regularly?

Back to that new/old smell though. Does every furnace give off that odor the first time it runs each year? This whole thing came up after having started a client’s furnace and then starting my own this weekend. My client’s unit smelled foul! Later that same day, when I arrived home, I opened the windows and started my own home furnace, but no smell. To be honest, this was not the result of meticulous routine maintenance. (That old expression about the shoemaker’s kids going barefoot comes to mind …). So, if there was a foul smell coming from my client’s furnace but nothing to smell coming from mine, what made the difference?

Change your Air Filters to Avoid Furnace Smells

I believe the difference was found in our air filters. The same air had been flowing through our systems when the AC was on, and then newer, hotter temperatures. My client had a “cheesy” air filter in their system. I had an air cleaner from Aprilaire that we installed once allergies and asthma became part of our lives. So then, I deduced that the odor must have been coming from accumulated dust. Find out how often air filters should be changed in “ Why is Changing Your Air Filter So Important? ”

Have a UV Light Installed

I have a UV light installed also. UV lights kill mold and mildew that grows on the AC coil and humidifier pad in the dark recesses of an HVAC unit. My client did not have a UV light either. FYI – an improperly pitched air conditioner coil can hold one inch of nasty stagnant water. Ewww!

Schedule a Furnace Tune-Up

They say the early bird gets the worm, but this does not apply directly to furnace tune-ups. However, once the furnace burners are cleaned and the machine is tuned to specs, the energy consumption of a furnace goes down. So the earlier in the fall the tune-up occurs, the more “worms you will be able to afford at the bait and tackle store.”

What is the Cost for a Furnace Tune-Up, and What Does a Tune-Up Include?

The price on a furnace tune-up is only $39 (after Rebate). This is our very special offer to check and tune-up your heating system and more. The cost is $139, but you’ll receive a $100 Restaurant.com voucher, bringing your final cost down to only $39. This comprehensive tune-up includes everything listed here: Heating Tune-Up.

Plus, when you purchase a 2-Year Preventive Maintenance Agreement from Blue Frost Heating & Cooling, you’ll receive a FREE NEST Wi-fi digital, programmable and fully-installed thermostat! Click here for those details.

Go ahead, turn on that furnace. Find out now how your furnace smells and whether or not it’s working as it should. Pay attention with all of your senses. Knowing what it smells, sounds, and even feels like when it is running right will help you avoid costly breakdowns by catching small changes in operation early.

Let us know if you need a furnace tune-up. Blue Frost Heating & Cooling is here to help!Call (630) 444-0860 today.

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