Why Your Furnace Smells Like Burning the First Time You Turn It On

You turn the heat on for the first time this fall and get a whiff of something burning. Don't panic. It's almost always just dust.

Why it happens

All summer, dust settles on the parts inside your furnace, like the heat exchanger and the burners. When the furnace fires up for the first time, that dust burns off. It smells a little like burning, hot, or "toasty," and it's completely normal.

How long it lasts

Usually 15 to 30 minutes, and sometimes a few hours the first time or two. After that it's gone until next year.

How to help it along

- Run the heat for a while and let it finish burning off

- Open a window or two if the smell bothers you

- Put in a fresh filter. A clean filter means less dust in the air and a happier furnace

When it's NOT just dust

Shut the furnace off and call us if:

- The smell hangs around for more than a day

- It smells like hot plastic or something electrical

- You see smoke

- You smell gas (a rotten-egg smell). Get everyone out of the house and call the gas company right away

The easy way to avoid the surprise

A fall tune-up gets the dust and buildup cleaned out before you need the heat, and lets us catch small problems before the first cold snap.

Questions about a smell, or ready to schedule a tune-up? Call Scenic Air Solutions at (423) 463-6228.