When the Brenham weather turns cold, homes with a furnace hopes it is in good working condition. However, there are many times when that is not the case.
Whether it's a lack of maintenance on the part of the owner or various parts of the motor that may be having problems, there are many instances when a furnace may emit a strong burning smell when in operation. If you want to make sure your furnace is ready to go when winter weather arrives, it's important to know what some of those burning smells may mean.
If a furnace emits a strong, pollution-like smell when it is turned on and it has not been used for quite awhile, there is a chance that it may contain some dead animals such as mice or rats. When the weather gets cold, these animals will often find their way into a furnace, where they often wind up getting stuck and dying.
Before the start of winter, it's a good idea to have a service technician check the ductwork, blower compartment, and evaporator coils for any signs of these animals. Otherwise, the foul smell coming from these dead animals will permeate throughout the house and will take several days to disappear.
Many homeowners rarely if ever pay any attention to their furnaces unless they stop working. If the furnace emits a very dirty smell when turned on, a Brenham service technician needs to be called to give the furnace a thorough maintenance check.
Most times the technician can give the furnace a good cleaning, making sure the heat exchanger and burners are free of dirt, pollen hair, dead human skin, and other debris. Once the cleaning is finished, there should be no smell whatsoever once the furnace is turned on and running.
Unfortunately, some HVAC companies take the liberty of draining condensation from a cooling system into a nearby sewer vent. While this is not the recommended installation process, so long as there is water in the condensation trap there's no problem.
However, when that water disappears, toxic gases can build up in the furnace and ductwork and make the home impossible to live in. If this happens, an extremely strong chemical smell will be present, and it may take several weeks before the odor is gone and the house can once again be safe to inhabit.
Are you having trouble with your Brenham, TX heating system? Call Plumb Level at (979) 200-6674 for all your repair needs!