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Why Does My Furnace Smell Like Burning?

Have you fired up your furnace yet on a particularly chilly night in your home? Have you just turned it on and let it run a bit to assess its performance? When you did so, were you concerned to find that your furnace smelled of burning? It’s a common issue, and one that has a number of different potential causes.

Not all issues resulting in a burning odor from your furnace are terribly serious. There is a chance that you may have a serious issue on your hands, though, so read on to learn more. Should you suspect the need for professional intervention, dial our number right away.

  1. Dust burning off. While your furnace will be cleaned by your heating technician during routine heating maintenance, the fact of the matter is that there is enough downtime for your furnace to collect dust on its burners or electric heating coils. Even if you keep your home very clean, this is entirely possible. When you turn your furnace on for the first time of the year, you may smell this dust burning off. If the problem persists past the first use, though, you are likely dealing with something else.
  2. Electrical wiring. This is why we say that not every problem is serious, but some most certainly are. If you smell an odor like burning plastic coming from your furnace when running it, you may have a wiring issue. The odor could be the smell of wire casings melting. Any such electrical problem must be taken very seriously, as it poses the risk of fire.
  3. Foreign objects. When you use a furnace, you distribute heat throughout your home via a set of air ducts. If you have something lodged in your ductwork — such as a children’s toy — that object could account for the strange order during use. We can locate any foreign objects and remove them from your system without any damage.

Let DuAll Heating & Cooling handle your furnace services in Bolingbrook, IL.

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