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Furnace Odors and When to Call the Professionals

CMG • Sep 05, 2022

Ah, the smells of autumn. Campfires. Sizzling meat at a football tailgate. Everything pumpkin spice. Acrid, burning dust from an underused furnace.


Wait, what? Well, take it from a plumber: Not all smells this time of year are pleasant, especially when it comes to firing up your home’s heating system for the first time since last winter’s final chill. That unpleasant odor you experience isn’t your imagination: It is a (burning smell from your furnace, as dust that’s collected and settled in your HVAC system over the past several months is literally being cooked by your home’s heater. Who’s hungry?


But seriously, this is an unsettling reality for many homeowners as the lower temperatures of fall descend upon central Georgia. It’s fairly common for concerned folks to dial the fire department when those furnace smells hit their olfactory nerves. If those heater smells do not go away or they get worse, you should contact HVAC service specialists to dispatch a knowledgeable professional to troubleshoot the problem when your furnace smells like burning. In the meantime, do you know which furnace smells are normal and which signal a potential emergency? Here’s what to sniff for when you fire up your furnace.


Other Heater Smells to Be Aware Of


The most common heater smell to expect when a chill sets in? The smell of burning dust. What does burning dust smell like, anyway? It can produce a smoky, musty odor. Fear not — this burning dust smell should go away once all the dust and other debris are burned up by the heating elements. The odor usually dissipates within a couple of hours.
 

Burning dust is not the only strong odor that can come from your furnace’s exhaust. Some are more concerning than others and may be indicative of a dangerous situation.


Take an electrical burning smell, for example. A metallic smell in the house could be a warning sign of damaged parts, anything from faulty system wiring to a cracked heat exchanger or an overheated blower motor. Either way, electrical issues should always be taken very seriously: Contact us immediately if you suspect any type of electrical burning. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year.


You may also experience a musty odor coming from your HVAC system, which typically means you have mold or mildew residing in your home’s ductwork or the filter itself. If the smell persists for longer than a couple of days, try cleaning or replacing the air filter. Should that still not solve the problem, you’ll want to schedule heating repair workers to come out and inspect the ductwork. We can zero in on the troublesome areas and get rid of the mold or mildew with specialized tools and chemical cleaners.


Beware Gas Smell From the Furnace


If you experience a gas smell from the furnace, that’s typically just the result of an underused heating system getting cranked up for the first time in several months. Small amounts of gas can reenter the home through the exhaust vents if the wind is blowing a certain direction, and this isn’t cause for alarm. However, a constant, heavy gas smell — especially coupled with a hissing sound — might be symptoms of a gas leak, which is incredibly dangerous and requires immediate action.


When you notice a powerful odor of gas throughout the home, turn off your heating system and get everyone out of the home before calling your local gas provider right away. A gas leak, often indicated by a rotten egg smell, is a highly dangerous situation that could have catastrophic results if not handled correctly.


On top of scheduling annual maintenance checkups for your HVAC system, Gainesville Mechanical advises homeowners to purchase and install a carbon monoxide detector. These cheap, simple alarms are basically maintenance-free and incredibly reliable, having saved countless lives. Protect your family.


Let Us Help Your HVAC System


As with most other home upkeep, the best way to get the most out of your HVAC system is to schedule seasonal maintenance by qualified professionals. In fact, late summer and early fall is the ideal time to get an annual furnace service call on the books so we can make sure everything is in perfect working order before the chilly nights arrive.


Gainesville Mechanical is the best heating, cooling, and plumbing service provider in Hall County. We stand behind our work with a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee, and we never charge higher fees for work that falls outside our normal hours. HVAC emergencies don’t adhere to standard hours of business, and neither do we. Even if that burning smell happens during Thanksgiving dinner, our team of dedicated professionals will be there whenever you call. Contact us at Gainesville Mechanical today.


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Plumbing is integral to our everyday lives, providing us with essential water supply and sanitation systems. It ensures our homes and buildings have clean water for drinking, bathing, and other domestic needs. However, have you ever wondered about the origins of this vital system? For instance, when was plumbing invented? Well, plumbing has a long history. The greatest ancient civilizations like Greek, Roman, Persian, Indian, and Chinese have used the first versions of plumbing. While in the modern era, plumbing includes advanced features that keep your home hygienic and free of disease and contamination, plumbing in the ancient period meant having usable water inside and a way of removing wastewater. Let’s discover the answers to these fascinating questions about plumbing history, including - when did indoor plumbing start, who invented indoor plumbing, when did indoor toilets become common in America and all the exciting bits. Plumbing's Origin in Ancient Era In Mesopotamia, the elite class residents used separate bathrooms and indoor toilets to discard the waste into the river in 3000 BCE. Around 2600–1800 BCE, some regions, including Harappa, Rakhigarhi, and Mohenjo-Daro, developed the first urban sanitation systems in ancient India. These civilizations used well water through masonry conduits and dumped wastewater into the street drains. Around 2500 BCE, Egyptians started to use copper pipes to create complex plumbing and drainage system. The first version of flushing toilets was stone seats placed over water streams where a bucket of water was used to do the flushing. Around 2000 to 1700 BCE, these toiles were discovered in the Mediterranean island of Crete. The ancient Greek island of Crete created an advanced drainage system around 1700 to 1500 BCE. Their design included terracotta pipes and joint sockets. However, the ancient Romans made significant advancements in plumbing technology. Around 510 to 31 BCE, they started to use fresh water in baths, fountains, and toilets that came through tunnels of pipes. Romans built aqueducts to transport fresh water from the countryside to Rome. The water was collected in tanks to distribute. But, around 200 BCE, Romans replaced their existing system with lead pipes which caused countless deaths from lead poisoning. Plumbing in the Early Modern Era The invention of the flush toilet is attributed to Sir John Harington - Queen Elizabeth I's godson - an English courtier in the late 16th century. Long after, in 1652, America's Boston City built a water system for domestic and fire-fighting purposes, where pipes were made of tree logs. In 1664 a cast-iron water main was built in France's Marly-on-Seine to the palace at Versailles. This main could reach up to 15 miles from the pumping station, which supplied water to the palace gardens, fountains, and nearby towns. Then, in 1767, William Feetham designed the world's first mechanical shower. At that time, hot baths were popular, and no one wanted this cold and dirty water for a bath. However, this shower offered recycled water to be used in the shower. Alexander Cumming patented a toilet similar to the first flushing toilet but with improved features in 1775. This toilet had a flush mechanism that let users employ and refill the pan. It also prevented the sewer gas from entering the bathroom. This invention laid the foundation for the modern indoor toilets we use today. In 1778, Joseph Bramah patented a new toilet design which was an improved version of Cumming's design. And in 1795, New York built a unique water system for the firefighters. It was a network of logs that supplied water throughout the city. Firefighters drilled the logs and plugged the hole to access water. Now let’s take a look: Plumbing in The Modern Era During 1815 Philadelphia started supplying water governed by the municipality. They built a dam and water wheels across the Schuylkill River to provide water directly to businesses and homes through pipes. By 1819 cast iron mains began to replace the wooden system in Philadelphia. The Tremont Hotel of Boston installed indoor plumbing for guests in 1829, including indoor toilets and running water. Later in 1833 White House installed a plumbing system on the main floor of the presidential home. In the 1800s, Midtown Manhattan constructed its first reservoir in 1835, sourcing water from the Croton River. By 1842, the reservoir was operational, supplying approximately 72 million gallons of water daily. Later in 1855, America established its first sewer system, while in 1870, Thomas William Twyford introduced the ceramic flushing toilets. 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