From time to time a strange smell may enter your home, and it can take hours to work out what the culprit is. If the culprit turns out to be your HVAC unit, then you’re going to need to call out a heating engineer. Here are four of the most common furnace smells that you need to be wary of, ones here at A&E Air Conditioning and Heating we get most calls about.

A burning, dusty smell: Depending on the time of year, it may well be the fall and you have fired up your boiler for the first time in a good few months. If that’s the case, then it is most likely just going to be the dust in your ducts that has accumulated and is giving off an unpleasant smell as it heats up. The smell should go away after a day or so, or even quicker f you get your ducts cleaned. However, if the smell persists, then it would be a good idea to give us a call.

A smoky, engine oil smell: – Unless something very serious has gone wrong, chances are you are running an oil-fired furnace and, as with a car, sometimes an oil leak can develop. Check the oil filter on the furnace, but if it’s not obvious that is where the oil leak is coming from and causing a burning smell, once again ask one of our engineers to come out and have a look.

A burning plastic smell: The most likely culprit could be some plastic that has fallen through one of your floor registers and is getting overheated. Check all your registers, but if they are all clear, then the problem may be something more serious and you would be best to turn off the heating and get in contact with us straight away.