My parent have an electric heat pump furnace and when the heat kicks on an awful smell occurs for a while. It does not do it while the heat pump is blowing just when the heat is blowing. My father has called the furnace manufacture and they know nothing so he asked me to go to the internet. Does anyone have any idea it has been doing it for two or three years now he furnace is only five years old if that. No one can find that cause.Thank goodness it has been a warm winter in Tennessee this year. It really ranks!! Any ideas?
COMMUNITY FORUM
Your problem maybe that there is dirt on the heating element(s). When it gets to cold to use the compressor for heat, the unit uses electric heating elements as a back-up heat source. Maybe something has died, like a mouse and is in the unit. Hope this helps.
More than likely it's from built-up dust and dirt in the furnace or the ductwork getting hot.. my system does the same thing when it hasn't been used in a while. The smell usually goes away after a few minutes and after a few times it doesn't happen anymore as things get blown out or burned away. Unless it smells like, someone said, a somethign dead and it doesn't go away, then I would have it checked further too.
