Electric Furnace Question

[Ryan]

Hello,

I'm hoping someone can shed some light on this. Last night I woke up and noticed a strange smell, kind of like the smell when the furnace is fired up for the first time. Today, I changed the filter and the smell is still there when the furnace is running. Hot air seems to be coming out and the furnace is not making any abnormal noises. I took the outer panel off and inspected the wiring and such, all looks ok and nothing was hot to the touch.

Is it likely that something (dirt, dust) has fallen onto the heating coils and will burn off? Or could it be a faulty coil?

Also, does anyone have any good sources for York electric furnace parts?

Thanks very much,

Ryan

[Steve]

I hope you don't have the same problem I had last winter...

I had a mouse get cooked on the electric elements.. Nasty smell..

My ducting is under the floor of my mfg/mobile home.. and normally I am using the heat pump (more effiecent) but when the temp get very low (freezing) the electric elements kick in, I then the mouse had been there a while and just happened to run across the coils when they were hot..

I've never figured out how the mice get into the ducting but I have heard them occasionally..

In you case, it is possible that your air handler has picked some bits of lint or clumps of dirt in the duct.. Just let it burn off..

[TURTLE]

this is Turtle.

If this was the first time you tried it or used it this year. It can just be built up lent on the coils. If this smell still is present in or after 12 hours of run time. You may have something that has fallen down on the elements and is being scroched . Get 12 hours of run time and after a day or two later, if it still is smelling. Call a sevice company to open it up to see what it is that is burning on the elements. By what you say it sounds to be just something on the elements burning off. Now hope it is not what Steve said for I have had to remove a rat from the element about 5 years ago and the smell don't get any better. I would suggest get a sevice company do this for you have to take it apart to get to the area and you have to put back the control packages and all the wiring to get there.

TURTLE

[Dick Smyth]

Could it be a dead mouse in the ducts. We had that problem and the smell lasted over a year. There was no solution short of disassembling all the ducts which we did not do. . If it happens again I might try spraying bleach into the system. I have done that to kill mould, filling my air compressor paint sprayer with it. But wear a mask or take other precautions so you don't breathe too much of it. ds

[Ryan]

Thanks for the replies! I think it must have just been lint or something on the coils. It's been about 24 hours and the smell doesn't seem to be around anymore when I turn the heat on.

Glad it's not a rodent!

Thanks again, Ryan