It will not be long before November is here! That means cooler temperatures. For some that can’t stand the cold, that means switching the heat on!
Here in Florida we get a lot of strange winter months where you can go from having the heat on in the morning back to air conditioning in the afternoon.
Often when you use the heat for the very first time after a long summer here in Florida you get a very bad smell. It can smell like burning trash or mold.
It may sting your eyes and make you cough. While unpleasant it is actually very common and should go away after 30 minutes or so. However sometimes it signals something worse.
Today we will explain just why that happens, what to do and when you should look into it further in cases when it means something is wrong and you need it fixed.
Most homes in Florida use central air conditioners to keep the house cool. Often there is a big square looking compressor with a fan outside. That sucks hot inside air outside.
Then inside the house, in the garage or even in the attic is another unit called the air handling unit. It has cooling coils that cool the incoming air and blows it into the house via the vents.
Sometimes there is only one unit outside that does both. Those are common in mobile homes to save space inside. Besides the cooling coils they also have heating elements.
Most AC units use heating strips for warm air. When you turn your AC unit to heat, those strips heat up, just like the heating elements inside a toaster.
Air is then blown over those strips and into your home. After a long summer of never being turned on dust, cobwebs, dirt and even dead insects can be coating those strips.
All of that stuff starts to burn up, causing a bad smell, maybe a little smoke and perhaps stinging your eyes a bit. Dust in your ductwork and vents can heat up also.
Normally you just have to open some windows and give it 20 to 30 minutes or so to get it all burned up and gone. After that the smell should go away.
Once you start using the heat the strips come on often, keeping them clean so they don’t smell anymore for the duration of the winter.
To minimize the smell you should change the air filter and put in a new one before using heat for the year. Cleaning the AC vents is also a good idea at this time.
If it smells musty or sour and does not go away, you may have mold or bacteria on evaporator coils or the condensate drain pan or in the ductwork.
If so you should call for a professional to clean the coils and other parts of your AC unit to get rid of it. That is not good for your health and should be looked at.
Likewise if it smells like burning plastic, chemicals or an electrical smell turn it off and let an AC technician look at it. It could be having one of several problems that should be fixed immediately.
Most of the time however a bad smell the first time of the year you turn on the heat is common and normal; nothing to worry about. Just air out your home for 30 minutes or so.
I hope this article puts you at ease the first time you use the heat this winter. Hopefully it will be a mild one for us here in Orlando. Now let’s get ready for Halloween! 🙂
