Why does my ac smell burnt

Should your home’s heating or air smell like something’s burning? It’s a weird, maybe even troubling, thing to smell inside your house. Sometimes, though, it’s no problem at all. Sometimes, it’s a signal of a problem. How do you know which is which?

For example, when you turn on the heat for the first time in a long time, you might smell something like burnt dirt or dust. This is normal. It’s expected some dirt might be in the unit or parts and if it goes away in a few minutes, it’s fine. Other burning smells, such as electrical, chemical or smoke can be real problems or dangers in your HVAC system.

Strange Smells from Your Heat

Smells from your heater can originate from a variety of sources. It could be dust or mold within your system, an obstructed air vent or an electric malfunction. Right here are some possible sources of a burning smell.

If you get a burning scent from your heating unit when you’ve switched it on for the first time of the fall or winter, it’s probably no big deal. If months have passed since it was on, dust and dirt might collect on the heaters, heat exchangers, ducts and other elements. When you turn the heater on, this stuff burns off. If you smell some dust, don’t worry. Once the dust and debris have burned off, the smell leaves.

If this odor remains around or gets stronger, check the air filter. If the filter is fine, or you’ve changed the filter, and you’re still getting a burning smell, turn the system off and contact an HVAC expert for service.

If there is an electric burning smell from your heating system, this could be harmless or something extremely severe.

In some cases, this odor can originate from an object stuck in the ductwork, which will begin to smell as it heats up.

In other situations, an electric burning scent can be because of a serious electric issue. If you’ve been outside during an electrical storm, you’ve probably smelled ozone, a smell similar to chlorine. Your heating system may generate a comparable odor if it gets too hot. As your heating unit ages, a worn bearing might make the electric motor bind or slow. It might then draw added electricity to run, and that added voltage could cause a build-up of heat. This heat can lead to problems like wearing the insulation, melting cords, generating sparks or shorting out the unit.

If you’re smelling an electric odor, turn the heat off and contact a professional.

If you smell smoke coming from your heating system, turn it off immediately. This smell may be coming from the exhaust vent or flue pipe being obstructed. The system’s exhaust needs to go somewhere. If it can’t, it will create this odor and maybe damage the system along with being a safety issue.

With a smoke smell, you need to contact a professional to inspect it. If the smell is bad inside your home, it’s best to evacuate the house until an HVAC technician arrives and can help.

Other Possible Heating System Issues

A system’s air filters should be changed every 1-2 months. Clean filters keep the air in your home clean. They keep dirt, hair, pollen, pet dander and other pollutants in check. If your air filter is clogged, these impurities get sucked into the blower and into what you breathe. The system can overheat, too. This can cause a burning odor and other repairs or problems.

As the weather changes in the spring or the fall, all sorts of material can wind up in your HVAC ducts. There’s pollen, dirt, leaves, pine needles, grass, animal hair, moisture, mold, bugs and lots of even stranger stories are out there. Occasionally, you smell something burning in your vents. It could be debris is in your ductwork. A good duct and system cleaning by professional experts should solve the problem.

If you smell chemicals with your heat on, this is definitely not something to ignore. If the odor has a distinctive chemical smell comparable to formaldehyde, this is a likely sign the heat exchanger is broken. The heat exchanger works by cycling heat from the combustion chamber right to the plenum, and if this component is failing, the risk of fire increases drastically. Carbon monoxide gas fumes might also be released, which have no smell or color. This is a major reason to have carbon monoxide detectors in your house.

If you smell chemicals, turn the heater off right away, open some windows and contact a professional immediately.

What Air Conditioning Smells Might Mean

Examine your air conditioning system. Is your a/c in “cooling down” mode? This could mean an issue in your air conditioning system. Turn it off immediately and reach out to a technician to check it. Here’s what could be happening in your air conditioning system.

Sometimes, your electric motor in your air conditioning unit can break. When your electric motor wears it will strain and sometimes overheat. This can indicate a component of the motor is melting and will certainly smell like something burning. A specialist can look for concerns throughout the entire system.

• Motor Ball Bearings Breaking

Throughout the years, your motor bearings can become worn and also break down. This places added stress on your motor as well as can result in your air conditioning unit’s electric motor getting too hot. This can cause a burning odor.

At South End Heating and Air we specialize in HVAC and furnace repair, call us for a free consult. We’ll evaluate your system and help make recommendations for optimum value. After all, we want to keep you cool all summer long and warm in the winter. Just schedule a visit with one of our technicians to talk about how we can help with your heating needs. Would you like to learn more options our techs can help you with? Give us a call 704-684-5339.

If there’s a strong burning smell every time your AC turns on you’re probably worried and wondering what’s causing the smell.

A burning smell could be produced by several different issues, including:

• A dirty air filter
• Worn out bearings
• A worn fan-belt
• Electrical issues
• A bad capacitor

In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at each of these AC issues and how they can cause a burning smell.

Need a trusted AC tech to diagnose and get rid of that smell for you? We’ve got you covered.

Schedule an appointment today

Signs this is the source of the smell: Your air filter hasn’t been replaced in a while.

A clogged/dirty filter can block the airflow to important components of your AC system, like the blower motor. With less air coming into the system, your blower motor has to work longer to cool your home. This can put so much stress on your motor that it overheats, producing a burning smell.

A clean air filter (left) vs a dirty air filter (right).

So what’s the fix? Well, if your air filter is noticeably dirty, you should replace it with a clean filter

However, if you’ve tried changing the filter (or the filter was already clean) and the smell persists, your blower motor might need to be replaced or reduced airflow was not the issue. In this case, you’ll need to contact a professional to handle the problem for you.

Signs this is the source of the smell: You hear strange high-pitched grinding noises when your AC is running.

Your AC system has two fans: one in the inside unit and one in the outside unit. Both fans are powered by motors. Eventually, the motors’ bearings can wear out, which produces a burning smell.

A technician will usually handle this issue by lubricating the bearings inside the motor. By having the bearings lubricated, you can keep the motor from burning out and spare yourself the costly inconvenience of having to replace the motor altogether.

Keep in mind, though, that there may be permanent damage to the bearings and/or the motors, which might require a more extensive repair.

Signs this is the source of the smell:

• You have an older AC system/unit
• The odor smells like burning rubber

Homeowners that have an older AC system may have a belt-driven blower fan. If you do, and your AC smells like it’s burning, your fan belt might need to be replaced.

The fan belt (made of rubber) works to spin the fan blades, which passes air throughout your home. Over time, the belt can become weak or wear out completely. Eventually, the fan belt will overheat and create a burning rubber smell.

If you think the fan belt is the source, you should shut off your AC system and contact a technician to replace the belt for you.

Signs this is the source of the smell: Your AC smells like burning plastic.

Your AC system’s electrical wiring typically has a plastic coating around it. Anything from worn electrical connections to faulty breakers/short circuits can cause the plastic coating on wires to melt, which can result in a burning plastic smell. This can potentially cause damage to other components and even start an electrical fire.

If there is a strong smell of burning plastic in your home, you should shut down your system completely and contact an HVAC technician ASAP. The technician will check your system thoroughly to locate and remedy the faulty/melted electrical equipment.

Signs this is the source of the smell: The odor smells like burning plastic BUT the smell is stronger outside your home (near the outside unit).

Every outdoor AC unit has a capacitor. The capacitor is a small cylindrical component that helps to kickstart your outdoor AC’s motor.

Capacitors tend to go bad because of overheating, power surges or simple deterioration due to old age. In any case, if the capacitor goes bad, it can cause the motor to overheat, which creates that strong burning smell.

If the capacitor is bad, you’re either going to need a capacitor replacement or a motor replacement (if the problem has gone on for some time). In either case, a professional will be able to handle the job.

No matter the source, we can rid your home of that foul burning smell and have your system back to normal in no time. All of our technicians follow the highest industry standards and offer world-class customer service for every repair. No games. No Gimmicks. Just Reliable!