We used the forced air heating all the time (not like we just turned it on). Yesterday, the back of the house smelled a tiny bit smoky and today it is more. There is not a fire in the basement. If I had to describe the smell, maybe a tiny bit like electrical smoke. The walls are not hot. The circuit breaker is not on fire.In the back, there is a larger linen closet (which has heat) with paint and turpentine stored but that is not on fire. We do plan to move that elsewhere, though.What should we do?
This is an guess but this usually occurs on a new system as the new parts have a film of oil which burns off after a few times of the unit being activated. If you have a unit that has been in place for a while then you may have a defective heat exchanger or blower motor. The heat exchanger is the area where the incoming air is gathered and heated. This part of the unit is usually under warranty for 10 to 20years depending on the manufacturer. This I believe may be the source of your problem but you will need a heating professional to check it. Sometimes the unit will blow only cold air or not function if the exchanger is faulty.
