A Home & Life Comfort podcast episode (hosted by Derek Cole) explains why a burning smell may occur the first time you run your heat—dust burning off electric strip heaters used as backup on heat pumps—and clarifies that a short-lived odor (about 15–30 minutes, typically once per season) is usually harmless. The host lists red flags indicating real electrical problems (smell lasting >30 minutes; recurring smell every run; smoke or tripped breakers; dark marks or melted wires) and gives preventative steps (change filters, clear debris, run heat strips briefly before cold weather). The segment ends with a CTA to contact Simmons (Simmons1hour.com) for inspection/service.
Chapters
Temperatures drop, you switch your heat on for the first time, and boom, you catch that burning smell coming through the vents. First reaction. Most homeowners, well, they panic. They think something is on fire or the system's breaking down. But let me tell you, a lot of cases, that smell is completely normal. Hey, everybody, Derek Cole here with the Home and Life Comfort podcast. Thank you for joining us. So it's that time of year, temperatures drop, you switch your heat on for the first time, and boom, you catch that burning smell coming through the vents. First reaction. Most homeowners, well, they panic. They think something is on fire or the system is breaking down. But let me tell you, a lot of cases, that smell is completely normal. Actually, it's the worst because you look outside and heat pumps and defrosts and the steams come off the unit and you smell the burning smell. So that is a bad combination. But is it? We're going to talk about it right here. So what's actually happening now? All summer long, while your heat pump's been sitting there using AC mode, a very, very, a very thin layer of dust has been settling on the heating coils of the backup heaters. The electric strip heat. So when you finally flip it over to heat for the first time is usually on a very cold night or very, very chilly morning. So you're going to need heat strip as the backup heat source for the heat pump. So when that comes on, you smell that burnt odor for the very first time. Now, this should only last 15, 20 minutes, 30 minutes at most. It should go away pretty quick. But the first time you activate it, it's going to have that burning smell, which is totally harmless again, goes away 20 to 30 minutes maybe. And typically happens once a season when you first turn the heat on. It doesn't typically happen after that, but when you make that first switch, you're gonna have that smell. So that's nothing to worry about. So if that's what you're noticing, a little smell, no smoke, no breakers tripping, you can relax your systems, just shaking off the dust from the summer, if you will, and getting back to work. So when it's not normal. Now, if your system, that smell doesn't go away in half an hour or 20 minutes, and that smells more like an electrical or metallic kind of smell. Okay, now it's time to stop guessing and get it checked out. A few red flags to look for. Number one, the smell lingers longer than 30 minutes. Number two, it returns every time the heat runs. Number three, you see smoke or the breaker trips. And number four, you notice dark marks or melted wires near the unit. These are all signs of electrical overheating or a filling component. That's not something to ignore or see. If it goes away, shut it down immediately and call a pro. But the best action is stop it before it starts. Before the first cold snap, do a few things. Change that. Filter. Clear out that dust and debris from around the unit and run your heat and run your heat strips for a few minutes when you're at home to make sure everything smells good, everything's fine, everything is normal. That way, when that first cold snap hits, you're not even thinking about this happening. Because then if you smell it, that's not normal because you've already run through this one other time. So remember, a burning smell doesn't always mean trouble, but when it does, you don't want to ignore it. At Simmons, we've seen it all. We're going to inspect your system, clean it up, make sure it's safe before the real cold weather sets in. You can give us a call or go online. Simmons1hour.com and we'll be glad to help. Any questions, comments, Leave them right here. We'll get to them. Your friend named Comfort and Energy Savings Derek Cole. With all of my life.
