Does your gas heater smell like burning? Don’t worry, it’s not necessarily something to panic about. If it’s not accompanied by smoke, the smell shouldn’t indicate any serious issue. However, you must find the source of this smell as quickly as possible; because, it will inform your course of action.

For instance, if you find that your gas heater smells like burning because its motor is overheated, you’ll have to pay attention to it immediately, and get a professional gas heater service to solve the problem.

As mentioned earlier, the burning smell doesn’t indicate any serious problem in most cases, yet it can be hazardous to the health of your family - especially children. Additionally, it can be unnerving for any guests. Timely gas heater maintenance can save you from such troubles.

Let’s learn why your gas heater smells like something is burning and what you should do about it.

1. Dust in Your Heater

There can be a large amount of dust accumulated in your gas heater that burns whenever you turn on your heater - especially if it has not been used for a while. As a result, a smell like something burning starts coming from your heater. This type of smell usually dissipates after a few minutes. But if you smell  it continuously for more than several minutes, you need to turn it off and call a gas heater repair technician.

2. Clogged Air Filter

Another reason why your gas heater smells like burning could be clogged air filters. This forces the blower motor to work harder than it should. As a result, your heater starts developing a burning smell. You can simply change the air filters to solve the problem. However, to keep your gas heater from emitting a smell, gas heater maintenance is the prudent solution.

3. Electrical Burning

Sometimes, a burning smell can be caused by an electrical fire. This happens when the safety feature on your gas heater is broken. You should check this feature without any delay, and get it fixed urgently; because, this is one of the gas heater problems that pose a serious health and safety hazard.

4. Burning Plastic

Your gas heater smells like burning when a foreign object such as; a plastic toy, or a bottle cap enters into it. This smell is caused by the burning of plastic which could be harmful to health.

5. Overheating

Normally, gas heaters power themselves down when they start to overheat. But a broken safety feature can keep your gas heater from powering down itself, which overheats its fan motor. When this happens, a gas heater starts smelling like gunpowder. If you smell gunpowder, turn off your heater immediately and contact an HVAC specialist.

Please don’t ignore a continuous burning smell, as it presents a severe hazard. We, at Heating Experts, care for you and your family. Let’s help you out and solve the problem of a burning smell that your gas heater dissipates. Call us at 1300 100 040.