Last fall we were still in our 740 square foot loft. The high ceiling and open floor plan actually made it seem much bigger and we actually loved every minute of living there. Having our first baby there and learning to live in a home without a “real bedroom” did have it’s challenges, though.
One night about 9pm after our son had gone to sleep, the temperature dropped dramatically outside for the first time in 6 months. The air conditioner had been running all spring and summer but it had been a while since we needed to use heat. Well, that night it was time to turn on the heat! We certainly couldn’t have our little guy freezing while he slept.
So, right before we headed to bed, I turned the heating element on. It wasn’t two seconds later that we could smell and see smoke. Thinking something was extremely wrong with our heat unit I turned it off immediately. But, it was too late…
The overly loud fire alarm (that couldn’t be adjusted because of fire codes) began blaring! Seriously, it was L.O.U.D! The sound seem to be amplified even more due the hardwood floors and concrete walls.
And, did I mention, we didn’t have internal walls. So our baby was pretty much sleeping directly under the alarm.
Cries. Screams. Panic. (from us and the baby!)
The alarm finally turned off, we all settled down and not really knowing what else to do, we just bundled up for the night.
The next day I called a family member who’s been in the HVAC business for over 3 decades and asked what could possibly be wrong with our unit.
The answer was simple…too simple in fact. Dust had accumulated on our unit that needed to be burned off.
No big deal.
In hopes of preventing a frightening experience for at least one of you as the weather turns cool, I asked him for some tips on caring for air conditioning and heating units. The following is his advise.
Preparing to Turn on Gas Heat and Heat Pumps
If you have a gas heating system, it’s just been sitting there through the warmer months. So, you should turn it on before you actually need it to make sure it works.
If you have a heat pump, the refrigeration system been working while it’s been cooling your home over the summer. So you need to turn on auxillary heat to make sure it comes on. When it comes on for the first time you may have burning smell which is just dust burning off the coils.
If either don’t work when you turn them on, call for professional help.
Do you need to have regular service on an AC/Heat pump?
Virtually all new units have fan motors that can’t be oiled so there really is nothing to service on a regular basis. But the 2 most important things you can do to ensure your unit stays in working condition is to:
- Change the air filter monthly.
- Don’t blow grass on the outdoor unit and keep it clean.
Seems easy enough, right?
Have you ever noticed a burning smell the first time you turned on your heat?
{p.s. There are just a few more copies of Create Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule available for $4 so the price will be changing soon}
{p.s.s. Do you have a Cleaning or Organizing tip to share? There are a few more days to sign up to guest post during my maternity leave!}
Linked to WFMW and Tackle it Tuesday
iDreamOfClean
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes, every year! A good time to try it out is now, when the lows are in the 50s:)
Look at you! Yes, it’s the perfect time for many of us to test the heat.
I tried mine out yesterday and it worked fine! Of course made sure that it wasn’t around nap time just in case the fire alarm went off :-)