AboutJ Cook Expertise With 25+ years experience, I am familiar with residential, commercial, and industrial HVAC equipment including but not limited to boilers, chillers, reciprocating and screw compressors. I am trained in all manners of control wiring.
Experience I currently have three HVAC licenses and Refrigeration license by the State of North Carolina. I have been in this field for over twenty years. I have been a service technician for a contractor and also worked at a state college in the repair and maintenance of steam lines and equipment. I am currently the Building Maintenance Superintendent for a municipality.
Tonight we noticed a burning smell coming from the vents. We turned the system off but wanted to try to figure out the problem with our heat pump. We did not see any smoke. Our heat pump is 5 years old and was serviced/repaired last year. Any idea what this might be? Could it possible be wiring on the heat pump or what are your thoughts on this?
Thanks,
Mary
Answer This is a very common occurance with a heat pump IF the strip heat has not been energized in some time. Dust collects on the heater strips and burns off when it is turned on. Depending on the quality of the filter, it can have this odor briefly every time the strips turn on until the dust is burned off, but it is nothing to be concerned about. If this odor lasts more than 10 - 15 minutes, or if you actually see any smoke from the vents, have the unit tested. Thanks J
