(Undated)– The recent chilly weather resulted in many people turning on their furnaces for the first time over the past weekend.
The start of another heating season has officials reminding home and business owners to make sure their furnaces are inspected and serviced prior to firing them up for the first time of the season. It’s important to make sure they’re venting properly and that filters are changed on a regular basis, among other things.
In addition, you can expect the odor of hot or burning dust when you first turn on the furnace. Heating, cooling and ventilation officials say that’s due to dust that’s collected on heat elements and burners during the off-season. Spirit Lake Fire Chief David Kollasch says the smell should quickly dissipate, but if it doesn’t or if it gets progressively worse and you can actually see smoke, to call 911.
Kollasch says it’s believed a furnace turned on for the first time of the season is what caused a report of a smell of something hot from a business in downtown Spirit Lake this (Mon.) morning. He says firefighters spent about an hour looking for any sign of a possible fire but couldn’t find anything.
