With the first real cold front moving through San Antonio tonight (and lows in the 40s), I know many people will be turning on the heater for the first time in months. There are a couple of things to watch out for.
First, you’re going to notice the smell as soon as the heater starts working. That smell comes from the dirt and lint that’s built up on a part called the heat exchanger. The smell is typically normal and nothing to worry about, unless your smoke detector goes off.
Speaking of smoke detectors, the time change is coming up in a couple of weeks – which is the time you’re always reminded to change the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detector. You might want to consider changing out those batteries today or tonight though, especially if you’re going to turn on the heater.
Finally, the best advice (besides having your heating and AC unit maintenanced twice a year) is to test your heater before the cold air gets here. You can run it for a bit tonight, open a few windows to get rid of the smell and make sure it’s working properly. That way, if it’s not working properly, you can get someone out to fix it before the front arrives.
Stay warm! (Haven’t been able to say that in a while.)
