Preparing heating for...summer? It may sound odd, but if you're using separate healing and cooling systems that either don't share ductwork (corridors or air pathways) or are part of drastically diverging paths, inactivity can make things a bit smelly and awkward once the colder months come back. As you look to warming weather or scratch your head at weather that doesn't make any sense, here are a few heating preparation steps to tackle as soon as possible.

Reducing Dust And Debris With Regular Maintenance

One sign of the beginning of fall and winter is the smell of burning dust in the air. When heating ducts turn on, any collected dust on the heating elements and areas hot enough to burn debris will create a bit of singing ember as light smoke. 

It's usually not a major problem. People with breathing issues such as asthma that doesn't require medical clean rooms are usually fine aside from a noticeable "tightness" of the air and shortness of breath (the asthma people of the world would like everyone to calm down, there are a lot of shortness of breath issues that aren't emergencies!). Still, it doesn't smell great, and reducing it can make the air more pleasant for everyone.

With proper cleaning, the smell of burning should either not exist at all or only last for a few hours--not because it's still burning, but because the air simply lingers in the home depending on the ventilation design. Heating and air conditioning specialists can perform either monthly inspection, or simply come in before the coldest months roll around to make sure your living room air doesn't smell like a forest fire because of the heating unit.

Advancing Your Heating When Heat Isn't Needed

The best time to change out heating units is when you don't need heating at all. Why wait on heating changes when you're starting to bundle up and wishing for a heater when it can be done while you're outside and enjoying whatever weather you can?

A heating specialist can replace wall units, change out furnaces, or even equip you with a central air unit that handles more than just cold weather heating. If your home's ductwork needs upgrading, this is also a good time to change out airflow corridors and install filters with the best of modern heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) theory.

Contact a heating and airflow professional, like one from Economy Air Systems Inc, to look at upgrade and repair options, or to schedule maintenance for a less smoky beginning of winter.