One of our regular customers called the HVAC repair center on Thursday, because she didn’t have any heat in the house and she said there was a strange smell coming from the ductwork.
- When a customer has a gas furnace, our first thought is always going to be a gas leak when a customer says that they smell something strange.
We urged the customer to get out of the house or call the fire department. She turned off the heating and air conditioning system and the hot water heater. I arrived at the property a couple hours after the customer requested help with the furnace. I evaluated their system and checked all of the regular places where problems occur. As soon as I removed the furnace air filter, I realized that’s where the smell was coming from. The furnace filter was covered with dog hair. I asked the lady if she had a dog and she told me that she was pet sitting for a friend during the last two weeks. I showed the woman all of the dog hair that had accumulated on the furnace filter. She was horrified and disgusted, but it really wasn’t that bad. I’ve seen a lot worse in a number of homes and apartments. I recommended changing the furnace filter more frequently, because there was also a buildup of dust and other allergens on the air filter. I only charged a minimum service fee since there really wasn’t a problem that needed to be repaired. It’s always nice to build good customer relations with our regular customers.