[stellarwbz]

In my apartment that is. We live in an apartment that uses a furnace as the source of heat. The only problem is we have no idea how it works. There is no spot to turn it on. The pilot light is on in it, and there is a vent where hot air should blow out, does anyone know how those things work? We have to bundle up with blankets at night it's so cold. All that there is in the apartment is an electric fireplace that only heats up the living room. I'm too embarrassed to ask the landlord to show me how to work it. I grew up in a house that we just used a thermostat to control the cold and hot air. Please help me. Burrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[Chance0421]

Just looked at weather.com...It is -10 here!!! We are supposed to hit a record low of -15 tonight. It is sooooo cold!!!

[stellarwbz]

Alright, well I did some investigating online and found out that I needed to be looking for a thermostat. Had to pull something off the furnace to find it. I've turned it on now, but it's making a weird noise, and smells. Is this normal for just turning it on after a long amount of time?


Edit
* Oh boy. It set off the smoke alarms.... I don't like furnaces.

[Iconised Ghost]

wow that sucks i have nothing useful to say, except that im not entirely sure it should be smelling like that ^_^''

And that its hot here

[Its Courtney]

Oh I know you must be frustrated and cold! Not a good combo either... Do you have a neighbor you could ask?

I'm getting a mental image of it, and it's like a scene out of a comedy movie! LoL

I'm so sorry that it's so funky to work with...if I could give advice, I would! My fingers are crossed that ya'll get it figured out soon!

[staja]

I know that my heat smells funny, if it's been awhile since we turned it on. Also, in my old apartment when I had steam heat and radiators, neither my roommate or I were sure how it worked. The radiators themselves let of steam and of course made lots of noise. I remember calling my dad to find out if it was normal. For the first few weeks we lived in the apartment, we also turned the heat off at night, because we were afraid of the sound!

If, after a day or so of having the heat on, it still smells off, call your landlord.

[Elwing]

Oh wow. I've never heard of heaters smelling odd, but I suppose it would be possible. I'd ask a neighbour; the heater probably works the same for them, and it's a great way to make contact with the people who live close to you.

[stellarwbz]

Well it doesn't smell now. I guess the smell just had to be burned off. The noise reminded me of the furnace from Home Alone.

[AngelD]

If it's not been on for a long time it could just be burning off dust. My old heating system used to smell bad for the first couple of times I used it after being off for the summer.