shaun

this is gas heat? sometimes when starting a furnace for the first time, you can have a dusty type smell for the first day. however smells are not normal and source of smell should be identified.

when was last time furnace/system was serviced? do you have a carbon monoxide detector? if not, you should.

there is always the possibility of dirty sock syndrome from your evap coil.

if smell continues and you are unable to locate source, I would call your servicing dealer. I will assumme other family members have noticed smell.

IMO
Good Luck!

Hi there - it's electric. It's serviced once a year without fail. Just serviced this past summer so it's not time to do it again.

We do not have a carbon monoxide detector.

I called our service guy and he's coming out tomorrow. He said it might be a heating element.

Thanks for your help.

Shaun, you posted so many years ago. I wonder if you ever found what it was. I have almost the same problem: Time to time very strong Iodine smell lingering around entrance to my bedroom which is above furnace room. I cannot pinpoint where exactly it's it's coming from. Always in the evening. One of my sons also can smell it, so it's not likely hallucination. Very disturbing. It is not burned dust smell (I've had it), not rotten egg.... For people who are not familiar with the smell I could describe it as a strong antiseptic/medical smell.

Nope never found out what the smell was.