I have been smelling "burnt paper" all day. I checked the cold air return and the filter was filthy, so I pitched it....but the ceiling around the return vent is warm...that does not seem right to me...Is this something that I should be concerned with?

I would not be concerned with the ceiling being warm .. are you having any other unusual smells

No...it just smells like paper burning...and the heat does not seem to be coming on now
Okay...now the furnace is running and no air...tells me the blower is probably out

Is it calling for heat

yep....I have a fuse, could that be bad?

could be but it really is hard to diagnose over the internet . first I would check ot make sure th efurnace had power, then i would check ot make sure the thermostat is working adn then hell it is hard ot diagnose over the internet

The furnace keeps kicking on, but no air is blowing out

is hte furnace lighting

yes it is

Okay....the belt on the blower broke....problem solved...well, not solved, but will be when the repairman gets here

I'd also make sure all the vents and ducting isn't clogged up with dust and debris, too. The furnace won't operate as well if there are obstructions in either of them.

If the belt is loose and slipping it will smell like burning rubber. If the motor is fried it will smell like burning plastic. You should be able to remove a cover and see the motor. Turn the furnace off and check the belt. If that is good then try to turn the motor. If it doesn't turn then the motor if fried.

There is a limiting switch that starts the fan when the temperature gets to a certain point inside the furnace. It also shuts it down if it gets too hot. Hot air rising from the furnace (in a no fan on mode) could make it feel warm around a floor cold air vent.

Hope this helps.

I would let the repair man take a look and maybe call your local gas company afterwards to check everything...open some windows for ventilation if you keep smelling things. Be Safe.

Years back, my dad and I built a small house on my parents' lot, complete with heating and electricity, everything except for running water and a toilet. I lived in that house for close to 3 years. But when I first moved in, I would wake up every morning feeling nauseous for seemingly no reason. Turned out the chimney cap was partially collapsed and was preventing carbon monoxide fumes from being vented from the house...not enough to poison me, but if the chimney had collapsed a bit more I might have apphixiated to death...funnily enough, it was weeks before the problem was solved.