Do You Have Smells Coming from Your Air Conditioning Unit?

Odd HVAC Smells & What You Should Do About Them

While living in or around Pensacola, Walton Beach or Panama City, you know what it’s like to live with hot days and nights, and humidity.  Humidity and excessive moisture can be as tough on your body as they are on your air conditioner. 

Once that moisture gets trapped in your air conditioner and flows through your home’s ductwork, you could be in for a rough, smelly time in your home, not to mention putting your health at risk.  Ask yourself what smells you notice in your home every time you use your air conditioner.  Do you notice any of these odors?

Dirty, Old Socks

Does your air conditioning unit smell like dirty, old socks? Dirty sock Syndrome is the foul, moldy-smelling odor that comes from your air conditioner when you first turn it on. This can be really bothersome. If you have this smell coming from your ac unit, the condenser might be the problem.

At times, bacteria will grow on the ac unit condenser coils. This is what causes it to smell like dirty, old socks. With this smell, the good news is that all you probably need to do is have a Peaden ac repair expert come and clean the condenser coils. They may need to sanitize the condenser, as well.

Gun Powder

Are you smelling gun powder wafting throughout your home? If so, this is not a good thing. It means that there is something burning. If this smell occurs, you should instantly go to your breaker box and turn the HVAC system off. Then, contact your local fire department, and don’t go back into your home until you are told it is okay.

Once you do go back into your home, you can call a Peaden AC repair expert. The gun powder smell can indicate a short from the air conditioner’s circuit board, or fan motor.  The smell could also be from an overheating motor, a wiring issue, or some other mechanical problem.

Dirty Trash Smell

Do you notice the smell of trash coming from your vents after turning on your air conditioning unit? If so, different things could cause this. However, one of the main causes is that an animal died in the HVAC system and needs to be taken out. This happens a lot in the winter. If you suspect this has happened, you should turn your air conditioning unit off, open your windows, and contact an ac repair expert.

These are some of the most common smells that come from air conditioning units. If you notice that any of these smells have been coming from your vents, you should reach out to Peaden ac repair experts. The expert that comes to your property will asses the issue and they can make any repairs that are required. Sometimes it is just a matter of cleaning something out and other times something has been damaged and needs to be repaired.

Rotten Egg or Sulphur Smell

Never, ever ignore the Rotten Egg Smell! It could be the smell of leaking gas!

While natural gas is naturally odorless, manufacturers are required to add a chemical called mercaptan to give it that rotten egg smell. If that is what you are smelling, it’s an emergency, so follow these steps:

1. Don’t operate anything electrical.
2. Don’t operate matches or lighters.
3. If there are any open flames, such as candles, put them out.
4. Open as many doors and windows as you can.
5. Turn off your gas supply at the meter.
6. Contact the gas company.
7. Have the gas company turn the gas back on for you when it is safe.

Fumes from Exhaust

Do you smell fumes from an exhaust through your vents? If this is the smell you have in your home, one of the main reasons is that your ac unit or condenser is leaking fluid. It is more than likely leaking on the motor or a different portion of the ac system that is warmed up. If this is happening, contact an ac repair expert right away.