Are you worried about the air conditioner smells? Surrey Air is here to help you resolve the most common air conditioner problem you may endure when running your system after a long rest.
Warmer Melbourne days are reaching us. Soon, you’ll turn on your air conditioner to refresh your indoor spaces with cool air. But sometimes, your wishes go down the drain.
Maybe, as you turn on the AC, you’ll be left with strange, unpleasant smells in your home. You may experience an AC smell like fish or a musty smell from the AC unit. Forget cool air. These smells are disturbing and make it difficult to stay inside!
Besides causing discomfort, these smells also contain health hazards. They impact the occupant’s health, causing more problems for people with allergies or respiratory tract problems. Health problems make it necessary to evaluate the cause of smell and fix them at the earliest.
You must have experienced or heard about these smells from people around you. Does any type of smell from your air conditioner indicate some problem within the system? As you take steps to eliminate these smells, it is crucial to understand why the air conditioners smell in the first place.
Here, Surrey Air shares its years of experience with its readers to understand the reasons behind air conditioner smells and easy ways to fix them. If you cannot fix the smells, our technicians are just a call away to resolve them for you!
Reasons Behind Air Conditioner Smells
Air conditioner emits different smells. Sometimes you may sense AC smelling like fish, and other you’ll sense a musty smell from the AC unit. The causes behind different AC smells are different.
The common causes behind the unusual air conditioner smells include:
- Mold and mildew growth.
- Refrigerant leakage.
- Decomposing birds or animals.
- Clogged AC components.
- Electrical issues.
- Gas leaks.
Top 5 Air Conditioner Smells & Their Solution
Air conditioner smells indicate an underlying problem within the system that needs to be addressed. Here, we discuss some common smells and the reasons why they occur.
1. The Musty Smell
The musty smell from the AC unit is the most common air conditioner smell many users experience when they turn on the AC after a long time. It is also called “ Dirty Sock Syndrome” because the smell resembles dirty socks!
This awful smell is caused by mold or mildew growth within the AC unit. Mold and mildew can grow on the evaporator coil, inside vents and ducts, blocked drain pans, etc. These smell-causing microbes can grow anywhere within the AC unit with more moisture, and the outside climate is hot and humid, creating a supportive growth environment for mold and mildew.
You can overcome this musty smell by cleaning the drain pan, filters and other AC components. Clean up with soap and water will remove any build-up and erase the musty smells.
2. The Dusty Smell
Your AC system may emit a dusty smell after being used for a long time. This smell arises from dust accumulating in the AC unit during rest. Dust and debris accumulating on filters, ducts, and vents come out into indoor spaces as you run the AC system after a long time, giving rise to a characteristic dusty smell and causing respiratory issues for susceptible individuals.
Cleaning or changing the filters and clearing dust from the ac unit will eliminate the dusty smells. You must also turn on the fan to remove dust from inside the system and make air free from dusty smells.
3. The Rotten Egg-Like Smell
It is disappointing to experience a rotten egg-like smell when expecting a cool breeze from your AC unit. This smell is one of the most awful and dangerous air conditioner smells to encounter.
Two reasons can cause the rotten egg-like smell.
Firstly, gas leaks in the AC unit. The smell from leaking gas is more pungent and sulphur-ish. It can cause many health problems like eye and skin irritation, allergy and asthma symptoms, and other respiratory problems.
Secondly, rotting dead animals. During cold, or otherwise, birds and animals- particularly rodents, make their way into the parts of the air conditioning system. These birds or animals die and give off rotten smell as they decompose.
These smells circulate throughout the house with conditioned air. You can overcome these rotten egg-like smells by shutting off the gas supply and fix the leaks. Rest, removing the dead animals and cleaning the ducts will eliminate the smell.
4. The Burning Smell
Another common smell that will surely put you on your toes is sensing a burning smell from your air conditioner unit. It is a dangerous issue that needs prompt action.
The burning smell comes from overheating or burning air conditioner components. If ignored, this burning smell can cause extensive damage to the system and even cause damage to the whole building.
The burning smell can also be a temporary problem caused by running the air conditioner for a long time, as its components heat up after inactivity. Whatever the reason, always contact a professional air conditioner technician to inspect the system and rule out the problem.
5. The Sweet Chemical Smell
If you smell a sweet, nail polish remover-like smell after turning on your AC unit, it indicates potential refrigerant leakage. Although the smell might not be disturbing, it needs immediate attention and help from a professional.
Components of refrigerants like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), or related compounds produce a characteristic ether-like smell when they leak in noticeable quantities. Small leaks, which are odorless, often go undetected.
If you sense this sweet chemical smell, turn off the air conditioner and immediately call Surrey Air for help.
You may also experience other smells in addition to these common ones. These smells include skunk-like smells, oil-like smells, cigarette and trash smells, and many others.
Preventive Measures And Solutions For Air Conditioner Smells
ACs smell like fish or musty smells from AC units, requiring consideration, including preventive measures and solutions for air conditioner smells.
1. Clean the Filters
Blocked, clogged, and dust-laden filters are a leading cause of AC smells and deterioration of indoor air quality. Changing or cleaning the filters is the first and most crucial step to resolve the problem. Clean filters also prevent future incidents of smelly air conditioner systems.
2. Ensure Proper Drainage
A clogged drainage pan increases the contamination risk. Ensuring a clean condensate line and cleaning the drainage pan reduce the risk of mold and mildew growth and prevent water accumulation, positively affecting overall AC functionality and indoor air quality.
3. Clean the Ducts
HVAC ducts can become a breeding centre for bacteria, mold and mildew. Birds and animals can also find their way into the duct, die and cause rotten smells. Keeping the ducts clean ensure optimum AC performance and smell-free indoor spaces.
4. Fix the Refrigerant Leaks
Refrigerant is crucial for air conditioner performance. Leaking refrigerant affects functionality and is hazardous for occupants. Always get help from a professional air conditioner technician to fix the leaks and refill the refrigerant to optimum levels.
5. Clean the Internal Components of the Air Conditioner
Sensing unusual smells after using your air conditioner for a long time is frustrating. The only way to eliminate these smells and prevent them from reoccurring is to clean the internal components thoroughly.
Taking professional help ensures your air conditioner is clean and ready to beat the scorching Melbourne heat.
6. Schedule Regular Maintenance Services
Experts recommend scheduling maintenance services for your air conditioner before the start of the season. Regular maintenance has many benefits, like preventing costly repairs and increasing energy efficiency.
Surrey Air’s comprehensive seasonal maintenance services include a series of steps that focus on all important air conditioner components and check them for their functionality and performance.
Conclusion
Understanding the causes of air conditioner smells, the reasons behind different smells, and finding solutions to fix them is important. It will save you from staying uncomfortable during hot Melbourne days as summers set in and you run your AC system after a long rest. AC smells are common, and AC owners must know the reasons behind different smells and quick solutions to fix them.
Take preventive measures and implement solutions for air conditioner smells like cleaning filters and ducts, ensuring proper drainage, fixing refrigerant leaks, keeping the AC internal components clean, and scheduling regular maintenance services with licensed service providers like Surrey Air.
Surrey Air is Melbourne’s # 1 choice for helping you with air conditioner smells. Our emergency services will help you eliminate foul smells at the earliest and enjoy cool and comfortable indoor time during the hot Melbourne’s summer!
