When your air conditioner is spotless and operating correctly, it’s expected you won’t be smelling anything weird. Unusual air conditioner noises and weird smells are a hint that something is up. If your air conditioner is old or you haven’t had service completed recently, they can be a clear sign you need professional air conditioning repair in Sandpoint.
Here are six of the most frequent air conditioner smells and how you can fix them.
1. Central Air Conditioner Smells Like Chemicals
If your air conditioner smells bad when turned on, specifically a chemical smell, it isn’t a great sign. You might also report your:
- Air conditioner smells like paint thinner
- Home air conditioner smells sweet
These sweet, chemical scents are regularly a sign that your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak. Your system uses this gas to move heat through copper coils, which can wear out as time passes.
Four clues you are dealing with a refrigerant leak.
Aside from the strange smell, here are four other signs that you are dealing with a refrigerant leak.
- Bubbling or hissing sounds when your air conditioner is on.
- Ice on refrigerant lines or the evaporator coil.
- Difficulty keeping your house comfortable or achieving your set temperature.
- Higher energy expenses.
How You Can Take Care of It
A refrigerant leak calls for skilled repairs from a heating and cooling company like Age Heating & Cooling. Your cooling technician will pinpoint and repair the leak before recharging your air conditioner with refrigerant.
Resolving a refrigerant leak usually costs between $225 and $1,600, based on nationwide averages put together by HomeAdvisor. Your total cost will depend on the location and severity of the leak, as well as how many hours it needs to solve.
If your air conditioner was installed prior to 2010, there’s a good chance it has R-22 or Freon refrigerant. This refrigerant is no longer being manufactured due to its adverse effects on the ozone layer. Consequently, repairs can be significantly expensive so it may be best to do air conditioning installation in this circumstance.
2. Air Conditioner Smells Like Gas
If your air conditioner smells like rotten eggs, there’s possibly nothing wrong with it. But there’s a good likelihood you have a natural gas leak in your residence. Natural gas has a sulfur-like additive to signal you when there’s a leak, since the gas can be deadly in large amounts.
How You Can Solve It
If you smell a sulfur or rotten egg odor, we advise:
- Switching off your gas supply.
- Opening windows.
- Evacuating your home promptly.
- Getting in touch with your gas company now.
3. Air Conditioner Smells Musty
Individuals who reach us about this issue often report their air conditioner smells like feet, dirty socks or a locker room when it runs. Also called dirty sock syndrome, this smell is often caused by a dirty evaporator coil that has mold, mildew and bacteria buildup. Excess water can also make your home air conditioner smell bad. Dirty sock syndrome is most common in locations where you turn on heating at night and during the morning before turning on cooling during the afternoon.
How to Repair It
The best approach for preventing dirty sock syndrome is to frequently change your air filter and schedule yearly air conditioning maintenance with Age Heating & Cooling. We’ll keep the evaporator coil clean and the drainage system unclogged, as stagnant water can also create nasty odors.
4. Air Conditioner Smells Like Vinegar
If you are dealing with air conditioner mildew smell or an acidic, vinegar-like odor, it might be prompted by several problems, like:
- A clogged filter
- Excess condensation
- Blocked condensate pan or drain line
- Moldy air conditioner or ductwork
How to Solve It
Check your filter first. If you haven’t put in a new one within the last three months and can’t see light through it, it’s time to replace it. If that doesn’t resolve the smell, contact Age Heating & Cooling at 208-603-2210.
5. Air Conditioner Smells Like Burning Plastic
If you’re dealing with an air conditioner burning smell or that your air conditioner smells like fish, there could be a couple of things wrong. These include:
- Broken capacitator that’s overheating the motor.
- Motor that should have lubrication.
- Broken fan belt.
- Electrical malfunction.
Electrical problems should be examined quickly to avoid a fire. If you smell burning plastic when your air conditioner is on, shut it off and reach us at 208-603-2210 right away.
6. Air Conditioner Smells Like Cat Pee
An overpowering ammonia odor means there might be mold flourishing in your air conditioner or ductwork. The smell isn’t the mold itself, but the mycotoxins that mold creates.
How to Fix It
Mycotoxins are hazardous to your well-being. That’s why it’s important to have a pro like Age Heating & Cooling check your air conditioner and ductwork and clean it when recommended.
Our Professionals Can Eliminate Strange Air Conditioner Smells Rapidly.
You deserve to be comfy in your home and shouldn’t have an air conditioner that smells bad. When you are looking for relief from your smelly air conditioner, give us a call at 208-603-2210. We’ll diagnose the trouble quickly and fix it at a competitive.
