When your air conditioner is spotless and running correctly, it’s expected you won’t be smelling anything weird. Peculiar air conditioner noises and strange smells are a hint that something is wrong. If your air conditioner is aging or you haven’t had service completed recently, they can be a clear sign you need pro air conditioning repair in Pflugerville.
Here are six of the top 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, especially a chemical odor, it isn’t a great sign. You could also observe your:
- Air conditioner smells like paint thinner
- Home air conditioner smells sweet
These sweet, chemical scents are often a sign that your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak. Your system uses this gas to transfer heat through copper coils, which can crack as time passes.
Four Clues You Are Dealing with a Refrigerant Leak
In addition to the strange smell, here are four other hints that you are dealing with a refrigerant leak.
- Bubbling or hissing sounds when your air conditioner runs.
- Frost on refrigerant lines or the evaporator coil.
- It’s hard keeping your residence cool or achieving your desired temperature.
- Higher utility bills.
How You Can Take Care of It
A refrigerant leak calls for experienced assistance from a heating and cooling company like Evenaire Heating & Air Conditioning. Your cooling professional will pinpoint and repair the leak before recharging your air conditioner with refrigerant.
Repairing 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 takes to repair.
If your air conditioner was installed before 2010, there’s a good chance it uses R-22 or Freon refrigerant. This refrigerant is no longer being made due to its negative effects on the ozone layer. As a consequence, repairs can be very expensive so it may be smartest to do air conditioning installation in this situation.
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 high likelihood you have a natural gas leak in your residence. Natural gas has a sulfur-like additive to warn you when there’s a leak, because the gas can be toxic in big amounts.
How You Can Repair It
If you notice a sulfur or rotten egg odor, we suggest:
- Shutting off your gas supply.
- Opening windows.
- Evacuating your home promptly.
- Getting in touch with your gas company without delay.
3. Air Conditioner Smells Musty
Individuals who contact us regarding this situation usually mention their air conditioner smells like feet, dirty socks or a locker room when it’s on. Also referred to as dirty sock syndrome, this smell is frequently linked to a grubby evaporator coil that has mold, mildew and bacteria buildup. Moisture can also make your home air conditioner smell bad. Dirty sock syndrome is most typical in areas where you use heating at night and during the morning before turning on cooling later in the day.
How to Repair It
The best method for preventing dirty sock syndrome is to routinely get a new air filter and schedule annual air conditioning maintenance with Evenaire Heating & Air Conditioning. We’ll keep the evaporator coil clean and the drainage system unclogged, because standing water can also produce noxious odors.
4. Air Conditioner Smells Like Vinegar
If you are living with air conditioner mildew smell or an acidic, vinegar-like odor, it can be prompted by several problems, like:
- A filthy filter
- Excess condensation
- Plugged condensate pan or drain line
- Moldy air conditioner or ductwork
How to Resolve It
Check your filter first. If you haven’t changed it within the last three months and can’t see light through it, it’s time to replace it. If that doesn’t resolve the problem, reach Evenaire Heating & Air Conditioning at 512-355-1482.
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 requires lubrication.
- Broken fan belt.
- Electrical problem.
Electrical malfunctions should be examined right away to stop a fire. If you detect burning plastic when your air conditioner is operating, turn it off and call us at 512-355-1482 right away.
6. Air Conditioner Smells Like Cat Pee
A powerful ammonia odor means there may be mold present within your air conditioner or ductwork. The smell isn’t the mold itself, but the mycotoxins that mold produces.
How to Fix It
Mycotoxins are hazardous to your wellness. That’s why it’s important to have a specialist like Evenaire Heating & Air Conditioning look at your air conditioner and ductwork and clean it when necessary.
Our Pros Can Take Care of Odd Air Conditioner Smells Quickly
You deserve to be comfy in your residence and shouldn’t have an air conditioner that smells bad. When you are seeking relief from your stinky air conditioner, contact us at 512-355-1482. We’ll diagnose the problem quickly and resolve it at a reasonable.
