AC Smells Bad When Turned On
If the air coming out of your AC smells, it’s likely that your entire home smells.
Whether your vents are blowing the musty stench of a dirty sock through your nostrils or spreading the putrid odor of a decaying animal throughout your home, the situation is far from ideal.
When your home begins smelling worse than the city dump, it’s time to take action! Here’s what you can do to get your home smelling fresh and clean again.
AC Smells Musty
Is there a musty smell coming from your air vents?
If every time you turn on the AC it smells as though your home has been sitting vacant for years, accumulating mildew and dust, it’s likely the result of excess moisture in your air conditioner.
High humidity makes it possible for an AC system to become a breeding ground for mold, fungi, and bacteria. Not only do these microorganisms hurt your indoor air quality, putting your health at risk, but they also smell.
Odors caused by a build up of bacteria and the like may become even worse in the winter. If cranking up your heating system makes it smell as though a sweaty high school basketball team is using your home as a locker room, you may have a classic case of dirty sock syndrome. This occurs when a heating system goes into defrost mode, creating a cold, damp environment that allows bacteria to thrive.
Winter or summer, the best solution to a musty smell is to have your AC professionally cleaned! A trained technician will be able to examine your system and clean the coils, vents, drain lines or wherever the issue may be stemming from.
AC Smells Putrid
Is there a putrid odor coming from your AC?
A musty, dirty sock smell can be tough to live with but the smell of a decaying animal inside your ductwork would be intolerable! Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for rats, squirrels, and other small animals to crawl inside your ducts and become trapped. Within a few days, the smell of rotting flesh will circulate through your home every time your AC cranks on. Yuck!
If you suspect this is the reason your AC smells, call a professional HVAC technician to inspect the situation. Your ductwork is delicate and it may take special tools to remove the culprit.
