When your air conditioner is clean and running right, you shouldn’t be smelling anything strange. Peculiar air conditioner noises and strange smells are a sign that something is off. If your air conditioner is aging or you haven’t had maintenance scheduled recently, they can be a clear sign you need professional air conditioning repair in Buellton.
Here are six of the most frequent air conditioner smells and how you can resolve them.
1. Central Air Conditioner Smells Like Chemicals
If your air conditioner smells bad when turned on, specifically a chemical odor, it isn’t a great sign. You may also notice your:
- Air conditioner smells like paint thinner
- Home air conditioner smells sweet
These sweet, chemical scents are typically a hint that your air conditioner is suffering from a refrigerant leak. Your system uses this gas to shift heat through copper coils, which can crack over time.
Four hints you are experiencing a refrigerant leak.
In addition to the weird smell, here are four other signs that you are experiencing a refrigerant leak.
- Bubbling or hissing sounds when your air conditioner runs.
- Ice on refrigerant lines or the evaporator coil.
- It’s hard keeping your house cold or reaching your programmed temperature.
- Increasing utility expenses.
How You Can Fix It
A refrigerant leak requires skilled support from a heating and cooling company like Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning. Your cooling professional will pinpoint and fix the leak before recharging your system with refrigerant.
Fixing a refrigerant leak typically costs between $225 and $1,600, based on nationwide averages compiled by HomeAdvisor. Your exact cost will depend on the location and severity of the leak, as well as how many hours it needs to fix.
If your air conditioner was installed before 2010, there’s a high probability it uses R-22 or Freon refrigerant. This refrigerant is no longer being made as a result of its adverse effects on the ozone layer. As a result, repairs can be significantly expensive so it may be wisest 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 significant likelihood you have a natural gas leak in your home. Natural gas has a sulfur-like additive to signal you when there’s a leak, because the gas can be toxic in big amounts.
How You Can Fix It
If you notice a sulfur or rotten egg odor, we recommend:
- Switching off your gas supply.
- Opening windows.
- Leaving your home right away.
- Calling your gas company immediately.
3. Air Conditioner Smells Musty
Homeowners who contact us about this problem frequently mention their air conditioner smells like feet, dirty socks or a locker room when it runs. Also known as dirty sock syndrome, this smell is often created by a grubby 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 often seen in climates where you turn on heating at night and during the morning before switching to cooling later in the day.
How to Fix It
The best approach for preventing dirty sock syndrome is to frequently replace your air filter and schedule yearly air conditioning maintenance with Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning. We’ll keep the evaporator coil clean and the drainage system unblocked, as standing water can also produce unpleasant odors.
4. Air Conditioner Smells Like Vinegar
If you are dealing with air conditioner mildew smell or a pungent, vinegar-like odor, it could be the result of several issues, like:
- A filthy filter
- Excess condensation
- Plugged condensate pan or drain line
- Moldy air conditioner or ductwork
How to Solve It
Examine your filter first. If you haven’t replaced it within the last three months and can’t see light through it, you should replace it. If that doesn’t resolve the problem, call Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning at 805-242-9638.
5. Air Conditioner Smells Like Burning Plastic
If you’re noticing an air conditioner burning smell or that your air conditioner smells like fish, there could be a couple of things wrong. These entail:
- Broken capacitator that’s overheating the motor.
- Motor that needs lubrication.
- Broken fan belt.
- Electrical malfunction.
Electrical problems should be checked quickly to prevent a fire. If you smell burning plastic when your air conditioner is operating, shut it off and contact us at 805-242-9638 without delay.
6. Air Conditioner Smells Like Cat Pee
An overpowering ammonia odor means there may be mold flourishing inside 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 health. That’s why we recommend having a specialist like Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning examine your air conditioner and ductwork and clean it when needed.
Our Pros Can Eliminate Unpleasant Air Conditioner Smells Fast.
You deserve to be comfortable in your house and shouldn’t have an air conditioner that smells bad. When you are looking for relief from your noxious air conditioner, contact us at 805-242-9638. We’ll diagnose the trouble quickly and fix it at a reasonable.