When your air conditioner is fresh and running properly, you shouldn’t be smelling anything strange. Unexpected air conditioner noises and weird smells are a hint that something is up. If your air conditioner is old or you haven’t had a tune-up scheduled lately, they can be a sure sign you need skilled air conditioning repair in Rockford.
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, particularly a chemical smell, isn’t a great sign. You might also report your:
- Air conditioner smells like paint thinner
- Home air conditioner smells sweet
These sweet, chemical smells are regularly a clue that your air conditioner is suffering from a refrigerant leak. Your system needs this gas to shift heat through copper coils, which can break out over time.
4 Clues You Have a Refrigerant Leak
In addition to the strange smell, here are four other hints that you have a refrigerant leak.
- Bubbling or hissing sounds when your air conditioner is operating.
- Ice on refrigerant lines or the evaporator coil.
- Difficulty keeping your house cold or reaching your set temperature.
- Higher energy costs.
How You Can Repair It
A refrigerant leak needs professional assistance from a heating and cooling company like Temperature Doctors Heating & Cooling, Inc. Your cooling technician will find and fix the leak before recharging your system with refrigerant.
Resolving a refrigerant leak often costs between $225 and $1,600, per nationwide averages assembled by HomeAdvisor. Your exact cost will depend on the location and severity of the leak, as well as how much time it takes to solve.
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 because of its harmful effects on the ozone layer. Due to this, repairs can be significantly expensive so it may be wisest to schedule 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 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, since the gas can be toxic in heavy concentrations.
How You Can Repair It
If you smell a sulfur or rotten egg odor, we advise:
- Turning off your gas supply.
- Opening windows.
- Leaving your home right away.
- Contacting your gas company immediately.
3. Air Conditioner Smells Musty
Homeowners who reach us to report this issue frequently share their air conditioner smells like feet, dirty socks or a locker room when it’s running. Also known as dirty sock syndrome, this smell is often 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 common in locations where you need heating at night and during the morning before transitioning to cooling during the afternoon.
How to Solve It
The best way to prevent dirty sock syndrome is to routinely change your air filter and schedule yearly air conditioning maintenance with Temperature Doctors Heating & Cooling, Inc. We’ll keep the evaporator coil clean and the drainage system flowing, because standing water can also lead to nasty odors.
4. Air Conditioner Smells Like Vinegar
If you are experiencing air conditioner mildew smell or a pungent, vinegar-like odor, it might be caused by several situations, like:
- A clogged filter
- Extra condensation
- Clogged condensate pan or drain line
- Moldy air conditioner or ductwork
How to Fix It
Inspect 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 solve the issue, call Temperature Doctors Heating & Cooling, Inc at (815)914-6197.
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 several things wrong. These include:
- Broken capacitator that’s overheating the motor.
- Motor that should have lubrication.
- Broken fan belt.
- Electrical issue.
Electrical issues should be inspected quickly to prevent a fire. If you smell burning plastic when your air conditioner is running, turn it off and contact us at (815)914-6197 right away.
6. Air Conditioner Smells Like Cat Pee
A powerful ammonia odor means there might be mold flourishing 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 health. That’s why it’s important to have a pro like Temperature Doctors Heating & Cooling, Inc look at your air conditioner and ductwork and clean it when needed.
Our Pros Can Eliminate Odd Air Conditioner Smells Fast
You deserve to be comfortable in your residence and shouldn’t have an air conditioner that smells bad. When you need relief from your stinky air conditioner, contact us at (815)914-6197. We’ll determine the trouble quickly and fix it at a reasonable.