When your air conditioner is fresh and operating correctly, it’s not normal to be smelling anything odd. Abnormal air conditioner noises and weird smells are a sign that something is wrong. If your air conditioner is old or you haven’t had a tune-up scheduled recently, they can be an obvious sign you need skilled air conditioning repair in Rock Hill.
Here are six of the most common 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, especially a chemical smell, isn’t a good sign. You might also notice your:
- Air conditioner smells like paint thinner
- Home air conditioner smells sweet
These sweet, chemical odors are typically a sign that your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak. Your system needs this gas to move heat through copper coils, which can wear out as time passes.
4 Hints You Have a Refrigerant Leak
In addition to the odd smell, here are four other signs that you are experiencing a refrigerant leak.
- Bubbling or hissing sounds when your air conditioner is operating.
- Ice on refrigerant lines or the evaporator coil.
- It’s hard keeping your house comfortable or having your programmed temperature.
- Higher energy costs.
How You Can Fix It
A refrigerant leak calls for experienced support from a heating and cooling company like US Air Heating and Cooling. Your cooling pro will pinpoint and fix the leak before recharging your system with refrigerant.
Resolving a refrigerant leak usually costs between $225 and $1,600, per nationwide averages put together by HomeAdvisor. Your total cost will depend on the location and severity of the leak, as well as how much time it needs to repair.
If your air conditioner was installed prior to 2010, there’s a good chance it uses R-22 or Freon refrigerant. This refrigerant is no longer being made due to its damaging effects on the ozone layer. Consequently, repairs can be significantly expensive so it may be best to schedule air conditioning installation in this situation.
2. Air Conditioner Smells Like Gas
If your air conditioner smells like rotten eggs, there’s probably nothing wrong with it. But there’s a significant probability you have a natural gas leak in your home. Natural gas has a sulfur-like additive to warn you when there’s a leak, since the gas can be fatal in heavy concentrations.
How You Can Solve It
If you notice a sulfur or rotten egg odor, we recommend:
- Switching off your gas supply.
- Opening windows.
- Going outside promptly.
- Contacting your gas company without delay.
3. Air Conditioner Smells Musty
People who reach us about this issue often share their air conditioner smells like feet, dirty socks or a locker room when it’s on. Also called dirty sock syndrome, this smell is usually created 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 often seen in climates where you turn on heating at night and during the morning before turning on cooling later on.
How to Solve It
The best method for preventing dirty sock syndrome is to regularly replace your air filter and schedule routine air conditioning maintenance with US Air Heating and Cooling. We’ll keep the evaporator coil clean and the drainage system unclogged, since excess water can also create unpleasant odors.
4. Air Conditioner Smells Like Vinegar
If you are dealing with air conditioner mildew smell or a pungent, vinegar-like odor, it might be caused by several problems, like:
- A dirty filter
- Extra condensation
- Blocked condensate pan or drain line
- Moldy air conditioner or ductwork
How to Resolve 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, call US Air Heating and Cooling at 803-220-0761.
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 entail:
- Broken capacitator that’s overheating the motor.
- Motor that requires lubrication.
- Broken fan belt.
- Electrical malfunctions.
Electrical issues should be checked immediately to stop a fire. If you detect burning plastic when your air conditioner is on, switch it off and call us at 803-220-0761 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 produces.
How to Solve It
Mycotoxins are hazardous to your health. That’s why you should have a specialist like US Air Heating and Cooling look at your air conditioner and ductwork and clean it when necessary.
Our Professionals Can Eliminate Strange Air Conditioner Smells Rapidly
You deserve to be cozy in your house and shouldn’t have an air conditioner that smells bad. When you need relief from your smelly air conditioner, reach us at 803-220-0761. We’ll figure out the trouble quickly and resolve it at a reasonable.