When your air conditioner is fresh and working right, it’s expected you won’t be smelling anything strange. Unusual air conditioner noises and weird smells are a sign that something is wrong. If your air conditioner is aging or you haven’t had a tune-up done lately, they can be an obvious sign you need pro air conditioning repair in Middletown.
Here are six of the most common air conditioner smells and how you can repair them.
1. Central Air Conditioner Smells Like Chemicals
If your air conditioner smells bad when turned on, particularly a chemical odor, it isn’t a great sign. You may also report your:
- Air conditioner smells like paint thinner
- Home air conditioner smells sweet
These sweet, chemical scents are regularly a sign that your air conditioner is experiencing a refrigerant leak. Your system uses this gas to move heat through copper coils, which can break out as time goes on.
Four clues you have a refrigerant leak.
In addition to the strange smell, here are four other hints that you are experiencing a refrigerant leak.
- Bubbling or hissing sounds when your air conditioner runs.
- Frost on refrigerant lines or the evaporator coil.
- Trouble keeping your residence cold or achieving your programmed temperature.
- Higher electrical expenses.
How You Can Fix It
A refrigerant leak needs professional assistance from a heating and cooling company like SchagrinGAS Company. Your cooling professional will locate and fix the leak before recharging your air conditioner with refrigerant.
Resolving a refrigerant leak often 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 long it takes to fix.
If your air conditioner was installed early than 2010, there’s a high probability it uses R-22 or Freon refrigerant. This refrigerant is no longer being produced due to its adverse effects on the ozone layer. Because of this, repairs can be very expensive so it may be best to do air conditioning installation in this instance.
2. Air Conditioner Smells Like Gas
If your air conditioner smells like rotten eggs, there’s likely nothing wrong with it. But there’s a significant chance you have a natural gas leak in your house. Natural gas has a sulfur-like additive to signal you when there’s a leak, because the gas can be fatal in big amounts.
How You Can Solve It
If you smell a sulfur or rotten egg odor, we advise:
- Turning off your gas supply.
- Opening windows.
- Evacuating your home as soon as possible.
- Getting in touch with your gas company now.
3. Air Conditioner Smells Musty
People who reach us regarding this situation often mention their air conditioner smells like feet, dirty socks or a locker room when it’s on. Also called dirty sock syndrome, this smell is frequently linked to a filthy 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 use heating at night and during the morning before switching to cooling later in the day.
How to Solve It
The best method for preventing dirty sock syndrome is to routinely get a new air filter and schedule yearly air conditioning maintenance with SchagrinGAS Company. We’ll keep the evaporator coil clean and the drainage system unclogged, because standing water can also result in noxious odors.
4. Air Conditioner Smells Like Vinegar
If you are dealing with air conditioner mildew smell or an acidic, vinegar-like odor, it could be the result of several problems, such as:
- A clogged filter
- Excess condensation
- Plugged condensate pan or drain line
- Moldy air conditioner or ductwork
How to Repair It
Check your filter first. If you haven’t replaced it within the last three months and can’t see light through it, we recommend replacing it. If that doesn’t fix the problem, contact SchagrinGAS Company at 302-231-1380.
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 involve:
- Broken capacitator that’s overheating the motor.
- Motor that needs lubrication.
- Broken fan belt.
- Electrical malfunction.
Electrical problems should be checked right away to stop a fire. If you detect burning plastic when your air conditioner is on, shut it off and call us at 302-231-1380 right away.
6. Air Conditioner Smells Like Cat Pee
A powerful ammonia odor means there could be mold flourishing within your air conditioner or ductwork. The smell isn’t the mold itself, but the mycotoxins that mold creates.
How to Solve It
Mycotoxins are hazardous to your health. That’s why you should have a professional like SchagrinGAS Company look at your air conditioner and ductwork and clean it when needed.
Our Professionals Can Get Rid of Unpleasant Air Conditioner Smells Quickly.
You deserve to be cozy in your home and shouldn’t have an air conditioner that smells bad. When you are looking for relief from your stinky air conditioner, contact us at 302-231-1380. We’ll diagnose the issue quickly and resolve it at a competitive.
