Air Conditioner Constantly Smells Bad? 2 Causes and What You Can Do About It

If your air conditioner constantly smells bad this can make your entire home have a bad smell. Many things can cause this to happen. Two of these things are listed below so you can get your home smelling good again.

Mold and Mildew

Mold and mildew can cause a musty smell in your home. Not only is there a bad smell this can also cause health problems. This is because every time your air conditioner runs mold and mildew spores get into the air and people can breathe these in. This is especially bad for people that have allergies and if you also have people that smoke or have pets that shed this can make the problem even worse. You can find mold and mildew in different places including:

1. Evaporator Coils

Mold and mildew can build up on evaporator coils inside the air conditioning unit. When you turn the unit on warm air flows over the evaporator coils to make the air turn cool. If there is anything on the coils, such as dirt, this can cause condensation to build up on the coils. Once this happens, mold and mildew can start growing. You can look at the evaporator coils to see if you see mold and mildew. You will also see ice on the coils and the airflow inside your home will be weaker.  An HVAC contractor can clean the evaporator coils for you.

2. Ductwork

You may also have mold and mildew built up in the ductwork that runs in the attic, basement, or crawlspace. When air flows through the ductwork it will pick up the mold and mildew smell and put it into your home. Mold and mildew spores will also get inside your home through the ductwork. Hire an HVAC contractor to inspect the ductwork. If they find mold and mildew, they can clean the ductwork for you and determine where the mold and mildew came from.

Condensate Drain Line Clog

Another thing that can cause a bad smell from an air conditioner is a clog in the condensate drain line. This line catches and then drains away built-up condensation that drips from the evaporator. If the drain line clogs up water will get trapped and then mold and mildew will grow where the water is. 

There will be water leaking around the air conditioning unit inside your home if you have a clog in the drain line. Your air conditioning unit may turn off for no reason. It is not difficult to unclog a condensate drain line, and this is something you can likely do on your own.  Refer to the owner's manual to learn how to do this.

You can contact companies like Derek Sawyers Smart Energy Heating & Air to learn much more about the problems above.


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