How about turning on your Air Conditioner after a long time to enjoy its cool breeze and rather have a stinky smell spread all around? This is a common issue homeowners face; the problem of Air Conditioner smells. A stinky or fishy odour from AC has several reasons in the background which include the growth of mould and mildew, dust and debris either in the AC units or in the ductwork. Usually, homeowners make use of air fresheners to combat this problem, however, this only proves useless as long as the droplets of freshener remain in the air and that fishy odour starts coming again in a while. To solve the problem permanently, it is important to use tested ways and more than that; to know what components of an Air Conditioner actually cause these odours:
AC Components that cause odour
Evaporator Coil
Over time dust debris and other pollutants get accumulated over and around the evaporator coil. These pollutants with cool and damp surroundings of the evaporative coil create an ideal place for the mildew and moulds to grow which are smelly in nature.
Air Filters
The most common odour causing component is the system Filters. The purpose of filters is to filter the air and trap pollutants. When the filters are not changed for a long period, they fail to trap pollutants consequently circulating dirty air again and again which is also smelly.
Ductwork
Just like the Filters, the Ductwork can also become a source of producing fishy and stinky odours. This happens when ducts are not cleaned and the dust and debris are combined with dampness. A perfect ground in this way is created for moulds and as a result for odours.
How to troubleshoot Air Conditioner Smells?
If you've been troubleshooting these smells using an Air Freshener, you might already have started thinking they never fix up but hold on! They can be, however, with right strategies. Let us discuss a few:
The importance of right Filters
Cleaning of Filters is one thing which we've already discussed above, however, using the right filters is another. You might be living in an area where there's relatively more pollution or you might practice such activities at home that cause pollution. In such cases, a commonly used low MERV filter will not work for you. Install high-efficiency filters (after consulting an HVAC professional since high-efficiency filters are not suitable for all systems). High MERV filters successfully trap pollutants and thus help avoid odours caused by dust and debris.
System Cleaning - A must do!
This cannot happen that you do not do system cleaning and still have an odourless home. While people still argue on the question of duct cleaning, there's no difference of opinion that at least the systems need to be kept clean for efficient and odourless performance. As said above, one of the primary reason of Air Conditioner odours is the growth of bacteria in the units (mostly outside unit), cleaning of components is important. Although an annual maintenance and cleaning by a professional is what we strongly suggest, you can also do the cleaning yourself keeping the precautionary measures. Clean system components are least likely to produce any odours.
Air Cleaner - Breath fresh and odourless
If you haven't heard of them yet let us tell you. Air Cleaners are now available that can successfully combat odours as well as the causes of odours. High-Efficiency Air Cleaners can combat 99% of bacterias and other pollutants that cause odours. If using a high-efficiency filter and cleaning of system components doesn't solve the problem of AC odours for you, consult with an HVAC professional to install an Air Purifier.
Are you fighting with Air Conditioner odours? Do you want a quick solution? Use these ways and see what happens. All odours will be gone. Guaranteed!
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