Now that we are well into our summer months, now might be a good time to bring up the topic that a lot of you may be wondering about: the odor that is emitted from your HVAC unit. We are steadily having to use our air conditioners on a more regular basis as we progress further into the summer. You may have noticed that there is a strange odor when you run your unit. What sort of odor is it? Depending on the kind of smell—if you can put your finger on it—it could be any number of things causing it; meaning there could be any number of ways to fix it. Throughout this blog post we are going to try to help you diagnose the smell which will in turn help you to alleviate the problem. Does it smell of mildew? – If the air that is coming through your supply registers is reminiscent of a wet towel, mildew could certainly be your problem. What this means is that there could be mold and/or fungus growing in or around your outside A/C unit. This is a very common problem. As we have stated in previous blog posts, an HVAC unit not only adjusts the temperature inside of your home, but it also eliminates or lowers the humidity levels as well.

If your compressor is not drained properly, mold and mildew may grow on any lingering moisture. carrier ac air filterYou may also consider changing your unit’s filters, as this is often the cause for this particular odor.gas furnace and air conditioner combo Does it smell of rotten eggs? 3 ton central heat and air unit– This smell can usually be boiled down to one root cause: dead animal(s). This is probably the issue if the smell that you are experiencing is of a “spoiled” nature. Animals will, especially during the winter months, seek shelter inside of your HVAC unit. It is not advisable for you to clean the unit out yourself if this is the issue. There are many health hazards that are connected to dead animals, especially if they have been sitting a while.

Contact us and we will gladly come out to help you in this instance. Does it smell of sewage? – This one, while self explanatory, can be one of the most hazardous causes of odor. This usually means that there is a backup in the sewer system. This can be caused by a sewer vent pipe that has ruptured near ducting. When this happens, even the littlest bit of methane that could leak into your ventilation system can be incredibly dangerous. If this is the case then it is important that you contact us immediately to rectify the problem. Does it smell of feet? – The smell of feet coming through your supply registers usually points to stagnant water in your unit that isn’t drained properly. As you recall from the information regarding the smell of mildew, if this issue isn’t taken seriously and is forgotten then it’s likely that mold and mildew will become an issue later down the road. The sooner you address this smell the less damage you are doing to your HVAC unit. Does it smell of gunpowder?

– It’s safe to say that if you smell gunpowder coming through your vents then you are experiencing an electrical problem, hence the burning smell. These problems often happen to older homes because their units have usually been around for a while. All it takes to fix this smell is replacing the circuit board (which has likely shorted) and/or replace the blower fan because its motor has burned out. We here at BR McGinty take care of both of the above listed issues regarding electrical problems with your unit. As you can see, it’s important for you to identify what kind of smell you are experiencing in order to adequately respond to it. So turn your A/C unit on this afternoon—is there a smell? If you need any sort of help whatsoever, be sure to give us a call so we can come on over and fix the problem. And what if when you turn your unit on it doesn’t necessarily smell, but there is a terrible squealing noise? Well, that’s something that we can help with as well. Click this link for more information on what can be causing that terrible noise!

Air Conditioner Condensate Problems - It is important for air conditioning preventive maintenance to be performed on your system to avoid problems. Condensation water leaking near the air handling unit can be avoided with proper air conditioning repair and preventive maintenance. Normally this is a very simple problem that can be fixed in less than 30 minutes. Here is a list of what can cause water around the outside of the air conditioning air handler unit. Air Conditioner Condensate Problems - Possible CausesThe black insulation (called Rubatex) has a tear in it or doesn’t cover the entire suction line. This line normally (in Air Conditioning air condition mode) operates below the dew point and will sweat if it is not insulated. It must have a sealed vapor barrier to be effective.Nu-Calgon 4296-60 Pan-Treat Scum 200 Tablets to prevent drain clogs for condensate pans available hereCondensation Drain PluggedThe insulation surrounding the air handler supply transition or ductwork is torn.

The supply transition and duct can operate (under the right conditions) below the dew point and sweat. It is important that the transition have a vapor barrier around it. This scenario is especially true for those that have over sized units.The condensation drain line is plugged. Air handling units in attics should have a secondary condensation pan in case the primary condensation pan overflows. Occasionally, the secondary condensation pan will also clog and not drain. Water builds up in the ceiling and eventually there will be a drip if the homeowner is lucky. If no drip, then eventually the entire ceiling will fall. In the attic, I always recommend a float switch installed in the secondary air conditioning condensation drain pan. If the secondary condensation pan fills, the float switch will rise and cut the whole air conditioning unit off. This will force the homeowner to look for a problem or call an HVAC technician. In this case, with the float switch, the problem can be rectified before water damage occurs.

Algae or a foreign obstruction such as mulch or potting soil can plug condensation drain lines. These air conditioning condensation drain lines (either black plastic or white plastic looking pipes) usually drain out somewhere at the base of the house into a flower garden. Make sure mulch or soil doesn’t plug these condensation lines up. Adding algae treatment to the lines or pans can prevent algae. Some people pour bleach in the evaporator condensation pans once a year. Whatever the way you use to prevent it from growing in your evaporator condensation pan, know that if steps aren’t taken to prevent algae growth, it will eventually plug the condensation lines.If the air filter is extremely clogged, a duct is collapsed, the evaporator coils are plugged with dirt or dust because no air filter was kept in the system, or there is a low charge of Freon, the evaporator coil will freeze. When it thaws, it will overwhelm the evaporator condensation pan and leak outside the air handling unit.

Some evaporator condensation pans are made of metal and can rust through over the years of use. In certain cases, the entire air handling unit must be changed out. In other cases, the evaporator coils and evaporator condensation pan must be changed. Normally if the air handler unit is old enough to have a rusted evaporator condensation pan that leaks, it is time to change the air handling unit.Unit or Drain Pan Slope. If the evaporator drain pan is not sloped toward the drain the water will not drain from the evaporator pan properly. Additionally, the condensation drain piping must be sloped.Related Link: See what a clogged drain for an air conditioner can do to cause water damage to your home. Insulation ProblemIn either case the condensation drain or any other thing that can cause a condensation leak should be repaired as it will cause water damage to wood and mold and mildew issues that can affect health. Moisture dripping into insulation also derates the insulation R-value so the insulation is not as effective.

Air Conditioner Condensate Problems - ConclusionIf your condensation drain got clogged or plugged or something caused the drain pan to overflow and the insulation got wet including the insulation on the duct work this insulation needs to be replaced. The insulation for the house in the attic or other place will not insulate as it did before it got wet. Additionally, the insulation surrounding the duct work needs to have air tight integrity and a good moisture barrier. If it does not have a moisture barrier and humid moist air penetrates the insulation to the duct work then the duct work will begin to sweat.The excess moisture will eventually drip into the insulation surrounding the duct work and before long it begins to sag and this separates the insulation at the seams and causes more moist air to reach the duct work creating a larger moisture issue. Eventually, the insulation will fall off the duct work and all the water will cause water damage. Seal that duct work insulation to prevent this from happening.