Trust Your Nose: How To Identify AC Problems Through Odors

Now that things are starting to heat up, you're probably using your air conditioner a bit more. If you are, it's important that you pay attention to the odors you're smelling. Air conditioners have a way of using odors to let you know when they've got a problem or two. Here are some tips that will help you identify when your air conditioner is trying to tell you something important.

You Could Have Clogged Tubes

One way that you can know something is wrong is when your air conditioners fill your home with a moldy odor. The smell of mold coming through the vents is your air conditioners way of letting you know that you have mold or algae growing in the condensation tubes. Without the odor, you'd never know that your tubes had become a breeding ground for slimy fungus. As soon as your air conditioner starts filling your home with that musty odor, have your condensation tubes cleaned. Not only will your home smell cleaner, but you'll reduce the risk of leaks, which can happen when the tubes are clogged.

Your Wires Could be Fried

If you're like most people, you have your air conditioner running non-stop during the summer. However, you probably also have a lot of other electrical devices running throughout the summer. Unfortunately, all that electrical use can overheat the wiring on your air conditioner. Not only that, but any mice that take up residency in your air conditioner can chew right through the wires. If you're smelling a faint electrical odor, like burning, fish, or ammonia, each time you turn your air conditioner on, shut down the system and call an HVAC technician right away. Your AC wiring could be fried.

You Could Have Dirty Coils

If you have kids, you know how bad dirty socks can smell. Unfortunately, if your air conditioner coils aren't clean, you could end up with the same foul odor coming through your vents this summer. That dirty sock odor comes from an accumulation of bacteria inside your air conditioner coils. Each time you turn your air conditioner on, the bacteria from inside the coils blows right through the vents into your home. If your home starts smelling like a locker room this summer, have your AC coils cleaned.

Now that you have your air conditioner running for the summer, pay attention to the odors it's emitting. Those odors could be trying to let you know that there's a problem you'll need to address. If you experience any of the odors described here, schedule repairs right away with an air conditioning repair service.


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