Air con foul odors

ffsgrelier · Post by **ffsgrelier** » Tue, 11 Sep 2007 8:50 pm

Hi
not sure which category to post this subject but am getting desperate with having a lot of bother with some of the air con units in our appartment. They are releasing foul smells on and off and it is a real nuisance especially since we have very young kids breathing it but yet it is too hot not to have it on at all. We have now had 2 companies having a look at the units and cleaning them thoroughly but only for the problem to reoccur wthin the next couple of days. Could anyone recommend a serious company which will be interested in finding out the root of the problem and not just cashing in . Or would anyone have had the same problem and give us an idea of what is wrong.Thanks

Plavt · Post by **Plavt** » Tue, 11 Sep 2007 9:07 pm

This is due to the smell of the room, furniture, or cigarettes being absorbed into the unit and is discharged together with the airflow. Please contract qualified serviceman to service your air conditioner in the event the air con produce a foul smell.This is due to the smell of the room, furniture, or cigarettes being absorbed into the unit and is discharged together with the airflow. Please contract qualified serviceman to service your air conditioner in the event the air con produce a foul smell.

http://www.coolbreezeaircon.com/faq.htm#5

ffsgrelier · Post by **ffsgrelier** » Wed, 12 Sep 2007 8:15 pm

Hi . thanks for your advice but am a tad confused, we are non smokers and it also happens in rooms that are still unfurnished. Doubt it is the source of the problem. We did consider it was the flooring before working out it was the air con. Any other possibilities ?
Got a few contractors in but they all say the units are fine.

Post by **Strong Eagle** » Wed, 12 Sep 2007 9:33 pm

Buy a can of Lysol disinfectant spray. Spray it into thte intake while running. Will kill mold fungus, and make it smell much better.

zidan3 · Post by **zidan3** » Thu, 13 Sep 2007 8:54 pm

Maybe it's time for you to change your air con unit?

Makan24-7 · Post by **Makan24-7** » Thu, 13 Sep 2007 9:06 pm

If it's a horrid stale smell, you may have mold in your aircon airways or ducts, might not be in the unit per se . You need to get those air conditioner service guys to clean out any mold in the airways from the compressor, pump and condensor units.

I use to have that problem in my SUV's a/c unit back in Phoenix, had to get the entire a/c cleaned every 2 yrs or so.

ffsgrelier · Post by **ffsgrelier** » Fri, 14 Sep 2007 6:09 pm

hi
Thanks for your replies. Had the air con engineers over again but they say the unit is good as it is barely 18 months old. They seem to imply it is a filter issue but the unit is cleaned during maintenance every couple of month or in this case 3 weeks ago. They seem to be at a loss as of wwhat to do . Any good company to recommend ?
Thanks

Superglide · Post by **Superglide** » Fri, 14 Sep 2007 6:12 pm

ffsgrelier wrote:hi
Thanks for your replies. Had the air con engineers over again but they say the unit is good as it is barely 18 months old. They seem to imply it is a filter issue but the unit is cleaned during maintenance every couple of month or in this case 3 weeks ago. They seem to be at a loss as of wwhat to do . Any good company to recommend ?
Thanks

Like Makan24/7 also said: Not only the unit to be cleaned, but also the pump and compressor.

one843 · Post by **one843** » Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:56 am

Just an idea but.

If you can see into your aircon unit you should be able to see the tray the condensation drips onto.

If you can put a little bleach into it. You may have some rotten stinky slime in you draim pipe.

Bleach will kill any bacteria which causes most foul oder. Drain cleaner should work as well.

You should not need that much at all. So if you choose to try that make sure you dont pour a whoel jug of bleach or drain cleaner into your aircon.

Post by **Strong Eagle** » Mon, 17 Sep 2007 1:43 pm

Superglide wrote:Like Makan24/7 also said: Not only the unit to be cleaned, but also the pump and compressor.

What is a pump? If a split unit, the compressor is outside, if not, in behind the evaporator coils. Smells don't come from there.

Smells almost always originate in the evap coils or the drip pan as a result of condensation.

one843 · Post by **one843** » Mon, 17 Sep 2007 1:46 pm

I will asume the Pump is like a sump pump.

The air cons in our office is like that.

The condensation collets in the pump then when to the proper level the pump pumps it straight up and out.

Our building is around 20 years old.

chixchix · Post by **chixchix** » Wed, 19 Sep 2007 9:20 pm

What brand is your aircon ? i am working with a Japanese home appliances company ..i have customers calling for aircons but havent heard of such a problem..however ,, what I suspect is tht your air purifying filter in the aircon must be dirty or faulty ...you can try to change that and see...

micknlea · Post by **micknlea** » Wed, 19 Sep 2007 11:57 pm

So this is happening in more than one of your aircons? What sort of foul smell is it? Can you liken it to anything you know or have smelt before?

We had a problem with one of our aircons where it had a gas leak, but it was only intermittent, took me months to get the thing fixed as no one could smell it when they came to fix it, and they didn't believe me when I said it smelt like aircon gas.

Wind In My Hair · Post by **Wind In My Hair** » Thu, 20 Sep 2007 1:04 am

At which time of day do you notice the odours? I'm just wondering... if all the air-con technicians say the air-cons are fine, then just perhaps... and I know this will sound silly but could it be the neighbours' cooking? Sometimes these food smells can be really awful if you're not used to it.

Or does it happen after heavy rain? In which case something may be leaking into your external compressor but once it dries up it would be fine.

Of course it could be lizards wandering into the air-cons now and then and letting off a good fart near the vents... Sorry, I think I got too influenced by the toilet thread. Okay okay, I'll get lost now.

ffsgrelier · Post by **ffsgrelier** » Fri, 21 Sep 2007 7:43 pm

hi
Thanks for all your questions and input. Will attempt to describe smell but a tad difficult. it does come and go (obviously never happening when technician coming). it cannot be the neighbours as we are the top unit . The smell to me varies between being gassy, acrid, a bit like urine or ammonia but not quite as obvious as all the above. i initially thought it was coming from a cleaning product on the wooden floors but am positive it is the air con. The technician says there is no way it is the generator outside and has cleaned all the trays. does it ring any bells with any of you. it is such a real nuisance and i worry about it with our little baby girl sleeping in our bedroom too.
Thanks for your replies.

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