To beat the summer heat, you head indoors, adjust your thermostat and wait for the cool fresh air to trickle its way through the vent system in your home and bring you relief. However, if it has been a whole heating season since you have had your home's central air unit on, you may find something unwanted trickling through the vents in your home--bad odors. Air conditioners that have not been in operation for a while are infamous for filling homes with unpleasant smells. To get rid of the stinky problem you have, you must first understand specific odors and where they could be coming from.
A Weird Musty Odor
Some homeowners will catch a whiff of this odor and swear someone has stuffed dirty gym socks into their air units, as the musty, mildewy odor is quite similar to that of stale sweaty socks. When you catch this odor drifting in the air after turning your unit on for the summer season, you will know that moisture has managed to get inside either your air conditioning unit or ductwork. The smell comes from mildew starting to grow, which could easily lead to a major mold problem if not handled immediately. Talk to a professional contractor and have them come to your house to track down the source of unwanted moisture.
The Odor of Urine or Ammonia
Stinky sock smells may be bad, but the odor of urine or ammonia coming through your air vents will leave you wishing you would have just left the unit off and dealt with the heat instead. This type of odor is almost always associated with pest issues and is usually a problem that pops up after a central air unit has sat dormant for a while. Rodents, especially, enjoy the tight, dark places that can be found in your ductwork or air unit, and if they decide to make a nest inside while your unit is off, you will definitely smell a difference when the summer heat comes back around. The odor is from animal urine and feces inside of your ducts and will have to be professionally cleaned out to get rid of the issue.
Clean and crisp air may be what you want from your central air unit, but if you are getting something smelly instead, turn off your unit and contact a professional for advice right away. A bad odor is almost always a sign that there is something wrong with your air system somewhere and should be addressed right away.
For more details, contact a service like Action Appliance Services.
Share12 August 2015
While sitting in my living room on a hot summer day, I could feel the heat coming through the ceiling out of my attic and making the house warm up more than it should. I crawled up into the attic one evening to find out that the roof vents weren't working any longer because they were clogged with all sorts of debris. Did you know that when this happens, your home's temperature can rise to very uncomfortable levels? Did you know that your home could actually be damaged if the attic isn't well vented? This blog will show you all about attic ventilation.