You’re finishing the last-minute details for the party at your house. You turn on the AC to cool the house down a bit. You place the vase of fresh-cut flowers on the table, and you can smell… A Stink! Does your air conditioner smell bad? If any one of you in the Beverly Hills, Culver City, Mar Vista, Miracle Mile, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Bel Air, Westwood, Downtown Los Angeles, Vernon, Huntington Park, Sherman Oaks, Encino area is dealing with foul or unpleasant odors when your home’s central cooling system kicks on then keep reading. In our last post GAMA Air discussed 6 varieties of odors that you may be dealing with. Let’s get back to them along with some tips for what to do.
For the benefit of our friends and neighbors in the Beverly Hills, Culver City, Mar Vista, Miracle Mile, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Bel Air, Westwood, Downtown Los Angeles, Vernon, Huntington Park, Sherman Oaks, Encino area, we’re going to address the five smells that are most commonly experienced, and what to do about them. The type of smell is a clue to the cause. Let’s get started with a brief explanation of the most likely cause of the foul odor, and then we can get into the possible fixes for it.
My AC smells like a skunk
This is was the worst because of the possible cause. We already pointed out what to do, but it bears repeating. This is likely coming from a natural gas or propane gas leak. That means the issue is potentially dangerous. Don’t turn on or off any switches, get your family out of the house, and contact the emergency line of your trusted heating and cooling service company.
My AC smells like stinky feet
This musty odor comes from standing water in a dark place. A properly maintained air conditioning system won’t smell like this. Part of a good maintenance check-list is to clean the condensation drain pan and assure the drain line works well so water does not build-up and sit in the pan.
My AC smells like mildew
If your system does not get a system tune-up and safety check, then the standing water problem will eventually lead to the growth of mildew, or worse yet, the growth of mold. A thorough cleaning of the coil in the indoor unit as well as the drain pan and drain line will get rid of the cause of that nasty smell.
My AC smells like rotten eggs
The “rotten egg” smell is nearly always the result of a dead animal. If you are a seasoned do-it-yourself handyman or handywoman, then you might be able to take on this task. However, we recommend that you contact your trusted heating & air service company to take care of it. Removing a dead small bird, mouse, or other rodent that had worked its way into the ductwork, or into the fresh air vent of the furnace is not an easy task. But extricating the carcass will remove the source of the smell, and of a possible disease vector.
My AC smells like exhaust fumes
In this case, contacting a professional HVAC technician is a must. They will need to identify what fluids are leaking and getting mixed into your air supply. If those leaks are not addressed, the smell may go away, but at the cost of potentially severe damage to y our heating and cooling system.
My AC smells like gun powder
Just like the ‘exhaust fumes’ issue, this smell means something went wrong. We recommend turning the system off and scheduling a service call to identify what happened. A damaged control board or motor will cause other problems if the system continues to run. You don’t want the smell or the damage that could result if the cause of the smell is not fixed.
Looking for your new trusted professional HVAC service company? GAMA Air has many satisfied customers in and around Beverly Hills, Culver City, Mar Vista, Miracle Mile, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Bel Air, Westwood, Downtown Los Angeles, Vernon, Huntington Park, Sherman Oaks, Encino, and we want you to be one of them. Give us a call at (310) 651-6936 or use our online form to schedule a visit. We 100% guarantee your satisfaction.
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