Musty Smells From Your Central AC: Why This Happens And How To Eliminate The Problem
It's quite normal to smell a musty smell coming from your vents when you initially turn on your central air conditioning system for the first time in the summer season. But this smell should go away after running the system for a couple hours. If your AC system has a musty smell that will not go away, you might need to take a few steps to get rid of this odor. Here are several things you should understand about musty smells from AC systems.
Causes Of Musty Odors
The main reason an AC system will smell musty is from mold or mildew that is trapped somewhere in the system. Mold and mildew can form for many reasons, but these things typically form in areas that are moist and warm. During the summer, molds will not typically develop in an AC system, because the system is being used often. In the winter, the system may not be used much, and this is what will often lead to the formation of mold and mildew.
If your system smells bad when you use it, there are steps you can take yourself to try to eliminate the problem. If these steps do not work, you may need to hire a company that offers air conditioning repairs to help you eliminate the bad odors.
Steps You Can Take To Get Rid Of The Smell
The first thing you can do to try to get rid of the musty odors is change the furnace filter. The air that cools your home from your AC system will all pass through this filter. If the filter is dirty or has mildew in it, you will not be able to get rid of the smell until you change the filter. Changing a furnace filter is easy to do, and it is something you should do often simply as a form of routine maintenance.
Another thing you can do to help with this issue is check the condensation pan in your AC system. When an AC system runs, it may produce condensation, and there is a pan in your system that is there to collect the condensation that occurs during the cooling cycle. If there is water in this pan, there may also be mildew in it.
To get to the condensation pan, you may need a wrench or screwdriver. The pan is normally located behind an access panel on the system, and you can use a tool to open this. Once you do this, remove the pan and look for signs of mildew. If the pan is dirty at all, clean it with vinegar and water or with a bleach solution.
Steps An AC Repair Company Can Complete
If you complete the steps listed above and are still experiencing bad odors from your vents, it might be time to hire an air conditioning repair company to fix the problem. They may begin this job by checking your ductwork. The air ducts in your home are used to transfer air from the system to the rooms in your house. If there is mildew, mold, or debris in the ducts, you will need to have the air ducts cleaned out.
When this process is done, the company will clean the debris out of the ducts and may spray a cleaning solution in the ducts to kill the bacteria or mold that might be living inside. This service will typically eliminate any bad odors you smell while running your AC system. Cleaning the air ducts in your home will also improve the air quality and may help you save money on your energy bills.
Living in a house that has musty odors is not pleasant, and it might be bad for your health. To learn more about this problem and the potential solutions for it, contact a company that offers air conditioning repair services.
