Tampa Bay residents know that on a year-to-year basis, they’re going to rely on the air conditioner far more often than the heater. The last thing that you want to happen when you crank up the A/C is a nasty, musty smell that will permeate throughout the entire house.
There are a few reasons that your air conditioning system will give off a musty smell; however, it’s primarily caused by the growth of bacteria somewhere in the system.
If you’re getting the musty smell of dry socks or that rich, thick aroma of rot that seems to emanate from mildew and mold deposits, you need to contact a professional HVAC company and have your system inspected. A qualified, professional HVAC technician will not only get rid of the unpleasant odor, but also ensure that you are protected from more serious problems.
In most cases that your air conditioner smells bad, it’s going to be bacteria growth as a byproduct of the above list. However, there is the chance that you’re dealing with black mold, which is an extreme health hazard to humans and pets.
Black mold is exactly what you want to avoid at all costs, as it is the eventual offshoot of bacteria and mildew growth. It can lead to serious upper respiratory health issues, allergies, and other significant health problems. Once black mold takes hold and begins to spread, your system becomes a breeding ground. The bad smell and health hazards are then extremely difficult to get rid of and not something you can just control.
This article provides many practical steps you can take yourself to identify the source of that bad air conditioner smell. When you need a pro, Comfort Air is here to help.
Comfort Air Heating and Cooling is a Rheem Pro Partner with the expertise and experience to conduct a thorough inspection of your system, get rid of strange smells, and protect your health. Comfort Air has professional, certified technicians that know how to narrow down where the smell is coming from and fix it for good.
Algae is the primary culprit here, not because it smells like mold, but because algae is an unfortunate and enduring byproduct of moisture in wet pipes, such as drain pipes. Over time, algae growth can limit your drain pan’s ability to drain out the water.
The blocked drain pipe will fill up into the drip pan and the accumulated water will essentially become stagnated, a virtual magnet and breeding ground for bacterial growth. A drip pan that’s not performing its essential function can quickly become overrun by bacterial growth.
Whenever the system is operating, that bacterial growth emanates a smell that finds its way into the ventilation system, especially since the drain pan is typically located underneath the evaporator coils.
Clearing the offending algae from the drainpipe, releasing the flow of water, and cleaning up the drain pan itself, will return the system back to good working order and reduce and eventually eliminate the smell.
This is typically a problem that is initiated by a dirty A/C filter. Clean air needs to flow uninhibited in order for the A/C to do its job. If that airflow is slowed, moisture accumulates on the evaporator coils, which then freeze as refrigerant passes through.
While this isn’t so much a bacterial growth problem, it does warm the airflow that’s vented in your home. That warm air, with the smell of a dirty air filter, continues blowing because the A/C typically doesn’t shut off when the evaporator coils are having a problem.
A Comfort Air technician will halt the system, thaw out the evaporator coils, replace all of your air filters with clean, new ones, and return the system to an on status to ensure that everything remains functioning correctly.
Two things increase moisture within the ducts and vents: high humidity, which is a common enough occurrence in Tampa, Florida, and leaks within the drainage system, a similar problem to the drain pan issue discussed above.
This doesn’t usually result in just bacteria growth, however. It is far more likely that the musty smell, in this scenario, is mold and mildew growth in your vents and ducts. Under normal circumstances, this is a bad deal because mold and mildew are known to cause upper respiratory health issues.
Outside of normal conditions—in the case that you’re dealing with black mold—the respiratory problems will be far more severe, as will other health issues that accumulate quickly.
Since most air ducts are located overhead or underneath your home, they can be difficult to access yourself. A professional from Comfort Air can come out, access these areas, and locate the source of the mold and/or mildew growth.
Once it’s located, it can be cleaned out to remove the musty ac smell and the source of the growth can be addressed so that it doesn't return.
You’ll be surprised at how often home builders install A/C units that are either too big or too small for the square footage and therefore lack the efficiency and capability of adequately cooling and heating your home.
When an A/C unit is too small, it rarely results in bacterial growth or that musty smell that we’ve been talking about. An A/C unit that is too small will simply fail long before its traditional life expectancy.
Small A/C units will stay on so often that they will just wear out. A/C units that are too large for your home, on the other hand, will cycle the air through your home too quickly. This quick cycle increases humidity and moisture, which facilitates bacterial growth and the musty smell.
A Comfort Air HVAC technician will be able to tell you if your HVAC unit is the correct size for your home. A full system evaluation will determine the appropriate size HVAC unit for your home based on a number of factors, including insulation, the number of people in your home, and local weather.
Here we have to cycle back to the drain pan and drainage system as the condensate line is responsible for running the drain water out to your lawn and away from your home. Since these things can get easily blocked, they’re a haven for bacteria, mold, and mildew build-up.
Since this is outdoors, right next to your outside unit, you can actually look into it yourself. It will be the smallest pipe and you can shine a flashlight into it to see how far back the light will go or if you hit a blockage.
If you can see that there is a blockage, either remove it yourself or call Comfort Air to send out a tech who can flush it out.
Comfort Air has technicians available who are thoroughly knowledgeable and trained in all of the areas discussed above and many others. These are certified, professional HVAC technicians who promptly respond and will professionally inspect and/or repair your A/C and heating system.
Don’t hesitate to call if you have a musty odor coming out of your vents or any odor at all for that matter. Your A/C shouldn’t blow out anything that smells or you have a potential problem. Give Comfort Air a call today at (813) 413-1726 or check out the website at ComfortAirFl.com.
