If your home suddenly smells bad, you may be wondering where that odor originated. Since your HVAC system blows air throughout your home, there’s a chance that it picked up an odor from something else and distributed around. But there’s also a chance that your air conditioner itself is in fact to blame for unusual smells.
If you think that your AC is the source of a bad odor in your home, give our team a call to schedule AC repair in Glendale. You can keep reading to learn three causes of bad odors and why each one is dangerous for your home and family. in fact, if you notice any of the bad odors we are listing below, you should turn your air conditioner off until our team can take a look at it.
Mold Growth
It may be surprising, but it is completely possible for mold growth to develop inside of your air conditioner. This happens when too much moisture from humidity builds up inside of the system. A dark, damp environment is the perfect place for mold to develop and spread. Mold growing inside of your system can produce air that smells musty, damp, or even like dirty socks.
Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if this odor is specifically coming from your air conditioner. As we already mentioned, it’s easy for bad odors to enter the AC through the intake grate and then spread throughout your home. But if you suspect mold growth as the source of a bad odor – whether inside your AC or not – it’s always a good idea to get an inspection before the infestation has a chance to spread further.
Overheating Components
Your AC may also smell bad if any of the components inside are overheating. This can happen if something is going awry inside of your air conditioner because of components malfunctioning. For example, a motor may begin to overheat or electrical wires can loosen up and produce a burning smell.
It’s also possible that two metal pieces grind together and friction leads to extra heat and a bad smell. No matter what the problem is, a burning smell is always a red flag that something is going wrong inside of your unit. You should turn your unit off to prevent additional damage until we can identify the problem.
Refrigerant Leaks
Refrigerant leaks can produce a very distinct chemical smell that oftentimes borders on being sweet, but usually it is still easy to distinguish the fact that it is a chemical smell. If refrigerant is leaking out of the refrigerant lines, this leaves your air conditioner at risk for overworking as a tries to compensate for the lack of cooling ability.
Refrigerant leaks can also cause additional problems like ice developing on the evaporator coils and blocking airflow throughout your system. Refrigerant leaks are also dangerous because coming into contact with the chemical can burn your skin if you touch it or your sinuses and lungs if you breathe it in. Leave any refrigerant problems up to our team of professionals to address.
JMS Air Conditioning and Heating has your back. Call us today to schedule an appointment, contact us, or send a message for AC service in Glendale, CA!
