Bad Smell Coming from Your Air Conditioner? Here's What You Need to Do

It can be wonderful to turn on your air conditioning unit and wait for the room to be filled with that beautiful cool air. But what about when that cool air comes with an unpleasant odour? It might be a musty smell, or it might be something more pungent. It's generally not so difficult to get rid of those bad smells by yourself. 

Outside Your Home

Inspect your air conditioning unit. For split cycle air conditioners, you will need to look at the external component.

• Is it possible to see inside the unit? Some units have access panels that you can remove yourself, although sometimes you will need to have the unit professionally examined if the access panels are not designed to be removed by the user.
• In any event, you will probably be able to take a look inside the unit (even if it's a restricted view) by using a torch and looking through its grilles. Please note that if these grilles are easily detachable, they might in fact be the access panels.
• Look for anything that might be causing a bad odour. This might be leaves or garden debris that have made their way into the unit and have begun to decompose.
• In an extreme case, there might be a rodent or small reptile that has made its way into the grill and died, which can cause a deeply unpleasant odour.
• Remove the debris (or dead creature) if possible.
• Please do not attempt to force open any access panels, as some air conditioner units are designed to only be opened by a professional.

Inside Your Home

Inspect the grilles that feed cool air into the room. These are simply the internal vents mounted on the walls of the rooms that are actually air conditioned. You might need a torch for this. Do the filters positioned directly behind the grilles seem to be dirty? This can easily cause a musty smell, something akin to mildew. Remove the filters and wash them with warm, soapy water. If you should notice actual mould or mildew growing on the filters, then it can be advisable to replace them entirely. Please allow the filters to properly dry before putting them back into position.

These are the easiest ways to remove the most common causes of bad smells when it comes to your air conditioner. If you have tried these things and there is still an unpleasant odour, please have your air conditioner professionally cleaned and serviced.

For more information, contact professionals like ACSIS Airconditioning Warehouse.