Help! My Air Conditioner Stinks (Why & How to Fix it)

So you’re sitting in your living room having a typical evening when all of a sudden you smell it. You can’t pinpoint why it smells or where it’s coming from, but it’s present. Eventually, you figure out your air conditioner stinks, and now you need to figure out how to get rid of what is a genuinely unpleasant smell. Only one problem, you don’t know why it smells or how to fix it. 

We’re going to break down everything you need to know about air conditioner cleaning so you can go back to a regular night at home.

Why Your Air Conditioner Stinks

There are many reasons why your air conditioner might suddenly smell bad. It’s essential to look at every possibility and attack the problem head-on. The first thing you need to do is understand the type of smell you’re dealing with before doing something about it. Every kind of smell might mean something completely different, with its own unique solution. 

Let’s take a look at the different kinds of smells you might encounter and what to do about them.

My Air Conditioner Stinks of Rotten Eggs

If you begin smelling a rotten egg smell in your home, you need to consider the possibility of a gas leak. The smell attached to natural gas is attributed to its sulfur-like additive, which is used to warn homeowners of potential leaks.

Solution:

1. Turn off the gas supply to your home.

2. Open all the windows.

3. Evacuate your home ASAP.

4. Call the gas provider for your home immediately. 

This is not a DIY project and shouldn’t be treated as such. Natural gas leaks are extremely dangerous and require trained professional expertise to properly handle the situation.  

My Air Conditioner Stinks of Chemicals

If you’re turning on your air conditioner and smelling something sweet, or a paint-thinner type of odor, you may have a refrigerant leak. This is the gas that moves heat through copper coils to produce colder air. There are four signs associated with detecting a potential refrigerant leak;

1. Utility bills are getting higher without change or explanation.

2. Frost appears on refrigerant lines or the evaporator coil.

3. A hissing or bubbling sound occurs every time you operate your AC.

4. Getting the desired temperature for your home seems impossible, when before it wasn’t this difficult. 

Solution:

This is another area where a professional will be needed to inspect and potentially replace the refrigerant, which can cost anywhere on average between $200 and $1600. The factors that will determine the cost are; location, the severity of the leak, time to replace, and the age of the AC unit. 

Some AC units are outdated, using FREON, which is no longer permitted in the United States under a 2021 EPA order.

My Air Conditioner Stinks of Must and Mold

This is probably the most common issue AC users have when complaining about an unpleasant smell. The likely cause of a musty or moldy smell is the water accumulating in your pan or the drip lines. This causes fungus and mildew to grow. 

Another reason why you might be smelling must or mold is because of your filters not being regularly cleaned. 

Solution: 

A professional clean might be your best bet for getting rid of the smell and dangers associated with mold. If there’s a leakage, it needs to be fixed. This is not just to avoid mold growth but to protect your home from potential structural damage. 

We’ve got a whole post dedicated to why your AC smells musty and what to do about it - check it out!

My Air Conditioner Stinks of Burning

The obvious answer to why you might smell something burning throughout your home, with no fire in sight, is that an electrical element of the AC has short-circuited. This smell can be almost any variation of burning from plastic to gunpowder. 

Solution:

Once again, a professional should be called in this instance to inspect and potentially replace the circuit board, fans, power wires, or compressor. As soon as this smell begins making itself known, turn off the AC and wait for it to be repaired.

We’ve got a whole post dedicated to burning smells from AC units, check it out on our website.

My Air Conditioner Stinks of Cigarettes

Suppose you’re smelling stale cigarettes throughout your home every time you’re using an air conditioner. In that case, you need to address the filter and evaporator coil. This is a common occurrence for smokers. These two features of an AC will actually latch onto and retain that smell through absorption. The absorbed tobacco particles then travel through the vents and throughout your home.

Solution: 

The best bet is to regularly clean your AC, change the air filter every month, and, if possible, smoke outside. 

My Air Conditioner Stinks of Death

Honest truth? Something probably died and is now stuck inside your AC or ductwork. We have a whole blog post on what a dead mouse in your AC smells like. Start looking around in every potential spot until you locate the source of the smell.

Solution:

If you’re brave enough, get the critter out of your ductwork, clean the vents and AC unit, and hope for the best. If you’re not brave enough, call the professional. We know what we’re doing!

My Air Conditioner Stinks of Cat Urine

If you’re smelling a heavy ammonia-type odor, akin to cat urine, then this might be another sign of mold growing inside your AC unit or in the ductwork. This is possible because mold creates mycotoxins, which can contribute to the ammonia heavy smell filtering throughout your home. 

Solution:

For starters, it’s important to address the fact that mycotoxins are hazardous to your family’s health. This should immediately be tended to by a professional who can adequately clean your air ducts and AC unit. If you believe you’re capable of doing this yourself, then be sure to check out our guide on cleaning your air ducts. 

My Air Conditioner Stinks in General

Sometimes determining the smell isn’t possible. If the odor is unpleasant but indistinguishable from a general stink, what might be happening is a clogged condensate drain or a dirty evaporator coil. 

Solution:

If the problem is the condensate drain, you just need to clean out the dirt. If it’s the dirty evaporator coil, a professional might be the best bet as you can easily damage the evaporator coil accidentally while trying to clean it.

Conclusion

We here at Crystal Clean Vents are well equipped to handle your air conditioner maintenance. We’ve got an APEX Guarantee to get your AC back to optimal performance. We know air ducts, vents, air conditioners, and HVAC’s inside out and are well-positioned to make positive changes. So contact us today, and let’s inspect that AC and get that smell out of your home, so you don’t have to sit around wondering why your air conditioner stinks!