Central air conditioner in a new home smells when

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Central air conditioner in a new home smells when

by andrea S
(austin, tx)

February 25, 2011

When we first use our central AC in our new home it smells like mold. After we use the ac unit for several days the smell eventually goes away. Our house is 3 yrs old and it has always had this smell.

Our house was finished in Feb and that year when we started using our AC it had this moldy smell. They checked our ducts and said there was no leaking, but not sure how competent they were since it was under warranty still.

Again, this season we are just now using our central ac unit and it smells like mildew. Is there something we need to clean or check?

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Central air conditioner in a new home smells when

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Apr 11, 2012
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mildew smell from central
by: Emily and Jason

Jason and I recently moved into an apartment on the second and top floor. The buildings were built in the 90's, not sure if this has anything to do with the continuous mildewy smell coming from the vents!

I am just about 8 months pregnant so this is especially worrisome considering my newborn will be exposed to any potential mold. I must use the AC considering I live in Phoenix AZ.

In about 2 months my baby will be here and the temperature will be well into the 100's! How should I inform my landlord about this problem with a sense of urgency and obligation? Are the managers obligated to do something about this under the law?

Also, I'm unsure whether or not all four of the apartments in our building are somehow connected through the central air. I know the water is. I'm very concerned about the safety of my family. Thank you

Nov 14, 2011
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central air smell
by: Anonymous

called the builder,new home.a/c guy called and said he knew what it is.the coil had mildew from oil on unit.he cleaned it and it is much better

Nov 12, 2011
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Same Problem Windermere,Fl
by: Anonymous

We have the same problem. Our home was new when we purchased it and its been a living nightmare. We have had several people out and ended up paying a industrial hygenist which we found out did not detect the problem later on. I need someone who has a more forensic approach. At this point if I had someone come out and look at my coils and told me to spray them down with Lysol I might explode. Need Help Please!! Please reply to heatherhudd@embarqmail.com

May 15, 2011
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WE HAVE ODOR ALSO
by: Susan A.

I had this odor problem last year when they came to get me going for the summer months. The guy had everthing apart looking for a dead animal, then he cleaned the coil. He did not remove the coil to take outside to clean as recommended.
He actually told me to just spray some air freshener in front of the returns. Nothing was found, and the odor stopped after continual use.
Now I just turned it on for this season and the same thing is happening. We are so frustrated with this odor. I change my air filters constantly with the furnace and the A/C. We even do it more often with the A/C

Apr 30, 2011
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coil
by: Anonymous

Its your evaporator coil moldy. Need to take coil out and clean with microbial spray then put special mold away tablets in pan. Then for ultimate assurance add a uv light to a coil.

Mar 05, 2011
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Smells
by: Chester

I can't add to my original suggestions. All I can say at this point is to repeat my original advice. The mildew smell may be mold, so don't put off getting this fixed for your families health sake.

Call a qualified home inspector to check the system as well as having a licensed HVAC professional do a thorough check on your system.

Mar 04, 2011
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again
by: house owner

And the whole house smells not just one room or area. It smells very strong and smells like mildew.

Mar 04, 2011
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Response
by: House Owner

Thanks much for the replies so far to my problem. No, our ducts are not in our slab nor is the air handler on a slab but is in our attic. We have had the ducts checked but by the builder so we probably need to have someone back out to check it. We were told we needed to clean something out every year to get rid of the smell?

Feb 26, 2011
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Musty Odor
by: Chester

Need a little more information

Noting that the home is in Austin Texas, and many homes in that area are built on slabs and do not have basements one of following could be the problem.

Are your supply or return ducts under a concrete floor? If this is so you may have a water problem in the ductwork. I don’t mean standing water (although this can happen) I am simply talking about dampness. After operating for a while the duct would dry out and the odor would have dissipated.

If you don’t have duct work under a concrete floor, is your furnace or air handler sitting directly on concrete? If this is so dampness in the concrete itself may be the problem.

There could be some foreign materials left in the ductwork during construction.

There is a possibility that you have a leak in the return air ductwork that is pulling in foul air that is from a source not related to the heating and cooling equipment.

Call a qualified home inspector to check the system as well as having a licensed HVAC professional do a thorough check on your system.

Feb 25, 2011
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Central Ac Smell
by: Dadan

If it had always smell form the beginning, it couldn’t be foreign material buildup with the central ac unit or the pan and the drip. The technician didn’t find any leak with the evaporator coil. It possible the evaporator coil, itself is producing these smell.

Does it smells in specific location or in the entire house? Does this smell only occur when you turn on the central air conditioning system? Or does it smells when you turn just the Fan On?

Dadan

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Central air conditioner in a new home smells when

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Central air conditioner in a new home smells when