Air Con Smells - Help

Berty

Hello,

My Air Con Smells bad. I have removed the air filter and pollen filter and hoovered inside both.

There is no dirt left in any section. Filters are relatively new and hoovered out.

The unit still smells.

I have also used an anti bacteria air con bomb in the car. Still nothing.

What to do?

crosstownk

What does it smell like and how long has it been smelly?

melbourne

Hi QF, sounds like its the coil on your air con unit, this is otherwise known as the evaporater. This is where your refrigerent will boil off and absorb the heat from the air in your car just like the refrigerent in your fridge absorbs the heat from the food you put in it therefore cooling it. The problem is condensation will build up on the coil(as it does in the back of your fridge). Most of this will drain away under the car as you have probably noticed a pool of water under your car if you have left it parked with the aircon running. The moisture on the coil that is hidden inside your dashboard leads to the growth of bacteria and mould which is giving you the smell. To clear it the coil will have to be cleaned and disinfected, only problem being access to the coil. In your standard split type aircon unit that you might see in an office, access is quite easy and the coil can be sprayed, in your case it might be more difficult, good luck-

Berty

crosstownk wrote: »

What does it smell like and how long has it been smelly?

Sometimes manure and sometimes old gym socks.

Berty

melbourne wrote: »

Hi QF, sounds like its the coil on your air con unit, this is otherwise known as the evaporater. This is where your refrigerent will boil off and absorb the heat from the air in your car just like the refrigerent in your fridge absorbs the heat from the food you put in it therefore cooling it. The problem is condensation will build up on the coil(as it does in the back of your fridge). Most of this will drain away under the car as you have probably noticed a pool of water under your car if you have left it parked with the aircon running. The moisture on the coil that is hidden inside your dashboard leads to the growth of bacteria and mould which is giving you the smell. To clear it the coil will have to be cleaned and disinfected, only problem being access to the coil. In your standard split type aircon unit that you might see in an office, access is quite easy and the coil can be sprayed, in your case it might be more difficult, good luck-

Already tried to kill the bacteria with the "bug bomb" type disinfectant.

If I dont get easier suggestions( thank you but im not dismanteling the dash ) its definately due for a service soon so I will put in the garage and ask them to sort it. Company car anyway so I wont pay for it. I cant just put it in for the air con smell, the boss wont give a S**t what it smells like.

patrickc

quirke_folder wrote: »

Sometimes manure and sometimes old gym socks.

its not where ur driving by chance?, i get weird smells in my car at times, but always at the same places on my commute

Berty

patrickc wrote: »

its not where ur driving by chance?, i get weird smells in my car at times, but always at the same places on my commute

I drive all over the place. I get the manure smell in anything from underground car parks and the old gym socks in anything to he beach.

patrickc

quirke_folder wrote: »

I drive all over the place. I get the manure smell in anything from underground car parks and the old gym socks in anything to he beach.

perhaps theres both in your car:D

gibbon75

Place a kettle in the passenger footwell, centrally near a/c intake ducts.

Rig switch to boil constantly (duct tape etc.)

Run engine and put a/c on recirculate, open all vents and put switch to face on max power.

Close doors and windows and leave for 20 mins.

After 20 mins remove kettle and run a/c on outside intake for 5-10 mins to clear steam etc. Nothing gets wet or soggy so dont fret about the electrics, the a/c working keeps everything dry.

Berty

gibbon75 wrote: »

Place a kettle in the passenger footwell, centrally near a/c intake ducts.

Rig switch to boil constantly (duct tape etc.)

Run engine and put a/c on recirculate, open all vents and put switch to face on max power.

Close doors and windows and leave for 20 mins.

After 20 mins remove kettle and run a/c on outside intake for 5-10 mins to clear steam etc. Nothing gets wet or soggy so dont fret about the electrics, the a/c working keeps everything dry.

http://www.commaoil.com/Product%20%20Shots/Maintenance/Air-Conditioning-Cleaner.gif

Thats the product I used in the same manner as your kettle suggestion.

gibbon75

I'd say that product just masks the smell.
The hot steam kills the bacteria that causes the smell...
It worked for me anyway (and many others),just give it a try
It'll cost you only some petrol/water/electricity

Berty

gibbon75 wrote: »

I'd say that product just masks the smell.
The hot steam kills the bacteria that causes the smell...
It worked for me anyway (and many others),just give it a try
It'll cost you only some petrol/water/electricity

NO, I used to sell it for a living a few yeas back. It kills the bacteria and does not contain any odour so when you get back into the car the smell should be gone.

Clearly the smell is coming from someplace else.

Elessar

It contains an odour alright! Used it myself recently, and nearly choked to death everytime I drove for the next week because the disinfectant smell was so strong. It didn't work either. I still have the smells.

Berty

I bought a can of Oust - No Smell Oust. "Removes odours, not masks them". We'll see.

Im going to spray that directly into the vents and the air filter box including filter. I did it with the pollen filter and had around 3 days of nice Febreeze smell until the air con overpowered it.

gibbon75

The air filter has nothing to do with the smell...for Christ's sake don't spray anything onto it

Berty

gibbon75 wrote: »

The air filter has nothing to do with the smell...for Christ's sake don't spray anything onto it

Too late gibbon75. The deed is done. I sprayed it this morning after removing more leaves and **** from the cavity.

There is now no smell whatsoever which I am to presume is only a temporary measure. I believe the smell will return.

The car is going in for service on the 22nd so will inform them of this and the other issues.

gibbon75

Now your pistons smell nice inside the engine

Type 17

gibbon75 wrote: »

Now your pistons smell nice inside the engine

That's not that air filter he means, although he should be referring to the "pollen filter" - a filter on the intake of the heater which keep pollen (and larger dust particles) out of the heater system.

@OP: The last time I got my car serviced in a main dealer, they used a Wynns product (can't remember the exact name) to clean out the A/C - killed the slight odour that was starting to develop, and left a slight disinfectant smell which went away after a few days, leaving no smell at all (bad or artificial), so it must have been a bactericide.

gibbon75

quirke_folder wrote: »

Im going to spray that directly into the vents and the air filter box including filter. I did it with the pollen filter and had around 3 days of nice Febreeze smell until the air con overpowered it.

This made me think that he was going to spray the air filter.
BTW I'm in the trade so I know what is a pollen filter

Type 17

gibbon75 wrote: »

This made me think that he was going to spray the air filter.
BTW I'm in the trade so I know what is a pollen filter

I see what you mean.

Either way, it ain't going to help the aircon... I wonder if febreze would freshen up the emissions for the NCT?

gibbon75

Type 17 wrote: »

I see what you mean.

Either way, it ain't going to help the aircon... I wonder if febreze would freshen up the emissions for the NCT?

If not the nice smell out of the exhaust might put a smile on the tired testers' face

Berty

NCT. Im too posh for that. I've never had a car old enough to need an NCT.


There was an ad on Limerick radio two years back saying there was a way to avoid the NCT and beat the system. Bring your car to ____ Toyota dealership and we will trade it in for a brand new car.

The same dealership was aiming money at Travellers saying "money under the mattress, tax man knocking on the door, invest in a new toyota landcruiser and make your money legit". Unbelievable.

Type 17

quirke_folder wrote: »

NCT. I'm too posh for that. I've never had a car old enough to need an NCT...

Well, your air-con is a bit smelly, so it must be time for a new car