Unpleasant odors from the an conditioner, their reasons and elimination

Unpleasant odors from the air conditioner, causes and their elimination

The split system is designed to purify the air and give freshness, but only if it is maintained and maintained in a timely manner. If this is not done, then the climate technology begins to smell suspiciously “fragrant”, and then completely fails.

Causes of unpleasant odors

To solve a problem, you must first understand its causes. There are several of them:

Bacteria and fungi

The most common case. Due to the temperature difference in the evaporator and outside, a certain amount of condensation will always form in the air conditioner. The device is designed in such a way that excess moisture is diverted through the drainage system to the sewer or to the street. A slight misalignment when fixing the internal module leads to stagnation of some of the musty liquid.

If the air conditioner is installed incorrectly, more condensate may be generated than usual. In any case, this moisture is released from the air, so it contains all the microbes present in it. Microscopic organisms settle in a humid and warm environment, reproduce, secrete their own products of vital activity, which are the cause of an unpleasant smell. Pathogenic microbes are dangerous not only to the sense of smell, but also to health, especially if there are allergies or asthmatics in the family.

The lack of siphon

If moisture from the split system drains into the sewer, but during its installation did not install a siphon or water gate, then households suffer from the stench coming from the sewage pipes. In such cases, the problem is related to an incorrect installation and is resolved by a specialist.

Surrounding aromas

If the air conditioner does not use outdoor air, but indoor air, then the odors of cigarettes, detergents, plastic, etc. accumulate and concentrate in its filters and other parts. During this recirculation, dust covers the heat exchanger and the fan turbine. Plaque, moistened with condensate, again becomes a breeding ground for microbes.

The smell of plastic

This disadvantage affects cheap air conditioners. This does not mean that the device is not working properly. After a few days, the smell will wear off. If it smells like melting plastic, then it is better to disable this technique and contact the master.

Long idle time

In case of long downtime, moisture evaporates from the siphon and it is no longer able to protect the room from unpleasant odors. To fill the tube with new condensate, the split system must be switched on for at least half an hour.

No maintenance required

Any home appliance requires that it is periodically disassembled, cleaned and washed. The best solution is to order a service provided by companies of the appropriate profile.

Ways to solve the problem

You can cope with the smell of dampness if you use ventilation mode instead of quickly switching off the air conditioner. Then the air flow will dry the inside of the device, but before that, you should wash the drain tube and the tub.

The solution can be the purchase of split systems equipped with antibacterial filters. They can be photocatalytic with titanium dioxide in the composition, which quickly decomposes organic matter.

The second option is devices with a plasma ionizer, which neutralizes pathogenic microbes. For example, air conditioners of the Elegant Inverter PRO series have in their composition a plasma ion generator, due to which viruses, germs and bacteria are deactivated, and the air is saturated with active nutrients.

Cleaning the air conditioner

The procedure boils down to washing away mold and dust, disinfecting all parts and drying them well. You can perform the procedure yourself or order a service from professionals. For those who are used to doing everything with their own hands, we offer a short instruction of 8 stages:

1. Remove the front panel of a disabled air conditioner.
2. Remove dust, cobwebs and debris.
3. Rinse the filters under running water.
4. Spray the disinfectant.
5. Wipe all parts dry.
6. Put the filters and panel back in place.
7. Turn on the split system to remove excess moisture from it.
8. In the air before the conditioner, spray the disinfectant again. This can be an effective inexpensive “Chlorhexidine” or ordinary ethanol — a powerful antiseptic that copes with mold and bacteria.

To disinfect the split system, you can not use harmful compounds, because this air will then be breathed by both the cleaners themselves and their loved ones.

The appliance must operate for at least 40 minutes. This time is usually sufficient for complete drying of all parts and components. This is the end of the germicidal cleaning of climatic equipment.

The external unit is cleaned less often, you can do it 1 time during the year. To do this, remove the protective panel. Vacuum the grate and the inner parts of the unit, then screw the grate into place.

If you run the problem

There will be consequences. Here are the main ones:

• the air cooling process slows down;
• the free air flow of the indoor unit is impeded;
• the drainage system gets dirty;
• the abundance of dense dirt makes all subsequent cleaning of the device more difficult.

Those who devote time to the prevention of climate control equipment do not suffer from unpleasant odors, that is, they clean filters, fans and heat exchangers themselves in a timely manner, or call experts who solve such problems quickly and effectively.