Question about window unit air conditioners..

[C.Ann]

We have two a/c window units - both of which we purchased in late July last summer.. Although they were fine last year, this year they throw off this terrible, nasty "stale" odor.. The filters have been cleaned so I don't know what else it could be - or what I could do about it.. The odor is driving me crazy!!

Has anyone else ever had this problem?

 

[powellrj]

We sometimes have an odor when they have been turned off for a while. Usually when they have been running again the odor will go away.

 

[palmtreegirl]

Oooh maybe they have standing water stuck in them? This happened to one of ours and I actually broke out in hives from it. My DH ended up drilling a little hole in each of the corners of the back cover to help it drain better. Be careful when you check though because as you pull it out the water gets everywhere.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Check the condensate tube and tray.

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by Dan Murphy
Check the condensate tube and tray.

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You lost me on that one, Dan.. LOL

Could you be a little more specific?

Thanks!

 

[Pat_Elliott]

As the proud owner of two window units....

Follow Dan's advice. When we've had smell, we've also sprayed the unit (LIGHTLY) with Lysol and let it run about half a day (with no one in the room).

Storage is important, too. Drain that mother in the fall by tipping it on its back. And wrap it in something once you're done. Sitting water is a nasty thing.

I won't even get into the time we found a mouse had nested inside one. Never again will I store a unit in the outdoor shed...

Pat

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by Pat_Elliott
As the proud owner of two window units....

Follow Dan's advice. When we've had smell, we've also sprayed the unit (LIGHTLY) with Lysol and let it run about half a day (with no one in the room).

Storage is important, too. Drain that mother in the fall by tipping it on its back. And wrap it in something once you're done. Sitting water is a nasty thing.

I won't even get into the time we found a mouse had nested inside one. Never again will I store a unit in the outdoor shed...

Pat

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That's probably it then - the storage situation.. I don't think my son-in-law made sure there wasn't any standing water before he stored them..

So do I spray the Lysol on the inside (like where the filter is) - or on the outside (where the vents are) - or both? This odor is driving me nuts! Nasty, nasty, nasty - and we're supposed to have close to 90-degree temps all this week..........

 

[Pat_Elliott]

We pulled the filter off, sprayed it with Lysol, and then sprayed it down with the hose (don't want to be spewing chemicals in the air). We just kind of spritzed the Lysol anywhere we could, putting a small layer but not overdoing it (and stay away from the coils on the back). We actually ran it outside in the garage (if this is an option for you) sitting on my work bench. After about four hours, I took the filter out again, sprayed it out again), then ran it another two hours. By nightfall, the smell was down a few notches.

Storage is a major issue. Draining the sitting water will stop the early summer blues. The hose is full of water and it's distilled, so when that stuff sits for six months, oooh, nasty stuff.

Pat

 

[Dan Murphy]

Originally posted by C.Ann
----------------------

You lost me on that one, Dan.. LOL

Could you be a little more specific?

Thanks!

http://www.srmi.biz/PDF/CleaningAir.pdf

 

[C.Ann]

Thanks, Pat!

I'm also off to Home Depot today to buy yet another window unit for our place up to the lake.. Guess I'll have to "crack that whip" with my son-in-law to make sure they're drained and stored properly the end of this summer - huh? LOL

 

[C.Ann]

Thanks, Dan! I try to do most of the maintainance around here myself, but there's just some things this old gal doesn't understand.. LOL

 

[JustHolly]

LOL C.Ann! I was thinking of posting this exact same question! It kind of smells like stinky feet! We are having the exact same problem! I wonder if it has to do with all the rain we've had!

The other night, I awoke to Ted, spraying Lysol in it in the middle of the night! It has been downright nasty, and with the humidity, everything smells bad anyway!

I'm having the same problem with my car A/C. It smells if the fan is on and the A/C is off. Any suggestions on that?