When you start up your air conditioner at home, you expect to feel cold air flowing through your vents to help your home feel more comfortable. You do not expect to smell an odd odor from those vents as well. Odors related to your air conditioner are definitely something to be concerned about, and they are often caused by some common issues that can be fixed. Here is what you need to know about odors, their causes, and how to fix them.

Oversized Air Conditioner

One common reason for mold in an HVAC system is an oversized air conditioner. This happens when the system has too much moisture within it and it collects in places where you cannot see it. This mistake will have happened due to not correctly sizing your home for the right air conditioner before it was selected and installed. If the system is too powerful, that excess moisture is going to create some problems with mold growth that has an odor.

The solution to this problem is to replace the air conditioner with one that is the right size. The result will be air that flows better to all of the rooms of the house, even though it is a smaller unit. This is one situation where a more powerful air conditioner is not going to cool your home down faster or better.

Damaged Evaporator Coil

Mold can also form due to an evaporator that is broken. If ice is forming on the evaporator coil and melting, that is creating a situation where water is collecting inside the air handler. With the air handler being in a cool and dark space, it creates the perfect environment for mold growth. When the air conditioner kicks on the next time, it is going to blow the odor from that mold throughout your entire home. Consider having the evaporator coil replaced if ice is constantly forming on the unit. Swapping out this part could be the simple fix that you need for cleaner air. 

Dirty Air Ducts

All that mold growth has to be happening somewhere, and it's likely in your air ducts. Even when you replace your air conditioner or fix the evaporator coil, you could have mold growing in places where you cannot see it. It is worth having the air ducts cleaned after addressing the cause of mold growth to ensure that all of the mold is gone and won't create an odor anymore. 

Call an air conditioning service to learn more.