Dirty Sock Syndrome after 5 years

[fronty]

Is it possible to just get dirty sock syndrome after the system has been working fine for the last 5 years? I didn't notice any odors coming out of the vents at all up until recently. The system was low on refrigerant and icing up prior to this. I haven't used the heat either this year. It just seemed to start producing a smell. I was told I need a dipped/coated coil to get rid of the problem. At first I thought it could be the condensate pump (lies under the unit), but I was told it is the coil.
Any suggestions...

Trane unit TWE030C140F1

[hvacman06]

(1)ck all of your duct work make sure no animal has got in there and died
(2) could be your condsate pump i recommend dumping old static water out, clean real good with clorox hook back up
(3)also from coil freezin up could need to be cleaned or from it unthawing the water may still be in the pan.
(4) ck drain pan to see if stopped up static water may be causing that smell

[fronty]

Okay..I'll check those things. Also, if it is dirty sock syndrome, should I be able to smell (physically put my nose close to coil) the coil to determine if that is what is causing it. Is the diagnosis of dirty sock syndrome done through the process of elimination, or is there another way to definitively say that coil is causing the problem?

[hvacman06]

is it a real bad odor if you can stand the smell i wouldnt really change it out very $$$$. go to your local hvac store and ask the counter help for some odor control stuff for coils. maybe turn heat on and leat the heaters dry the inside of the cabinet out

[smokin68]

Unless you have standing water in your drainpan it's not the condensate pump causing the DSS. It's absolutely possible to develope DSS over time. What was leaking that caused the ice-up??? Was it the coil? Spray the coil with Simple Green for a non-lasting cure. If the coil was leaking, and system isn't old, have them replace the coil with a coated one, or have them apply a coating(available).
Good luck.

[fronty]

The leak was at the service valve (quick fixed with leak lock). Wouldn't the DDS get progressively worse? I mean it was almost like one week everything was working fine and then the next week there is a horrible odor. That is why I was looking at the condensate pump as being the culprit. It smells kind of like mold or mildew. It has a free return, so I can get my nose pretty close to the coil. If it is dds, should I be able to smell it this way with the unit off?

[BobbyBJr]

It is possible. You probably won't be able to smell any thing at the coil, if it is DSS. The most popular theory is that microbes find a home in the coil crevices and these microbes give off an odor when the coil temperature changes. Usually, on heatpumps this happens while running in heat and going into or out of defrost. I have seen it be a problem in cooling, but not as often. In your case, a good cleaning of the coil, drain pan and condensate pump is what I would recommend first. It might help.

Bobby

[fronty]

I guess I'm willing to try a coil cleaning first. Do you recommend anything that I can spray on it after the cleaning? I thought they made some kind of chemical. What bothers me the most is that I didn't even put it in heat this year yet. It has been in cool the whole time. I guess the bacteria (I'm guessing that is what causes it) grows extremely fast. Can anyone describe what DDS smells like to them?

[tundraotto]

just curious....could you spray bleach or diluted bleach on the coils.....or would this damage the coils??? should kill bacteria/mold....

[smokin68]

Originally posted by fronty

Can anyone describe what DDS smells like to them?


Exactly what your thread title implies. A dirty gym sock. You'll have to have it cleaned regularly. There's no anti-DSS spray that I know of outside of coating which is done when the coil's new.

[Mikeylikesit]

just curious....could you spray bleach or diluted bleach on the coils.....or would this damage the coils??? should kill bacteria/mold....

it has been reported that this method WILL DAMAGE your coils.

[Shophound]

The leak was at the service valve (quick fixed with leak lock).

Ruh -roh.


Wouldn't the DDS get progressively worse? I mean it was almost like one week everything was working fine and then the next week there is a horrible odor. That is why I was looking at the condensate pump as being the culprit. It smells kind of like mold or mildew. It has a free return, so I can get my nose pretty close to the coil. If it is dds, should I be able to smell it this way with the unit off?

Does it smell like a sweaty old gym sock or does it just smell musty? I would have the area where the coil is checked for signs of mildew or mold if the smell is not sweaty old gym socks.

[Skip 2 my lou]

DSS normally smells worse when switching from cool to heat. If you clean it with any cleaner, it will last for one year. Cleaning it will only offer a temporary fix to an agressive problem.

Like the soup Nazi....
"You come back in one year."

If the smell doesn't differ when changing the system between heat and cool, it is come other problem.

[NGHTYRTE]

Dirty Sock Syndrome(dss) Is A Location Prob. Not A Mfg. Prob. Its Caused By Micro Bactria Growing On The Indoor Ev. Coil Because Of Moisture And Temp. Conditions!! During The Defrost Of A Heatpump The Indoor Coil Temp. Gets High Enough To Kill The Bac. The Smell Comes From That. The Fix Is To Coat The Coil So Moister Rools Off The Ev. Coil So It Cant Grow Or Get A Light That Kills The Bact. Ie Guardian Air. That Kills Not Only Dss. But All Viruses In The Home.

[krd]

I agree, install a uv light and kill all the bacteria but a word of caution. The uv light will destroy plastic drain pans and humidifier parts. You can also kill all the bacteria with one of those good smelling house hold products. But remember some cleaners eat aluminum fins. And also remember all the conditioned air in your house goes through that coil so don't use anything that you can't stand the smell of. I remember a customer cleaning her washable filter with Pine sol and calling for service because she couldn't take the smell through out her house.

[NGHTYRTE]

A Lot Of Things Are Blamed On Dss. Krs-- A Uv Light Is Nothing Near A Guardian Air. Bleach---one Season. Coil Coat , 2 Seasons Guardian Air ,,,,always As Well As ,odors, Viruses , Allergys???? No Advertisments--call Your Local Dealers

[teddy bear]

I got an old heat pump. After 10 years, picked-up the musty odor. Then I operated the air handler continuously. The odor went away. I occasionaly go back to "auto" fan and last a couple weeks before the musty odor returns. So fan "on" does it for me. More even temperature throughout the home but more dehumdifier run time. Regards TB

[NGHTYRTE]

Good Night All

[krd]

NGHTYRE: Do you have a website for that Guardian Air.

[catmanacman]

i would try self rinsing coil cleaner first

[murp]

All surfaces are coated with either bacteria or yeast... they keep each other in check. With that in mind, how 'bout coating the evaporator coil in yogurt? How 'boat some beer in the drain pan? The ice machines I clean in the beer bars are covered with the prettiest pink slime I've ever seen.

[snacktray]

my DSS is present when I have my stat set to auto and fan on auto as well. when the temp rises in the house and the stat isnt calling for heat from the heatpump anymore and switches to cool, the smell is VERY noticeable. smells like a wet dog that has been soaking for a while in the hot sun...

btw, my system is ~5mos old....

[amd]

Dirty Sock Syndrome(dss) Is A Location Prob. Not A Mfg. Prob. Its Caused By Micro Bactria Growing On The Indoor Ev. Coil Because Of Moisture And Temp. Conditions!! During The Defrost Of A Heatpump The Indoor Coil Temp. Gets High Enough To Kill The Bac. The Smell Comes From That. The Fix Is To Coat The Coil So Moister Rools Off The Ev. Coil So It Cant Grow Or Get A Light That Kills The Bact. Ie Guardian Air. That Kills Not Only Dss. But All Viruses In The Home.

huh?

During defrost cycles the indoor coil gets cold. (Outdoor warms up to melt the ice)

[jdrob12000]

NGHTYRE: Do you have a website for that Guardian Air.

http://www.comfortdesigngroup.com/guardianair/ACHeatDuct.pdf

[picman101]

Had same problem, and it seemed to get worse. I tried a foaming coil cleaner and I tried washing the coil with Consan Triple Action 20. Nothing really worked. Then I tried misting everything in the air handler including the coil with Lysol disinfecting spray - it worked. I've done this with success for the past 3 years - a quick spray at the beginning of the cooling season does it for me, your mileage may vary.

[snacktray]

Is that safe? Spraying it with lysol?

[lentz]

What ever you spray it down with, wash it down with warm water as soon as possible. Top, bottom ,sides and ever part you can get to. A good two gal. garden sprayer will do the trick. Spray it down two times if necessary. Clean out the inside drain pan and all the drain piping. Might even replace the drain piping. Take the pump to a sink and use soap warm water and a brush. Then when dry I spray the buckhead with a rust preventer. This has worked for me every time.

[KOTM]

jdrob12000:

I went to the website for the Guardian Air. It sounded like a UV light is placed in the air flow behind the evaporator coil to disinfect the smell. If this is so, and if the problem emanates from bacteria on the coil, it seems that this would just be treating the symptom and not the source of the DSS. This may be the best that can be hoped for; however, I would certainly rather eliminate the source. The Guardian Air ad says that it gets 97% of the pollutants in the air stream. That might mean, if accurate, that 3% of some (possibly dangerous and certainly irritating) bacteria would still be circulating through the home (and might possibly be accompanied by at least a faint odor).

So far, the best solution for DSS seems to me to be: epoxy factory-coated new coil; plus, perhaps, either improving air-flow by improving ductwork or by leaving the fan on low during cooling season.

My DSS didn't show up for two years after installing new Trane heatpumps and coils and furnaces and thermostats. When switching to cooling it is bad and when next switching to heat it is horrible. I have to get something done before next cooling season.

I never had a problem for eleven years with a builder's grade Carrier-made simple air conditioner and gas furnace. Does anyone know if this problem is limited to heat pumps?

[stinky1]

Just relating my adventure/experience with DSS... I bought a new 16 seer system in 2005 and after 5 years my system developed DSS. I had the air and fan in my unit circulating the air continuously year round to see if this helped clear up the smell. During the winter months I wouldn't notice any smells at all. During the Summer months that air smelled fine until the compressor kicked on and then the smell was really REALLY horrible and caused sinus problems. Looking back I believe it was the change in the coil temperature in the internal duct coils that caused the smell as that is the only thing that possibly changed when the smell occurred. I cleaned the internal coil and pan with some bleach mixture several times but didn't seem to correct the problem. So I eventually replaced all the ducking under the house as the original installation had a TON of air gaps between each register and the main ducting. Not sure how this installation could pass any inspection at all... but caused the system to run very inefficiently. My original thought was to kill two birds with one stone and replace the ducting and maybe also get rid of the smell which could be leaking in through the air gaps under the house. Well after replacing all the ducting the smell didn't change one bit. So I went back to the dirty coil theory... I had previously throughly cleaned the internal coil with mixture of bleach and checking with local HVAC shop they said clean the internal coils with "green" and the external coils with "blue" coil cleaner. So the unit was very throughly cleaned once again. The external coils were dirty and this stuff did do what seemed like a really nice job of cleaning them. This is something I will do from now on as normal maintenance. Especially the external coils which had built up a fair amount of dirty, pollen and other things over the years and hadn't been cleaned like the internal coils had many times. So the cleaning made the unit run much more efficient if nothing else. BUT BUT BUT BUT the horrible smell was just as bad as ever for me even after all the ducking replacement and coil cleaning. I now believe the new high seer units are very hard to get the internal coils clean of all the mold due to how tightly the coils are put together in these high efficiency units (just my theory). My next thought was to replace the internal coils or the whole unit depending on the cost.... but after talking to another HVAC guy they said we couldn't get the replacement coils due to all the flooding in the Midwest and the manufacturer was presently affected by the flooding and there were serious delays (months) coming from that region of the USA. They recommended I have one of the "Air Knight" UVC lights installed (I thought to myself this sounds gimmicky). They said I could have a 30 day free trial to see if it fixed the problem. If after 30 days and it didn't fix the problem they would come and take it away for free. Well the result is that after 2 days of running the Air Knight the problem appears to be gone.... The very first day I couldn't tell the difference and was thinking here we go again, but then the next day I notice the horrible odor changed into a different horrible maybe metallic type smell. Anyways, after the 2nd day the odor smelled to completely disappear... I've been running it for a few days now and it seems like the smell has finally been defeated and I guess my system is running much more efficiently to boot with the new ducting and cleaning. For me at least the Air Knight seemed to be the miracle that fixed this problem. I normally wouldn't post or mention this but I understand how frustrating this problem was for me and I know that the info would be appreciated if I had seen it posted by someone else. good luck my friends....

[stinky1]

Just casually reading another thread and found this quote below.... Not sure how this UV light works but does seem to follow that it kills the majority over a couple of days in my case... My light is placed after the inner coil (return) so seems to make sense in my case.

"- Finally, UV lights do not kill anything. They destroy the DNA structure of microorganisms causing them to become sterile and eventually die off."

[Skip 2 my lou]

Just casually reading another thread and found this quote below.... Not sure how this UV light works but does seem to follow that it kills the majority over a couple of days in my case... My light is placed after the inner coil (return) so seems to make sense in my case.

"- Finally, UV lights do not kill anything. They destroy the DNA structure of microorganisms causing them to become sterile and eventually die off."

The uv light will treat the symptom, and may cover some of the odor. IMHO, this isn't a solution. It's like using sunblock after you're burnt.

[Mr Bill]

The uv light will treat the symptom, and may cover some of the odor. IMHO, this isn't a solution. It's like using sunblock after you're burnt.

Skip 2 my lou, he lives!!!! http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l286/mrbillpro/1.gif