What are the characteristics of dss?

[2autumn]

How do I know if the smell that I have got coming from my aircon unit is DSS or some other mold/bacteria?

What tests will tell me? What symptoms should I look for?

And thanks for all the help guys, I made a one off contribution yesterday to your site for your previous answers.

[Gunnery Sergeant Hartman]

Does it smell like a musty clothes hamper?
That is dss...

[2autumn]

sometimes though rarely, when it does smell this way it is for three or four hours. Mainly smells like a dead animal from one or other of my vents. Not all vents though. Dead animal smell will last for an hour (say).

[airman1]

clean the evap coil if it goes away it is dss if not it may be an animal

[2autumn]

On one unit it went away, on the other it did, but returns intermittently. Every day or so for Airman, I looked at the info you provided previously - v helpful.

[sneezer]

Your question implies that there is a known or some known, identified organisms that are responsible for DSS. The way that it was answered (...clothes hamper?) also implies that this is true. I have never seen a particular microorganism that is associated or a small group of microorganisms that are associated with the problem known as DSS. Has anyone else? I just assumed that it is a broad term that covers a condition of offensive smells caused by microbial growth in an AC system.

Comments?

[certified_chi_guy]

Had a situation where the Bosses mother in law bought a ranch home with a downflow gas furnace over a cased evap coil. Everytime the a/c was turned on, a very strong "dead animal odor was blown out of the supplys. Inspected the furnace,the crawl ( which was very nice ~cement slab, dry,well kept,clean and vented). Inspected the ducts with tele-camera hoping to find Mickey Mouses baby brother, but found nothing unusual. On a hunch, i popped off the pleneum endcap in the crawl as well as blocked off the return pleneum and let the furnace draw from the laundryroom. I then used my calabrated odor sensing instrument (nose) and smelled the "return" air. Normal. Went into the crawl and was almost knocked out by the strong scent... seems the previous owner would grow garlic in the crawl under grow lights over the winter.The smell was nothing like garlic, but it seems the aluminum,condensation moisture,and residual garlic essence caused one powerful stench when the A/C was running.Absolutely no smell in heating when she moved in.Replaced the coil,got a small pay raise,and everyone is happy. Great Site BTW.