Bad smell coming from air ducts in bedroom

[beth06]

I have noticed a terrible odor coming from my vents in my bedroom and bathroom. I live in an apartment on the top level and everytime the air conditioner is on -- this awful smell comes out. It smells like iron or rust and I have noticed that when I smell it I have a metallic taste in my mouth. Please help so I can know what to do next. Could this be a harmful situation?

[seatonheating]

Harmful if you don't call a Pro out to your house this instant!

[mjk_na]

It is harmful. Do not operate your AC, open windows for natural ventilation, and call an HVAC contractor.

Did this happend suddenly, or gradually? What changes took around the system before the smell first occur?

[beth06]

It has been a gradual smell. I will make the call today. It is only when the Air Conditioner is on and not the heat. Can you tell me what is happening possibly? Thank you so much!

[re2ell]

Originally posted by beth06
It has been a gradual smell. I will make the call today. It is only when the Air Conditioner is on and not the heat. Can you tell me what is happening possibly? Thank you so much!

beth06, welcome to the destructive powers of household cleaners! more than likely you are experiencing the destruction of the metal components of the evaporator section of your a/c unit. household cleaner vapors in the air will and do attack the metal surfaces of the evaporator, and when these vapors mix with the water that is flowing off the evaporator, the metal dissolves and you will smell the metalic smell you smell.

welcome to the 'acceptable' realm of chemical warfare in the home! makes me want to go out and purchase more 'plug ins'!

[mjk_na]

Originally posted by beth06
It has been a gradual smell. I will make the call today. It is only when the Air Conditioner is on and not the heat. Can you tell me what is happening possibly?

Refrigerant have sting smell as well. Possibly it is refrigerant leak.

[re2ell]

Originally posted by mjk_na

Originally posted by beth06
It has been a gradual smell. I will make the call today. It is only when the Air Conditioner is on and not the heat. Can you tell me what is happening possibly?

Refrigerant have sting smell as well. Possibly it is refrigerant leak.

yepper!

[beth06]

Thank you so much for the information! I made the call today. Is that why it smells like iron and rust to me? Will keep you posted.

[mjk_na]

Originally posted by beth06
Thank you so much for the information! I made the call today. Is that why it smells like iron and rust to me? Will keep you posted.

It was just my suspicion as I couldn't smell it from here

I did accidentally smell a small amount of refrigerant before. I didn't like it. Smells a bit like metal.

Did anyone do any metal work around your ductwork? Any metal work around your apartment at all?

Thanks for planning to keep us posted I am curious to know about the finding!

[beth06]

I remember maintenance adding a new part to the AC system in the apartment when we first moved in. I don't know the name of the part off hand but I know for sure it was not working when we moved in. We were only using heat at the time but as soon as I turned on the AC the smell came. I had never smelled it before with the heat only cold air. Isn't that odd? Thanks again.

[beth06]

I spoke to the technician and seemingly the coils were extremely dirty. He sprayed a chemical and I have not smelled it anymore. He is going to come back tomorrow and complete the cleaning. Can anyone tell me why there was a smell and what are coils?

[mjk_na]

Originally posted by beth06
Can anyone tell me why there was a smell and what are coils?

Now, I am not sure myself about the smell. Did you notice any rust?

Coils are a number of tubes or a single tube, formed to be a series of loops or serpentine shaped object. The closest examples are, your condenser coil, and evaporator coil.

[kevinmac]

I bet your smell is mold buildup! Copper coils do not rust. The catch pan may if it is of the galvanized steel type, and some of the supporting structure. But it would not surprise me that you have a mold buildup. If it were a refrigerent leak, by now you would not be cooling, and besides in order to smell a refrigerent leak with the amount of odor you are expierencing, it would have to be pretty bad since the concentrations with the amount of air moving across the coils would have to be pretty large.

[Edited by kevinmac on 06-22-2006 at 09:11 AM]