Dirty Sock Smell, Please Help :-(

[ratobranco]

Hello,

I moved to Austin TX (very humid) about a month ago and made the mistake of signing a a lease without yet seeing the sight. Unfortunately, the complex was very old (constructed ~1982) and there was heavy black mildew throughout the ventilation system. It was ridiculous and disgusting, to be honest.

Anyway, they let me out of the lease and so I moved to a new complex (constructed ~2000). When I checked the apartment, I looked in all the vents and at the ductwork, and saw no problems. I ran the A/C in cooling mode and didn't really notice anything. Unfortunately, the rug had just been soap washed and the unit painted, and that was masking a very unpleasant smell that I only noticed later. It is similar to the "dirty sock" smell that is often used to describe it, but it has a slightly paint-like fragrance to it as well.

3 months later and I haven't found a solution. I spoke to the maintenance supervisor and he said it is buildup on the condenser coils. This is what I expected. He said that every single a/c unit in every single apartment complex in the entire city of Austin is going to have smells like that. I asked him if he could clean the coils and he said it would be to invasive.

I had an environmental agency come do a mold test, and they found growth of aureobasidium species (which is mildew). It is not harmful to health like toxic mold, but it is still annoying.

My question is this: does anyone know of a short-term superficial solution that might help my problem given that I don't have direct access to the coils? Maybe I could spray bleach into the blower? Anything would be worth it right now, because I'm so sick of the smell. (I don't want to take apart the unit myself to clean the coils, and then make a big mess and not be able to put it back together, if you know what I mean.)

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time,
--Brian

[bustawrench1]

Of course there are solutions.

However, your best bet is to call a local HVAC company and have them handle it for you.

[benncool]

What you are experiencing is a very real problem in our field. So don't think you are alone. Your maintenance guy is blowing smoke. There are solutions.

Were we live this is only a problem in the spring time. We go out, clean the coil and THE DRAIN PAN. Then treat the coil with a solution made for this problem. Once you learn more about the problem I would suggest you get ahold of a reputable HVAC service company and get a service contract. I can not give you any advice on how often this is needed in your area.

Here is another solution that we have installed. They are UV lights that kill mold.

""Dirty Sock Syndrome" is caused by the growth of mold and bacteria on the indoor coil and the drain pan of the Heat Pump. All Summer long, moist cooling coils can serve as an ideal breeding ground for mold. But why is it only with Heat Pumps?

When heating season starts, hot air furnaces have a heat exchanger which puts out enough heat to kill the microbes that thrived on the damp evaporator coil and drain pan. Heat Pumps on the other hand, put out much lower temperatures. Just warm enough to heat up the organic debris which releases the spores and toxins into the air and produces the so-called "Dirty sock smell".

Having the coils, drain pan, and drain line cleaned regularly may help solve this problem but installing a UV System is the best answer. Ultraviolet Air Treatment Systems zap airborne germs and prevent mold spore growth on air conditioning coils. ""

Read up on this on the internet and when you talk to your HVAC contractor and your idiot maintenance guy you will be an informed consumer.

[ratobranco]

Thanks for the reply, Benncool.

<<<Where we live this is only a problem in the spring time. We go out, clean the coil and THE DRAIN PAN. Then treat the coil with a solution made for this problem. Once you learn more about the problem I would suggest you get ahold of a reputable HVAC service company and get a service contract.>>>

My only hesitation here is that I don't know if I can pay an HVAC company to work on the apartment's equipment. Also, it will cost me roughly $1000 to break the lease and move elsewhere, so I figure if I'm going to spend that kind of money on an HVAC service, I might as well just move.

Any thoughts?

<<<When heating season starts, hot air furnaces have a heat exchanger which puts out enough heat to kill the microbes that thrived on the damp evaporator coil and drain pan. Heat Pumps on the other hand, put out much lower temperatures. Just warm enough to heat up the organic debris which releases the spores and toxins into the air and produces the so-called "Dirty sock smell".>>>

My system is like this: the unit is in the ceiling above my bathtub, and it does both heating and cooling. When heating, it circulates hot water from a natural gas water heater through coils. The heating coils are in the same vicinity as the cooling coils.

Would it help to run the heater? Or would my system not get hot enough to kill the stuff?

<<<Having the coils, drain pan, and drain line cleaned regularly may help solve this problem but installing a UV System is the best answer. Ultraviolet Air Treatment Systems zap airborne germs and prevent mold spore growth on air conditioning coils.>>>

How difficult would such an installation be in my case?

Honestly, I am tempted to just bite the bullet and move again, but my hesitation is that I won't be able to find a place without this kind of problem. (I'm 0 for 2 so far).

Thanks again for your help,
--Brian