Smelly Air Con

[Waratah]

Any suggestions how to make the air con/ ventilation smell sweeter thsn it does at present?

 

[momomo]

There is probably a build up of bacteria in the system. It needs to be cleaned out.

Comma Aircon Cleaner from Halfords Price £11.73 Free Comma Air Con Cleaner When You Buy Measure and Charge Air Con Top-Up

Use an aircon cleaner like the one provided in the link. Quick and easy fix.

 

[Chas]

Comma air con cleaner, everyone uses it

Comma Aircon Cleaner from Halfords Price £11.73 Free Comma Air Con Cleaner When You Buy Measure and Charge Air Con Top-Up

Follow the instructions carefully for best results

 

[AANDYY]

Apart from setting off one of those air freshener aerosols in the car, I tried this - Get an electric kettle fudge it so it stays on boil, place it in the passenger foot well, air con on full in recycle mode and all vents open, leave it boiling for as long as you can, I tried both ways and neither worked , I even got to the air con cold bit in the car cab and cleaned it manually and that didn't work!, sprayed on bleach etc, lots of hot water etc.

Good luck .

 

[AANDYY]

A good tip is to switch of the air con a few Min's before you get home so it dries the unit out in the cab ( can never remember what it's called evaporator?) damp and warmth from the heater, not a good mix for bacteria.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Comma air con cleaner, everyone uses it

Comma Aircon Cleaner from Halfords Price £11.73 Free Comma Air Con Cleaner When You Buy Measure and Charge Air Con Top-Up

Follow the instructions carefully for best results

Well funny setting them off, like a handgrenade! Slam the door shut and run shouting "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" :bannana:

 

[unitfreebie]

Make sure the drain tube from the A/C is clear and free... if you don't see water on the ground after a long usage of the A/C, then it might be plugged up!

 

[lynall]

Change the pollen filter/s.



Lynall

 

[unitfreebie]

As above, change all the filters including the Cabin Carbon filter... then

get a can of Lysol disinfectant spray and spray the evaporator and the drip tray to kill all the bacteria.... oh yes, make sure the drip tube is clean and clear so A/C tray water can drip to the ground and not pool at the bottom of the evaporator.

I recall a very long time ago that there was a problem in some Hotels here in the States that had bad A/C drainage problems causing their guest to die from Legionnaire Disease!

 

[am8631]

something similar happened in the UK when someone turned on an outdoor spa at a garden centre - poor bloke died!

 

[unitfreebie]

Glad to hear... or actually NOT glad... you have the same problem on your side of the Pond! Sorry about the poor Bloke though.. dang. he just minding his own business and then POW!, in the grave. Good reason to have Life insurance

 

[cleverdicky]

There has been many cases. The biggest was thanks to a women (had to be) in charge of maintenance at a council run sports centre. She was actually an architect.
She thought she'd save a few quid and neglected to renew contract for ac maintenance.
That incident killed several people from Legionella.
Council architect denies legion deaths - Telegraph

It's actually quite rare and hard to cultivate. Has to be the right humidity and temperature for quite a while.
So dont think you'll get it in your car.

 

[unitfreebie]

....."She was warned by service engineers as to the serious dangers brewing up. She failed to take any effective action and the tragedy unfolded." The council was guilty of manslaughter because she was "so far up the chain of command"......

There you go! Incompetent people in charge of complex systems and even when "warned" of the danger, failed to take immediate action! That event was about 4 years ago, I wonder if they hired a good lawyer and got her off scot free??



But like you said, don't think our cars will breed this bacteria due to the conditions required.

 

[cleverdicky]

BBC NEWS | England | Cumbria | Bug death council worker cleared

Makes you sick !

 

[unitfreebie]

....."
'Grave failings'
In imposing the fines, the judge Mr Justice Burnton said to Beckingham: "Your failings were repeated and serious which led to multiple deaths and very serious suffering. If you were a lady of wealth, I would impose a greater penalty than I do."......




Besides fining her 15000 Pounds, the Judge should have given her jail time where she could spent time and learn about the HVAC system she was responsible for as the Architect in charge of Building complex; once again incompetents gets away with murder!

 

[missyparrot]

i have the same problem with smelly a/c , off to halfords tomorrow

 

[missyparrot]

just had my pollen filters changed and the smell went for a week, but it's back so i need something sorted out .

 

[reflexboy]

Tell me-All you people with smelly AC-do you run it for long periods or all the time in recirculating mode? If you do there is your problem. The theory (and the book) says your AC will be cooler and more efficient in recirc mode as it is cooling already partially cooled air on recirculating mode, but all you are doing is recirculating stale air. AC also removes the mositure from the air. A lot of us turn on our AC when we are hot and sweaty. Sweat=mositure=removed by AC system. This 'sweat/moisture' then recirculates in the system and a build up of moisture within the AC system is an ideal breeding place for smelly bacteria. Shockingly, what you are really smelling is yourself. The AC specialist whom I dealt with yesterday said to use some of that spray then run your AC everytime you use your car for a month and do not use recirc unless vital (ie: manky old ford burning oil in front of you) Surprisingly, what a lot of people do not realise is that AC can be used in the winter even with the heaters on. In fact it is a good idea to do this to ensure the oil which is amalgamated with the gas keeps the compressor running well and all the rubber O ring seals supple to prevent leaks. He also said Mercs with the EC button rarely have smelly systems as when the EC button is pressed is is on a timer hence it goes off after a set period-1 to prevent you breathing stale air for too long and 2 to prevent smells due to moisture/bacteria. If you can afford the slight extra fuel consumption he said Mercs with the EC button can/should be running the AC all the time.

 

[EDZ649]

Tell me-All you people with smelly AC-do you run it for long periods or all the time in recirculating mode? If you do there is your problem. The theory (and the book) says your AC will be cooler and more efficient in recirc mode as it is cooling already partially cooled air on recirculating mode, but all you are doing is recirculating stale air. AC also removes the mositure from the air. A lot of us turn on our AC when we are hot and sweaty. Sweat=mositure=removed by AC system. This 'sweat/moisture' then recirculates in the system and a build up of moisture within the AC system is an ideal breeding place for smelly bacteria. Shockingly, what you are really smelling is yourself. The AC specialist whom I dealt with yesterday said to use some of that spray then run your AC everytime you use your car for a month and do not use recirc unless vital (ie: manky old ford burning oil in front of you) Surprisingly, what a lot of people do not realise is that AC can be used in the winter even with the heaters on. In fact it is a good idea to do this to ensure the oil which is amalgamated with the gas keeps the compressor running well and all the rubber O ring seals supple to prevent leaks. He also said Mercs with the EC button rarely have smelly systems as when the EC button is pressed is is on a timer hence it goes off after a set period-1 to prevent you breathing stale air for too long and 2 to prevent smells due to moisture/bacteria. If you can afford the slight extra fuel consumption he said Mercs with the EC button can/should be running the AC all the time.

I have always used my A/C all year round, never turn it off except in the SL

 

[reflexboy]

I have always used my A/C all year round, never turn it off except in the SL

Good man!