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SuperNet
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join:2002-10-08
Hoffman Estates, IL

SuperNet

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AC Vents smell like Cat when turned on

My girlfriend says when she turns on the AC the house smells like a cat or something... My brother in law came by and he says he smells something as well..

She just moved into the house, what can be wrong or what needs to be fixed?

Thanks
TheMG
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join:2007-09-04
Canada
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TheMG

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Check the evaporator coils (indoor coils) for cleanliness. It can get smelly if there's a buildup of nasties on there, as the condensation on it allows the nasties to remain damp, which can cause smells.

Also check filter.

If that doesn't seem to be the source of the smell, maybe there's a dead critter somewhere in the duct work.
Moffetts
join:2005-05-09
San Mateo, CA

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Smells like a cat? What does a cat smell like?
Critsmcgee
join:2011-12-02

Critsmcgee

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said by Moffetts:

Smells like a cat? What does a cat smell like?

No kidding. I have 2 of them and have no idea what cat smell is. The only smell they have is urine which smells like ammonia.

SuperNet
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join:2002-10-08
Hoffman Estates, IL

SuperNet

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Ok, well I meant to say cat piss or something...

Thanks TheMG..

I just don't know where to look

cowboyro
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CT

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Clean the coils if possible, replace/clean the filter. Let the air run non-stop for few days, if not needed in cooling then just as circulating fan.

alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC

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Oh I think he means amonia or what I remember it as old bleach (You know when you use bleach to clean a floor or something and much much later the smell changes to sort of acid moldy?)

By AC vents I bet you mean forced air ducting? You should replace the filter with something nice. If the smell persists after a while, it means there's something in the duct.
urmom
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join:2010-10-18
Pittsburg, KS

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I had this happen to me once. I had a really old cat (she was put down shortly after this incident because she was so old [19 yrs] and had a brain tumor) who peed in the vents a few times.

Whenever I turned on the heater, it made the place smell horrible.

But if she's the only one that smells it, I have no idea what it could be. When it happened at my old house, there was no mistaking. Everyone could smell it.
Mr Matt
join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL

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I recommend removing the filter and spraying Lysol into the AC intake. Be generous with the Lysol, it works best if the AC is operating and the evaporator coil is wet. I had one AC that the first time I sprayed the coil the condensate drain line clogged up with dead sludge from the evaporator coil. If Lysol does not work Pet Smart has some aerosols to nullify pet odors.

nunya
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It's funny how "cat people" get immune to the smell of cats.

99% of the time, I say duct cleaning is a scam. I think the only time it does any good is after a fire or if the house was total squalor (animal hoarders, etc...).

If she just got the house, who knows? Especially if it was a flip. Usually flippers only address cosmetic things (sugarcoat) to get the house sold. They won't do anything that can't be seen and wont add value (such as duct cleaning).
Maybe her house is of the 1% that is a good candidate for duct cleaning.

The Pig
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Toss it and buy a new one!
NEXT!!!

DataDoc
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said by Critsmcgee:

said by Moffetts:

Smells like a cat? What does a cat smell like?

No kidding. I have 2 of them and have no idea what cat smell is. The only smell they have is urine which smells like ammonia.

Anyone who doesn't have a cat and visits you can tell. You get used to it, like cooking with garlic.

Same goes for dogs.
Moffetts
join:2005-05-09
San Mateo, CA

Moffetts

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said by DataDoc:

said by Critsmcgee:

said by Moffetts:

Smells like a cat? What does a cat smell like?

No kidding. I have 2 of them and have no idea what cat smell is. The only smell they have is urine which smells like ammonia.

Anyone who doesn't have a cat and visits you can tell. You get used to it, like cooking with garlic.

Same goes for dogs.

I have two dogs and a cat. I know exactly what dogs smell like. Can't say the same for cats.
Aranarth
join:2011-11-04
Stanwood, MI

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We have horses, dogs, cats, and kids.

Horses and dogs both smells the same when wet. Cats don't seem to have any smell at all except for cat litter and lucky for us they do that outside most of the time.

If the cats have scat in the vent pipes you will want to replace the pipes themselves as that can be a health risk.

Kids on the other hand smell like whatever they have been playing with. Wet horse, dog, grass, or swimming in the pond, for instance.
08034016 (banned)
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join:2001-08-31
Byron, GA

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said by SuperNet:

Ok, well I meant to say cat piss or something...

Thanks TheMG..

I just don't know where to look

Start with the Carpet?

dolphins
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Leave that house and never look back. There is no way of knowing where the cat or cats have sprayed and even if you did know where, you'd still be faced with the task of removing everything that was sprayed e.g. rugs, wood flooring, etc. They are nasty, dirty creatures and should never have been domesticated.

The smell of cat spray makes me nauseous. The only scent I found to be equally offensive or worse is ferrets.

PeeWee
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Madera, CA

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Change the filter. Maybe you'll get lucky.

Hall
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said by nunya:

It's funny how "cat people" get immune to the smell of cats.

Same as people where their house smells like a pet store but they smell "nothing". Heh, our dog isn't allowed in the house until she dries off (if she was outside and got caught in the rain or got wet otherwise).
banner
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Let us know if you figure the cause. Also curious if its something the inspector should have found.

UHF
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Methamphetamine production can also leave behind a cat like ammonia smell.

Doctor Olds
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said by SuperNet:

My girlfriend says when she turns on the AC the house smells like a cat or something...

She just moved into the house,

She should have checked that before moving in. Is this a rental or a lease or a just purchased home??

caffeinator
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It was ceiling cat....




caffeinator

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said by dolphins:

Leave that house and never look back. There is no way of knowing where the cat or cats have sprayed and even if you did know where, you'd still be faced with the task of removing everything that was sprayed e.g. rugs, wood flooring, etc. They are nasty, dirty creatures and should never have been domesticated.

The smell of cat spray makes me nauseous. The only scent I found to be equally offensive or worse is ferrets.

Seriously?

Man, you must be a really lovable person. I'd prefer you didn't breed.

The Pig
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said by dolphins:

Leave that house and never look back. There is no way of knowing where the cat or cats have sprayed and even if you did know where, you'd still be faced with the task of removing everything that was sprayed e.g. rugs, wood flooring, etc. They are nasty, dirty creatures and should never have been domesticated.

The smell of cat spray makes me nauseous. The only scent I found to be equally offensive or worse is ferrets.


My cat is 11 years old and never sprayed!

Doctor Olds
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said by The Pig:


My cat is 11 years old and never sprayed!

Have you ever used a black light on your residence? What's the saying? Never say never. Check your place with a black light and I bet you will be surprised.
Bob4
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join:2012-07-22
New Jersey

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Bob4

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I, too, had a cat which never sprayed. The trick is to neuter male cats before they reach puberty.

AVD
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remove cat from duct....DONE

lowlevel
join:2008-02-27
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said by SuperNet:

Ok, well I meant to say cat piss or something...

Thanks TheMG..

I just don't know where to look

My cat pee's in floor vents. If you have an unfinished basement, you can check the seams on the duct elbows or low points for the white-ish/yellow-ish crystalline residue of dried cat urine... Looking into the duct from above might not really be very obvious that there had been urine there, but feel around for grimey-ness/smell your hand for the urine/ammonia smells after feeling around. :/

Draiman
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Here's some food for thought. My allergist told me no matter how good you clean after cats it will still take about 3 months before the place is considered cat-free. It takes that long for the stuff you can't remove by cleaning to dissipate.
8744675
join:2000-10-10
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It may be cat piss in the crawlspace or in or near an A/C duct. I had a feral cat take up residence in my crawlspace, and some mornings it smelled like cat pee in my living room. I guess it was marking it's territory under the house and the smell got into the house. One had laid on top of one of the flexible ducts in the crawlspace, and broke it apart where it was spliced. It cut off the heat to my addition and was blowing heat under the crawlspace all winter.