Technical > Home Improvement > AC Vents smell like Cat when turned on

AC Vents smell like Cat when turned on

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.

reply to SuperNet9
Smells like a cat? What does a cat smell like?

reply to SuperNet9
Ok, well I meant to say cat piss or something...

Thanks TheMG..

I just don't know where to look
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reply to SuperNet9
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.

reply to SuperNet9
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.

reply to SuperNet9
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.

reply to SuperNet9
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.

reply to SuperNet9
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.
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If someone refers to herself / himself as a "guru", they probably aren't.

reply to SuperNet9
Toss it and buy a new one!
NEXT!!!

reply to Critsmcgee

reply to SuperNet9
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.

reply to SuperNet9

reply to SuperNet9
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.

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Stop The Mindless Killings Stop Over Fishing

reply to SuperNet9
Change the filter. Maybe you'll get lucky.

reply to nunya

reply to SuperNet9
Let us know if you figure the cause. Also curious if its something the inspector should have found.

reply to SuperNet9
Methamphetamine production can also leave behind a cat like ammonia smell.