I had my air ducts cleaned a year ago (big big mistake) and immediately had a sickening odor. Had them re-cleaned and sanitized and still bad odor. Had evaporator coil cleaned and again 6 months later. Then had UV light installed. Now I have a chlorine odor that permeates everything in the house. It's supposed to be a non-ozone producing UV light. I've been advised to replace the 13 yr. old evaporator coil. Does this sound like it would help the problem?

I really believe you should call in a different company that knows exactly what they are doing. A smart company will locate the exact cause of the problem and take the necessary steps to repair instead of playing the what if game and selling you many items you do not need.

Thanks for your reply. I have used 2 certified dealers that I have known from 10-30 years and I trust them. It's just that it's puzzling. Even the service manager of the a.c. distributorship where I used to work, said once everything else is tried, replace the evap. Coil.

I've bought charcoal filters from a filter company. The dirty coil was cleaned in 2005 when I bought the house and then twice since the air ducts were cleaned.

The air duct tech said that when he opened the "box" whatever that is, the sickening odor hit him in the face. I had the UV light disconnected to see if that was causing the chlorine odor but in a week's time, the bad odor started coming back.

I'm thinking that if the evap. Coil is replaced, maybe the UV light can be disconnected for a year or two when the bacteria starts to reappear.

What do you think?

Do you have or use ammonia in your home for any purpose?

There is a reason for the above question and I need a answer to proceed.

Next do you have dogs/cats/other pets?

Post back with the answers please.

NOTE I am not in disagreement about the possibility of the coil BUT the problem will be back even if you install a new coil until you discover what the underlying problem is.

No, I don't use Ammonia.
I have a toy poodle (9 years old) and have never had a problem in my other house or this one UNTIL I made the biggest mistake of my life having the air ducts cleaned because I saw an ad and thought it was something I SHOULD DO. I've already spent $1,000 trying to clean up their mess (Sears).

All I know is that the odor was found in the "box" when the air duct tech opened it and my a.c. man said he was probably referring to the coil. Sears has washed their hands of this problem because they re-cleaned and sanitized the ducts and said that was all they were going to do and none of the 3 techs they sent out could smell it - just me and my family.

The odor was immediate as soon as they turned the air on.

My concern here is the fact that the coil is made out of aluminum and copper and if properly cleaned nothing will be left on the coil to cause it to smell so either it was not cleaned well or the contaminate that is causing the smell is getting back on the coil in short order or (and this is the mystery) something not thought of yet is causing the odor to start with. Now I will say that Carrier manufacturing had a big problem with some coils and replacing them did cure the problem but this has been an exception to the rule.

I have seen many coil replacements in my time for smells and almost all of them had the smell back within 30 days. That is because the smell causing agent was not found and eliminated. This is why I ask the questions so as to try and find out what else in the home could be causing this situation.

For years the Dirty Sock Syndrome as it is called has plagued the HVAC business and most of the time it is a mold spore or other bio agent that is causing the problem.

I have used successfully the product listed below in my own home for all 3 A/C coils with great results so you might try it for yourself. I do not use the same brand as in this link but the chemical is all the same. Chlorine Dioxide is the chemical name.

The product I buy comes in a 25 gallon drum so that would be way too much for your personal use so this is why I am posting this link. The cost is not bad and I suggest you get the special at $19.90 since you get the detergent free and two bottles of the neutralizer. This should be applied as directed. I use a pump sprayer since I deal in bulk quantities. My wife tells me when to clean the coils since she is more sensitive to the odors than I am.

This product is EPA approved and safe for use inside the home area. When we wash the dog items we pour a cup in with the soap and no more doggy smell. We also spray down the dog bedding. Read up on this product and see what you think OR you can just replace the coil and hope the smell does not return.

Note: you will smell chlorine after you use this product. That is because it is breaking down the offending item causing the smell. There have been cases where I have sprayed a very fine mist into the return air ducts so as to deodorize them as well and it will really kill the smoke smell from pipes and cigars. After using this product I always open the windows to clear any smell associated with the cleaning action of the chemical.


EXPEL Products - Odor Neutralizer and Detergent / Disinfectant Home Page

Well, you are very experienced and I'll take all of it into consideration. Leave it to me to mess up. Since the coil has been cleaned twice since the air duct cleaning and just checked again last week, it is clean. My thinking is that the UV light is the chlorine culprit even though it is supposed to be type that does not emit ozone. I can live with it but I hate smelling like it and clothes and bedding smelling like it.

My a.c. man ran a test last week and found a couple of air leaks that he took care of but he's stumped and doesn't want to replace the coil unless it's necessary.

Thanks for your help.

Good try,hvac1000