Soiled Sock Syndrome: Causes & Options

You come dwelling from a tough day’s work, fireplace up the air conditioner, and after a couple of minutes, your house smells musty, like stale, soiled socks.

What is that this? Is it an issue? And what are you able to do about it?

We’re right here to assist with every of these questions. The phenomenon is known as “Soiled Sock Syndrome,” and it’s attributable to mildew and micro organism buildup in your air con system.

The identify may sound comical, nevertheless it’s an actual drawback for a lot of owners. Usually, you’ll first encounter it within the spring when starting to make use of your air conditioner. The buildup of moisture, mixed with the pure humidity within the dwelling, creates the right situations for the issue to happen.

Thankfully, there are methods to unravel this. Discovering the best answer is only a matter of assessing your present system and selecting the perfect methods to stop it.

Let’s first check out the issue itself, and why it’s dangerous, to higher perceive options to the issue.

What Is Soiled Sock Syndrome

Soiled Sock Syndrome is attributable to the buildup of mildew and micro organism in your air conditioner. Particularly, this buildup happens within the system’s evaporator coil, which is housed within the indoor A/C unit.

Most indoor air conditioner models are situated in a house’s basement. Basements are usually cool, damp, and darkish. These are the right situations for mildew and micro organism progress. Whereas an air conditioner is designed to deal with moisture, the interior parts, like the rest within the dwelling, can grow to be soiled and accrue dust and different particles.

For mildew and micro organism to build up, they want two issues: natural materials, and moisture. The mud and dust that’s all through any dwelling, and the particulates collected by HVAC air filters present loads of natural supplies (keep in mind that most home mud is product of lifeless pores and skin cells). The opposite a part of the equation, moisture, could be present in most houses, significantly throughout probably the most humid instances of the yr. The result’s buildup and scent.

So is that this scent dangerous? Let’s check out that query as we discuss concerning the significance of indoor air high quality as a complete.

Why Indoor Air High quality Issues

In keeping with the EPA, the common American spends 90% of their life indoors. Whereas moldy smells aren’t prone to trigger severe well being dangers for many, the EPA’s report goes on to say that those that are most inclined to indoor pollution are additionally the most certainly to spend much more time indoors.

Whereas the results usually aren’t life-threatening, they’ll actually be debilitating. Results of air pollution can embody the next:

• Eye irritation
• Nostril and throat irritation
• Complications
• Basic fatigue
• Respiratory diseases

Mildew and micro organism received’t trigger every of those for everybody, however the scent is undeniably annoying and noticeable, and the worst instances of it may possibly certainly grow to be well being irritants.

As a lot because the well being issues, should you’re spending wherever close to 90% of your life indoors, it’s price ensuring that that point is as comfy as doable.

What Are the Dangers of Soiled Sock Syndrome

The dangers are twofold: to your well being and to your HVAC system. A smelly system is indicative of different issues, ones that would have an effect on the efficiency and longevity of your system.

To evaluate the dangers, we even have to have a look at among the underlying causes of Soiled Sock Syndrome. As a result of it doesn’t simply happen out of the blue, however often has issues main as much as the scent that you just discover while you begin the system.

One apparent space of potential concern is your filtration. How lengthy has it been because you modified your filter? And what high quality of filter is in there? filter will catch plenty of micro organism and mildew spores, stopping its unfold. Nonetheless, that very same good filter will stop to perform correctly should you go too lengthy with out changing it.

I convey up that instance to make some extent: a plugged-up filter has dangers past odors in your house. Let’s say it will increase the static stress of your furnace system, a typical prevalence with clogged filters. That stress would require the system to work tougher to generate correct airflow in your house. In flip, you’re taking months and even years off the lifetime of your system if this stays a uncared for space.

So that you may scent socks, however the larger hazard may very well be to your pockets as you’re compelled right into a system substitute years earlier than the anticipated substitute date. And all through that point, your heating and cooling can be working much less effectively, offering you with far much less consolation and much larger utility payments.

For emphasis, this is usually a drawback even throughout the winter months while you won’t have the soiled sock scent.

That instance is a worst-case situation, nevertheless it additionally isn’t unusual when an HVAC system isn’t correctly maintained.

So are there dangers to your well being? Probably. But it surely’s necessary to understand that your whole HVAC system is interconnected, and an issue that you just discover along with your nostril isn’t essentially restricted to solely that drawback.

With that in thoughts, it’s necessary to repair this drawback on the supply, which may fluctuate relying in your system and which areas are inflicting issues.

Quick-Time period Options

Generally a short-term answer can also be a long-term answer. Nonetheless, in case your system developed Soiled Sock Syndrome as soon as, what’s stopping it from creating once more?

The objects listed under could also be essential to filter out the odor previous to a long-term answer, however they need to be paired, at minimal, with a go to from a licensed HVAC upkeep technician to examine your system for different points that could be inflicting the scent.

Change Your Filter

I talked about filters earlier as a result of it’s a typical space of neglect for HVAC programs. If a filter is soiled, it’s not functioning effectively. Or, worse, it’s clogged up and is functioning too effectively, to the purpose the place it’s blocking airflow.

Filter modifications could be part of a upkeep bundle along with your HVAC associate. It’s one thing that you just as a home-owner can usually deal with your self, however baking this process into regularly-scheduled tune-ups and upkeep visits can take away the chance of forgetting to care for it typically sufficient.

How typically does your filter must be modified? It relies on the filter kind. Usually, filters that catch finer particles will must be modified out extra ceaselessly. Normally, any filter will must be changed not less than as soon as per yr, and it’s typically as little as 60-90 days for some varieties.

Clear Your Evaporator Drain Pan

That is one other merchandise that may be dealt with professionally or by the house owner. The one poor determination is to disregard it totally. The drain pan can grow to be plugged up or typically simply begins amassing dust that may result in micro organism or mildew. Guaranteeing that it’s clear is an effective precautionary measure.

Have Your Ductwork Cleaned

Micro organism and mildew can accumulate in your ductwork, significantly in joints and corners the place there are small crevasses or the place the airflow isn’t uniform.

This drawback could be compounded by points like poor filtration. If the airflow is blocked, or many particles usually are not being caught, issues will happen extra ceaselessly in your ductwork. An intensive cleansing is commonly a good way to take away most of the particles inflicting dangerous smells.

Have Your Evaporator Coil Cleaned

The hotbed in your Soiled Sock Syndrome is probably going within the indoor evaporator coil that’s a part of the air con unit. The coil absorbs moisture from the air, which is the way it’s capable of effectively cool your house.

Cleansing an evaporator coil correctly is a course of that must be performed by an HVAC technician. Any improper dealing with of the coil or different components throughout the cleansing is on the house owner in the event that they try and do it themselves.

Whereas a mixture of those is nearly sure to take away the odor, they don’t essentially stop the issue from occurring once more if the identical situations are in place inside your house.

This is the reason you may additionally contemplate extra long-term options.

Lengthy-Time period Options

These are the fixes that may work towards stopping the issue within the first place. They need to be thought of together with short-term options to type a holistic plan in your dwelling.

Improve Your Filter

If changing your filter is the short-term answer, contemplating an improve can typically be a fair higher one.

Your choices will rely upon what varieties and sizes of filters your system can maintain. Many could be upgraded from a one-inch air filter to a three-inch media filter that may catch much more, together with plenty of micro organism and mildew spores. This alone can typically stop an issue from spreading all through your system. Nonetheless, if extreme moisture is the issue, you might have to look elsewhere.

RELATED: Aprilaire Media Filters

Spend money on a Dehumidifier

Entire-home dehumidifiers have quite a few advantages, together with these to your utility payments and luxury. For our functions, although, they’ll take away extra moisture within the basement that usually results in Soiled Sock Syndrome.

It’s true that air conditioners are designed to regulate moisture to an extent, so guaranteeing that your A/C unit is operating effectively is one other good test. Nonetheless, dehumidifiers can lighten the load on an air conditioner and lure extra moisture on the identical time.

RELATED: Is a Entire-Residence Dehumidifier Proper For Me?

Make the most of UV Know-how

Ultraviolet mild may be very lethal to dwelling issues. That is pertinent for our functions, as a result of mildew and micro organism wither within the presence of it.

In fact, your air conditioner is probably going in your basement (or attic) and isn’t uncovered to any form of mild. UV lights clear up this drawback.

At Fireplace & Ice, we stock and set up the Reme Halo Air Air purifier. Not solely does it make the most of this expertise to kill micro organism in your system, nevertheless it additionally proactively releases particles into your house that bond with dangerous viruses and micro organism, making them inert. As a ducted answer, it may possibly present this profit in your complete dwelling.

RELATED: The Reme Halo Air Air purifier: Take Management of Your Residence Air High quality

The Reme Halo is a strong choice to neutralize dangerous particles, nevertheless it’s not the one UV mild product on the market. There are execs and cons to a lot of them, and every must be assessed earlier than selecting one and having it put in.

Assessing Choices

Whereas objects similar to commonly altering your filter and checking your drain pan are good recommendation for any system, should you’re coping with highly effective, undesirable odors, it’s in all probability time to schedule a upkeep go to.

A number of of the options talked about on this article is likely to be the best match for you, however it’ll rely upon your house, your system, the actual issues you might have about your consolation and well being, and your finances. Having a dialog with a licensed HVAC associate, whereas additionally guaranteeing that all the pieces is clear and operating easily, is the perfect first step to making sure that you just rid your house of Soiled Sock Syndrome and maintain it away.

Able to schedule your in-home service? In case you’re in Columbus, OH, or the encompassing space, attain out to us right now. You shouldn’t need to go one other day with undesirable odors, and we’d love to debate your choices and enable you make the perfect determination in your dwelling.