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Strange acrid smell coming from what...air conditioner?

Damdifino
Explorer
Explorer
First, the backstory: I keep my 2014 Arctic Fox 22H plugged into 30 amp at my house, and have since it was new. Here in South Texas, the A/C runs pretty much all the time from April-September. The last several days I've had a strange chemical smell inside. At first I thought it might be a tube of glue or epoxy that had burst, as I carry them with me for emergencies. But I've sorted through them, and haven't found anything amiss. Or it might be an electrical smell...don't know. Also, a month ago I installed a MicroAir EasyStart on the A/C (works brilliantly) though I don't think that's the issue. Anyone have a hint?
2014 Arctic Fox 22H.
2009 Toyota Land Cruiser URJ200 Series
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
12 REPLIES 12

ksg5000
Explorer
Explorer
Go up top and inspect the capacitors.
Kevin

wolfe10
Explorer
Explorer
A commercial evaporator cleaner will "play nicer" with the coils than chlorine.

Any box store should have it.
Brett Wolfe
Ex: 2003 Alpine 38'FDDS
Ex: 1997 Safari 35'
Ex: 1993 Foretravel U240

Diesel RV Club:http://www.dieselrvclub.org/

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
Mold and bleach react similar to garden slugs and salt. Dilute the bleach ten to one. Spray on the evaporator. Soak it. Wait 15 minutes then flush with water.

garyemunson
Explorer
Explorer
I had a smell from the fridge that I would describe as 'acrid'. It was a hot paint smell caused by the sensor for the outside cooling fin fans going bad and the 2 fans not running. $10 on eBay and easily accessible through the top vent. Fridges mounted in slides have to have a fan as they cannot utilize through a roof vent convection cooling.

ScottG
Nomad
Nomad
You might try a coil cleaner (avail. at HW stores) or even Simple Green on the coils to freshen them up.

Damdifino
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks for the assistance, y'all. In the meantime I opened it up from inside the coach and vacuumed the fins, which had scary globs of something on them. My wife just stepped in and said, "Oh, it smells like an air freshener in here." That's a good sign. (Ergo, I suspect mold.)
2014 Arctic Fox 22H.
2009 Toyota Land Cruiser URJ200 Series
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack_Diane_Free
Explorer
Explorer
Could it be a dead critter decomp somewhere?

wolfe10
Explorer
Explorer
The above posts pretty well have identified the potential sources.

Let us now what you find.

From a safety standpoint, I would start with batteries-- verify that the case(s) are not swollen, water level is correct, no cell dry.
Brett Wolfe
Ex: 2003 Alpine 38'FDDS
Ex: 1997 Safari 35'
Ex: 1993 Foretravel U240

Diesel RV Club:http://www.dieselrvclub.org/

2oldman
Explorer
Explorer
Black tank?
"If I'm wearing long pants, I'm too far north" - 2oldman

SidecarFlip
Explorer III
Explorer III
Wondering if you have a mold issue in your AC?
2015 Backpack SS1500
1997 Ford 7.3 OBS 4x4 CC LB

Old-Biscuit
Explorer II
Explorer II
When was last time you checked battery water levels and had to add water (distilled)?
Is it time for your medication or mine?


2007 DODGE 3500 QC SRW 5.9L CTD In-Bed 'quiet gen'
2007 HitchHiker II 32.5 UKTG 2000W Xantex Inverter
US NAVY------USS Decatur DDG31

pianotuna
Nomad II
Nomad II
Is it an ammonia type smell? Check the fridge.

Is it a "rotten egg" type smell? Check the battery bank.
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.