[s-cars] musty smelling ac

[Scott Munger]

Dave,
I've been doing quite a bit of "odor" research as I
had a similar problem, although my main problem is
smoke smell, here is my 8 cents...

The gym socks smell is most likely due to a bacterial
source, so if you kill the bacteria, you should be
able to kill the smell.  Kirby suggested bleach or
hydrogen peroxide, both of which are powerful
oxidizers but have the limitation of being liquid and
hard to control.  Furthermore, with a liquid, you have
to know where the source is to kill it.  Ozone is a
very powerful oxidizer and since it's a gas, you can
"fog" your whole car or rest a producer on your hood
while the A/C fan runs.  In fact, only flourine is
more powerful than ozone.  The best part is that it's
totally broken down into O2 and (something)+Oxygen in
less than an hours time (more like 20 minutes).
I've not personally tried this yet as ozone producers
are several hundred dollars and I want to make sure it
works before I invest... although I've heard that you
can rent them for use in rooms and RV's (I'm currently
looking).

Some caveats with Ozone... don't be  (or have pets or
people) in or near the car/room when you are "fogging"
as Ozone isn't picky about what it oxidizes and
doesn't limit itself from lung tissue.  Small amounts
are generally harmless, but the EPA strictly warns
about using ozone sources as an air freshener where
people constantly work/live.

Another problem with Ozone is that it will break down
rubbers, vinyls, etc... things cars tend to be made
of.  Since a fogging would be about 1 hour per
(year)?, this may be a non-issue, but something to
consider nonetheless.

Lastly, once the bacteria, smoke, etc is oxidized, the
mystery is what did it turn into...

Ozone is currently used to sanitize air and water with
great success and supposedly can break down smoke
molecules as well as kill bacterial and viral growth.

Another fix that I tried with good success is to run
the A/C and spray the most neutral scented Lysol anti
bacterial and "Wizard" air neutralizer into the air
intake on the exterior in front of the windshield.
This worked pretty well... but I'm still on a mission.

I'll update you if I can locate an ozone machine... Or
build one, it's only electricity and a discharge area
w/circulating air....

--Scott



>Anyone have a fix for that musty odor coming from the
>ac before the air
>gets cold or if just running the fan? Smells like my
>dirty gym socks in
>there.
>Dave O'Neil
>95.5 S6


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