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Dirty Sock Syndrome
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ducksail
Member Posts: 3
My wife and I were fortunate to be able to build our new full-time home in Kitty Hawk, NC. It consists of approx. 1900 sq. ft. on the ground floor (great room, utility, 3 bedrooms and 2-1/2 baths, and a second-floor bonus area/play room (approx. 800 sq. ft.) above the bedrooms & utility area. Our HVAC contractor installed two high-efficiency 14 seer Westinghouse heat pumps... one handles only the great room and utility area, and the other has two "zones," one for the 1st floor bedrooms and one for the second-floor bonus area. Both units are housed in the insulated knee wall areas of the second floor - one on one side of the room and one on the other.
We moved into the home in June and had no problems with the systems during the summer months using the AC. When the weather turned cold last month and we began to use the heat, we noticed an awful smell coming from the system that handles the bedrooms and second floor. Smelled of stale moldy air, and was especially noticeable when the system first started up each day (defrost cycle).
Our HVAC installer has tried a cleaning, an entire bottle of some other freshening product, and made mention of it being "dirty sock" syndrome. He has also now utilized a "Dirty Sox" product, to no avail. During our last phone conversation, he stated the manufacturer will send a new coil to install at no charge, but if we want it "dipped" by an outside source, it will cost us approx. $500.
After much research on the internet, we have found this to be quite a common problem with high efficiency heat pumps... mold growing on the coils and producing this awful smell. Some say it is due to recycled aluminum being used to produce the coils, some saying the only way to rid of it is by having coated/dipped coils, others saying UV lights are the answer.
Do any of you have any "success" stories in dealing with "Dirty Sock Syndrome?" Or any helpful info. we can use?
We moved into the home in June and had no problems with the systems during the summer months using the AC. When the weather turned cold last month and we began to use the heat, we noticed an awful smell coming from the system that handles the bedrooms and second floor. Smelled of stale moldy air, and was especially noticeable when the system first started up each day (defrost cycle).
Our HVAC installer has tried a cleaning, an entire bottle of some other freshening product, and made mention of it being "dirty sock" syndrome. He has also now utilized a "Dirty Sox" product, to no avail. During our last phone conversation, he stated the manufacturer will send a new coil to install at no charge, but if we want it "dipped" by an outside source, it will cost us approx. $500.
After much research on the internet, we have found this to be quite a common problem with high efficiency heat pumps... mold growing on the coils and producing this awful smell. Some say it is due to recycled aluminum being used to produce the coils, some saying the only way to rid of it is by having coated/dipped coils, others saying UV lights are the answer.
Do any of you have any "success" stories in dealing with "Dirty Sock Syndrome?" Or any helpful info. we can use?
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