Car blowers smelling like ...... ferrets!

JustAnotherSaver

Yes, that's right. Having kept ferrets as a kid i can say that this is the first thing that comes to mind when i smell whatever the smell is from my blowers.

No, there's no ferret in there

It's happened for a little while now. When i turn the ignition on & the blowers are going, it stinks. Then i start the car up & it stinks for a little while but eventually disappears.

I changed the pollen filter. When i removed the filter i stuck the hoover nozzle in there to hoover anything that may be stuck. I even paid extra & got one of those carbon filters - didn't work.

Car is a 2001 plated Astra with air conditioning (A/C works).

Any ideas why it's suddenly started stinking?


Oh & the A/C was serviced last year by an A/C specialist (not kwik fit).

rich13348

You can get air con cleaners which are basically bug bomb type things full of anti bacterial stuff and a nice scent. You set it off in the foot well with the blowers on full recirculation and air con off. They work well.

JustAnotherSaver

Thanks.

Just wondering how that sort of thing actually cleans the air con? Sounds like a fancy air freshener to me.

That's one thing i should look at - whether the recirculation button is on with a faulty light because i'm sure it stunk with it on but i never have it on so maybe the light doesn't work & i pressed it by mistake.

jimmy_cricket

Just run the aircon with the heat on highest for about ten minutes. It kills the bugs and the smell goes.

forgotmyname

If its on recirculate then it probably bypasses the pollen filter and something inside the pipework is stagnant.

Bug bomb type sprays do work, i got some from one of the cheapy shops and set 2 of them off. you dont sit in the car though. Set the aircon on full rercirculate and set one or two off and close it up quickly.

Probably highly illegal and god knows what chemicals it uses

prowla

I've used an air-bom twice on cars twice, and would again.
The last one I got at a tyre place whilst I was getting a couple of new boots.
It's a bit more than an air freshener, as it's got a sanitiser in it too; you run it with the windows closed and the aircon set to circulate so it goes all through the system.

angrycrow

Another vote for the air con cleaning bombs, bought a car really cheaply years ago because it stank of wet dog and the aircon smelled. Used two cans a week apart and deep cleaner the seats and carpets and ended up smelling like new again.

You do need to leave the car running with the windows and doors closed for about 10 minutes to let it circulate so dont leave the car unattended or you may find it driving off without you.

Iceweasel

I'd also go for the air-con 'bomb' solution.

But take out your new pollen filter first then use the 'bomb'.

These smells are usually caused by insufficient use of the air-con.

I never switch mine off.

But have you really, really checked for ferrets.



p.s. Nothing wrong with ferrets - some of my best friends are ferrets. LOL

societys_child

A rodent catcher once told me, as long as I had ferrets around, I wouldn't get rats, so that's a plus . . :cool:

JustAnotherSaver

I generally don't use the air con in winter times as the pressure is low & i find it's pretty poor.

As for anyone who wonders how i know the pressure is low, i have a copy of op-com (google opcom) & when i plug it in & look at the readouts, the KPa doesn't seem to shift so much in winter but in summer it does.

But in summer time i have it on regular.

The air con specialist told me that the biggest mistake people make is not using it at all, but you need to use it to keep the system lubricated (though he never told me how frequent & anything about winter to be fair to him).
Also the thought on air con using more fuel, but when you see how little it increases your revs then what are we talking? Dropping a 35.50mpg car to 35.00mpg? Not a big deal is it.


Anyway back on topic, are we talking these things:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Air-Con-Cleaner-AC-Conditioning-Clean-Bomb-Spray-Kills-Bacteria-Odours-/162110847798?hash=item25be8f3b36:g:tUQAAOSw9k5XQDO5

silverwhistle

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

No, there's no ferret in there

Was there a ferret in there?