Derek ColeGM, Simmons One Hour Heating & Air · AI HVAC Answers

716. Why Does My AC Smell Fishy? Don’t Ignore This Strange HVAC Odor

2 Sept 2026 · 2 min

Home and Life Comfort with Derek Cole

2 Sept 2026 · 2 min

0:00

A fishy smell from your AC usually means wet insulation in the ductwork. Water is getting in somewhere: a leak under the house, condensation in the attic, a spill, or drainage problems in the kitchen or bathroom. Get a professional to find the source before it causes mold.

Home and Life Comfort with Derek Cole.
That is a possibility. Something got some moisture, either from under the house, in the house, something drained, or water spilled into that system. Something happened to cause this to happen. Anytime you get a wet insulation smell, It's kind of a fishy odor, very distinct, not pleasant.
When I turn on my AC unit, there is a fishy smell in the bedroom and in the kitchen. Do you have any idea as to what might be causing that?
Yes, the kitchen is very— the kitchen and bathroom really are 2 Places where water is very easily, very easily can get into the ductwork depending on where that run is coming out of your home at. That is a possibility. Something got some moisture either from under the house, in the house, something drained or water spilled into that system. Something happened to cause this to happen. Anytime you get a wet insulation smell, it's kind of a fishy odor, very distinct, not pleasant, but usually it's wet insulation. Now, that could happen under the house, in the attic, something that could overflow into the run, something could be coming out from the ground up, but something is wet, something needs to be checked out, so that is not a good problem to have. Home and life comfort with Derek Cole.
Derek Cole.