–Bad odors coming from the AC and 3 features to prevent them

54% of AC owners have encountered bad smells coming from their AC!

Johnson Controls-Hitachi interviewed and surveyed over 2,700 air conditioner owners from twelve countries and territories across the world^[a] for the residential market and found that more than half of consumers had experienced bad smell coming out of their air conditioning indoor units.

This is particularly strong in China (mainland) where 72.89% of respondents have responded they sometimes or frequently experienced these bad smalls or India where more than 1 out of 5 respondents experienced it frequently.

This negative experience may result in discomfort and a negative attitude towers air conditioning, with a belief that air conditioning worsen indoor air quality instead of improving it.

Mold is the main source of the AC smelling bad

One of the main causes of bad smells emanating from the AC is the mold and mildew that may grow onto the indoor unit’s internal components. High humidity favors the growth of these micro-organisms which, in additional to bad smells, also present indoor health risks as deteriorating the indoor air quality.

How Hitachi air conditioners fight mold growth

Hitachi Cooling & Heating is a leading brand innovating in AC self-cleaning technologies. The mini-splits embedded multiple features and technology designed to keep the indoor unit’s interior clean over the years.

1. Mold guarding internal operation after each AC usage

Every time the AC is turned off after drying or cooling operation, the indoor unit keeps circulating air internally by fan activation for another approximately 60min. depending on Hitachi AC series. It helps dry the internal surface and components of the indoor unit. In the latest generation airHome heat pump air conditioners^[b], the heat exchanger coil is temporarily heated up to 50˚C during the mold guarding process for extra dryness.

2. FrostWash removes mold from the heat exchange coil

FrostWash is our well-known process to clean the heat exchange coil by freezing and melting it. As small particles adhere to the heat exchange, dirt may accumulate and grow mold. Our test results^[1] have shown that FrostWash process can eliminate 95% of the mold attached on the coil – with strong effect against viruses and bacteria too.

Even more powerful, FrostWash 3.0 is new generation version of FrostWash that heats up the coil up to 56˚C before freezing. That way, FrostWash can melt the oily and sticky particles that may adhere to the indoor units’ heat exchange, especially when the AC is installed near the kitchen.

1. Anti-mold pre-filter’s material

To prevent mold formation on the pre-filters, our Hitachi pre-filters materials and coating are carefully selected. The Stainless Steel pre-filters and NanoTianium pre-filters^[2] are especially durably resistant against mold.

[1] Tested by Kitasato Research Center of Environmental Science. Test No. 2020_0650. Test model: RAS-X22K Reduction effects of mold was observed by operating FroshWash™ once.
[2] Available in selected Hitachi air conditioners

[a] Australia, Brazil, China, France, China (mainland and Hong-Kong), India, Italy, Japan, Spain, Thailand, United-Kingdom, United States of America

[b] Availability may vary per airHome air conditioner model. Feature called “Internal Clean” or “Mold Guard” in Hitachi Cooling & Heating documentation