# Dehumidifier emits sour smell (need answer fast)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dehumidifier-emits-sour-smell-need-answer-fast/737088>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 9, 2015, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dehumidifier-emits-sour-smell-need-answer-fast/737088 "2015-11-09T08:21:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dehumidifier-emits-sour-smell-need-answer-fast/737088/1 "2015-11-09T08:21:17Z")

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I bought a brand-new 30-pint dehumidifier. As soon as I turned it on, it emitted a distinct sour odor. My previous dehumidifier didn’t do this.

Possible coolant leak? Freon, R410a type coolant?  
Perhaps just “newness” smell?

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**Author:** ![TheSpeculationElucidation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@TheSpeculationElucidation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSpeculationElucidation)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dehumidifier-emits-sour-smell-need-answer-fast/737088/2 "2015-11-09T09:05:33Z")

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Clean it out with white vinegar and water. It’ll smell like vinegar for a bit, but after that dissipates there shouldn’t be an odor anymore.

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**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dehumidifier-emits-sour-smell-need-answer-fast/737088/3 "2015-11-09T11:44:13Z")

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> [@TheSpeculationElucidation](#):
>
> Clean it out with white vinegar and water. It’ll smell like vinegar for a bit, but after that dissipates there shouldn’t be an odor anymore.

This is a good suggestion!

It might be a smell from the factory or something from the packaging. But if after the above is done you still have a problem, I would exchange it.

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**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dehumidifier-emits-sour-smell-need-answer-fast/737088/4 "2015-11-09T19:14:31Z")

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> [@TheSpeculationElucidation](#):
>
> Clean it out with white vinegar and water. It’ll smell like vinegar for a bit, but after that dissipates there shouldn’t be an odor anymore.

If it’s a chemical leak, it would just keep leaking, though, right?