Expensive Possum

[Tdog]

Starting a couple of days ago, we began to pick up an odor in the house. At 1st I thought a dog had used the living room floor for a bathroom [again]. But nothing was there. Yesterday the odor was much worse - - has to be something dead. And yes, the smell gets worse when the AC kicks in - - which in July in SE Louisiana is almost around the clock. So - - it is something in a duct or the unit itself. I had the AC guys out today & they started dismembering the heat pump. Finally, I heard something like, "I ain't never seen nothin like 'at before". It was a possum - - behind the heat strips, very dead. There wasn't much left to the unit once they dug deep enough to get the little dude out. It was a small possum, with a big smell. Glad I didn't tackle that by myself.
Best $140 I ever spent!

Jack

 

[Stimw]

Heat strips are HOT all the time. The relay just connects them to neutral when you want them on. Guess how I found this out???

 

[Tdog]

Ouch. I didn't know that - - I suspect the critter grounded out a hot connection.

 

[tallyho8]

Too bad you didn't find it right after it was freshly fried. Fried possum, Yum Yum.

 

[jinman]

Only in LA do they cook their possum on the AC heating coils. Here in TX, we do it on the grill.

Jack, how in heck did that possum get into the AC? Did he make his way into the vents in your attic and then finally end up back in the AC? Did you find the hole? If you don't find the hole, you may end up with raccoon for "dinner" next time.

 

[SPIKER]

them things stink when they are still walking! had one in a trap about 12 hrs dead what a god terrible smell, I tossed the trap out back & left it rot, even the buzzards wouldn't go near it! I got it in the garage, hate to have to smell that in the house AC...

Mark

 

[Taylortractornut]

I had a friend that had a similar thing happen. He had 3 rent trailers that were used for migrant tree planters. He would go in once a year before they came to town and service them. One day he had a horrble smell in one and took the central unit down. In the heater part a big turtle had fallen in this from the bank it was built into. He could tear into the unit where it was so decied to cook it out. he turned the thing on wide open for 3 weeks finally it dried out. A few years later was hired to take the excavator and thumb to it and when we hauled the unit off there still was a large shell in it.

 

[Tdog]

Jim, the same thing worries me. How did he get in? I have a raised house, so the AC vents are underneath. However, I really don't see any place where he could have gotten under the house - - I have lattice work all the way around, & don't see any access holes. Yeah, I should crawl under there & inspect everything, but my days of crawling on hands & knees are past - - I'll have to hire someone to check it out.

Thanx.

Jack