Is your Danby dual hose portable air conditioner blowing out a musty or moldy smell when you turn it on in the morning? In this video, Geoff from geoffmobile.com shares a quick, simple fix to clear out stagnant moisture and eliminate mold smells without taking the unit apart or using chemical sprays!

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Because self-evaporating portable air conditioners trap water inside as part of the cooling process, running them on low fan settings or auto mode overnight can leave water sitting in the base pan long enough for mold to grow. Switching to high fan-only mode dries out the internal drain pan and evaporator coils completely.

In this video, I cover:

The Problem: Why self-evaporating ACs start smelling like mold
The Solution: Switching to Fan-Only mode on High
Ventilation Tips: Flushing out stale air from your home
Daily Prevention: The 30-minute pre-shutdown routine
Why dual-hose units are still worth buying

Quick Summary:

Switch settings from Cooling/Dehumidify to Fan Only on High speed.

Run for 1–2 hours with windows open to flush out trapped moisture.

Every day before shutting off your AC, run Fan Only mode for 20–30 minutes to prevent mold from growing overnight.

If you found this tip helpful or have any questions about Danby portable air conditioners, please leave a comment below! Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more technical tips and reviews.

Applicable Danby Dual Hose AC Model Numbers (some with Inverter):

DPA120CBIMBDB-6 (12,000 SACC / 14,000 BTU – Black)

DPA120B9IBDB-6 (12,000 SACC / 14,000 BTU – Black)

DPA100B9IWDB-6 (10,000 SACC / 12,000 BTU – White)

DPA120B9IWDB-6 (12,000 SACC / 14,000 BTU – White)

DPAC120068 (12,000 BTU)

DPAC10061 (10,000 BTU)

DPA120A2SDBRM (12,000 BTU)

If you are running the Air Conditioner for a long time, maybe over a few weeks, you may notice that the unit starts putting out a bit of a moldy smell, especially when you first turn it on in the morning. Mold actually accumulates and grows inside because this unit features what’s called a self-evaporating system. The water created from the air conditioning process remains inside the unit, and when the fan is running, it evaporates that water into the room.

However, if you run the air conditioner for a long time—maybe a few days or weeks—and you just leave it on cooling mode on auto, the fan isn’t as strong and that water may not have time to evaporate. This is especially true if you run it overnight on a low fan setting to keep noise down. If water sits in the unit any longer than a few hours or a day, mold will start to grow in that moisture.

How do I service the unit? How do I get the mold out? Do I need to use some kind of foaming solution or cleaning product?

I found a simple way to clear the mold. Just go into the settings on the unit and change it to fan mode. There’s a little setting on top where you can change it to just the fan symbol instead of the cooling symbol. You don’t want to have it on the dehumidify setting—just change it to fan-only mode, set the fan speed to high, and run it with no cooling and no dehumidifying for about an hour or two.

You’ll notice a bit of stinky-smelling air starting to come out of the unit. It’s important to open your windows or turn on other fans to get that air out of your house, because it does contain mold particles or bacteria. Your house might smell a bit like baking bread at first, but clear out all that air as the mold comes out of the unit. After running it on fan mode for an hour or two, you’ll notice that the air coming out starts smelling a lot better. The moisture will have evaporated, and the mold will mostly be cleared out. You can run it for two to four hours in total on fan-only mode.

The next time you use the AC, you can also run it on fan mode for 30 minutes before running the cooling setting. When you turn on the AC mode after that, you’ll notice it smells great with no more mold coming out! The main trick is, just before turning the unit off for the day, switch it to fan-only mode and run it for at least 30 minutes on high with no cooling and no dehumidifying. If you’ve been running the AC for a long time, you might want to run the fan for a few hours, but usually 20 to 30 minutes is enough to clear out the daily moisture so mold doesn’t grow while the unit is off.

I highly recommend these dual-hose air conditioners. Inside the big hose, there are actually two sections: one for air coming in and one for air going out. That makes it very easy to vent, and it doesn’t create a pressure differential in your home because it’s drawing air in as well as pushing air out. You won’t get that weird pressure difference in your house like a single-hose unit creates. These dual-hose Danby units are commonly available at Costco, especially in Canada right now, and they’re very good. I think they go on sale for around $400-something.

Thanks for watching!

Cheers,
Geoff
geoffmobile.com

How to Fix and Prevent Mold Smells in a Danby Dual-Hose Air Conditioner

Danby dual-hose portable air conditioners—frequently sold at Costco—are exceptionally efficient cooling units. However, after running one continuously over several weeks, you might notice a distinct musty or moldy smell when turning it on in the morning.

This issue stems from the unit’s self-evaporating system. While the AC is designed to evaporate condensed moisture back into the exhaust stream, running the unit on a low fan speed overnight or on automatic cooling mode leaves excess water sitting inside the base pan. Stagnant moisture sitting for more than a few hours creates the ideal environment for mold and bacteria to grow.

You do not need chemical sprays or complex teardowns to fix this. Here is the simple method to clear out the moisture and keep your air conditioner smelling fresh.

Step-by-Step Mold Treatment

Change the Setting: Switch the unit from Cooling or Dehumidify mode to Fan Only mode (represented by the fan icon on top of the unit).
Set Fan Speed to High: Turn the fan speed to its maximum setting. Do not activate any cooling or dehumidifying functions.
Run for 1–2 Hours: Let the fan run continuously for 1 to 2 hours (or up to 4 hours if the odor is particularly strong).
Ventilate the Room: Open nearby windows and turn on auxiliary house fans. As the internal moisture dries out, the unit will blow out stale, bread-like smelling air containing mold particles. Flushing this air outdoors prevents it from settling back into your living space.

Prevention: The 30-Minute Maintenance Routine

To prevent mold from returning, build a quick drying habit into your daily usage:

Daily Shutdown Routine: Before turning the AC off for the day, switch it to Fan Only on high for 20 to 30 minutes. This dries out the internal evaporator coils and drain pan so moisture doesn’t sit overnight while the unit is powered off.
Pre-Cooling Prep: If the unit has sat idle for a day or two, run Fan Only mode for 30 minutes before switching back to Cooling.

Why Dual-Hose Units Are Still Worth It

Despite this minor maintenance step, dual-hose models remain a far superior choice over single-hose portable units. The hose-in-hose design uses one dedicated chamber to draw outside air in for condensing and another to vent hot air out. This prevents negative air pressure inside your home, meaning the unit won’t pull warm air in through doors, windows, or cracks in walls.

Taking half an hour to dry out the coils before shutdown keeps your home cool, your energy efficiency high, and your indoor air completely fresh all summer long.

How to Fix Moldy Smell from Danby Dual Hose Air Conditioner. Remove Mold in AC (No Chemicals Needed)

How to Fix and Prevent Mold Smells in a Danby Dual-Hose Air Conditioner

Step-by-Step Mold Treatment

Prevention: The 30-Minute Maintenance Routine

Why Dual-Hose Units Are Still Worth It

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