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You live in Florida, so you know exactly what the effects of high humidity are during the summer: the heat feels far worse. When you turn on your home’s AC, you receive cool air from the vents, and you might think that the air conditioner is doing some part in getting control over humidity as well. Is there any truth to this?
There is some truth to the idea that AC’s dehumidify the air—but it’s misleading to say they work as dehumidifiers. Below, we’ll look closer at humidity, your AC, and what you can do to achieve balanced humidity that increases your comfort and helps lower your utility bills, such as installation a whole-house dehumidifier in Fort Walton Beach, FL.
What an air conditioner does to humidity
The way a central air conditioner cools down the air in a home is through evaporating cold refrigerant in the indoor evaporator coil. As the cold refrigerant is drawn out of the air, moisture in the air also condenses along the coil. It’s the same process as water droplets forming on the outside of a cold container of liquid taken out of the fridge. This condensation moisture leaves the AC through a drainage system.
Does this count as “dehumidifying” the air?
The amount of moisture an AC removes from the air circulating through it isn’t a large amount. In fact, it’s really a side-effect of how the AC cools the air—dehumidifying the air isn’t the goal. A standard air conditioner doesn’t have the capacity to remove enough water moisture from a home’s air to make much of a noticeable difference in indoor humidity, so an AC on its own isn’t a dehumidifier. It just has some dehumidification properties.
What you can do for balanced humidity
If high humidity in your home is creating problems for comfort, causing you to run the AC longer than normal and paying more for it, and leading the trouble with mold and mildew growth, you do have several options.
First, have technicians look into the HVAC system, as it’s possible the humidity is due to fault with the AC itself, its air circulation, or gaps and holes in the ductwork. The AC might be too small for the house, making it have almost zero effect on humidity.
Second, if you’re looking to install a new air conditioning system, you can opt for a model that has specially integrated humidity controls that allow it to more precisely control indoor humidity.
Third, if you don’t plan to get a new AC in the near future, you can have a whole-house dehumidifier installed into the HVAC system. These devices use similar processes to air conditioners to draw out moisture from the air, but they can handle higher capacities of water moisture and won’t cool the air at the same time so as not to interfere with the operation of the AC. Our technicians can find the right type of whole-house dehumidifier to work with your AC and your house.
Please feel free to talk to our Peaden Pros to find out more about what we can do to help you control the humidity in your house.
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