Category: Air Conditioning

Basement Window Air Conditioning- What are the Options?

March 26, 2024Dennis Reed

Solutions for Basement window air conditioning Basement air conditioning options include portable AC units, window AC units, and ductless mini-split...

From Snow to Sleet: How Do You Protect an Air Conditioner in Winter Weather?

March 26, 2024Dennis Reed

Air conditioning units are a significant investment, and it’s important to take steps to protect them during the winter months...

Air Purifier vs. Air Cooler: Understanding the Differences for Your Indoor Comfort

March 21, 2024Dennis Reed

Deciphering Air Purifiers vs. Air Coolers: Essential Functions Unveiled Air purifiers and air coolers serve distinct functions in enhancing indoor...

How to Reduce the Humidity in a Air Cooler?

March 18, 2024Dennis Reed

Can you reduce humidity in an air cooler? Evaporative air coolers have the advantage of being cheaper to run than...

Why Air Conditioning Makes Me Cough and What To Do About It

Why Air Conditioning Can Makes You Cough and What To Do About It

March 15, 2024Dennis Reed

Why Does Air Conditioning Makes You Cough? Air conditioning can cause coughing by drying out indoor air, which irritates the...

should you run a dehumidifier and air conditioner at the same time

Should You Run a Dehumidifier and a Air Conditioner at the Same Time?

March 12, 2024Dennis Reed

If you’re a homeowner, you are well aware of the difference a rainy spring in the summer season can make...

Does Air Conditioning Use Water? Understanding How Your AC Unit Works

March 10, 2024Dennis Reed

Do Air Conditioners Use Water? Air conditioners primarily use refrigerants to cool and dehumidify indoor air. During this process, condensation...

Cooling Off Smartly: Should You Give Your AC a Break This Summer?

March 9, 2024Dennis Reed

Should You Give Your AC a Break? Giving your AC a break by adjusting the thermostat up a few degrees...

Should AC Drip Water Outside? Here’s Why It’s a Good Thing

March 6, 2024Dennis Reed

Should AC Drip Water Outside? Yes indeed, it’s common for an air conditioner to release water outside, and it’s a...

Should Ac Fan Be on Auto or On?

What is auto mode in AC?

Auto mode on the AC simply means that the fan on the air conditioner turns on automatically while the air conditioning is running. Once the room gets to temperature, it then shuts off.

The ON position for the fan means that the fan will continuously run even when the air conditioner is not running.

Should Ac Fan Be on Auto or On?

Using the AC fan on Auto is considered the energy and money saving mode.

Here are a few reasons why:

Running fan on air conditioner continuously

can:

Increase Energy Bill
Use More Filters
Increase Relative Humidity
Cool Air Leakage
Increase Repairs

1. Increase the electricity bill.

By constantly running the fan you will bump up your energy bill.

2. Increased Filter Replacements

Continuously running the fan will called you to go through more filters because of the extra use.

3. Increases the level of relative humidity.

When the AC is off, the dehumidifying function of the air conditioner is off to.
The moisture that would drain out while the fan is off doesn’t get a chance and is recirculated around the house with the fan on.
Which means that the air conditioner has to work extra hard when it kicks back on to combat the extra humidity in the air.
That means a higher energy bill and more chances of service calls.

4. Cool air leakage.

Air ducts or not foolproof and do have a fair amount of leaks. Keeping the fan running while the air conditioner is off can cause the cool air to leak out faster.

5. General repairs.

The fan motor running 24/7 will shorten the life of the motor.

There are some advantages to leaving the fan on all the time.

The fan will help keep the temperature even throughout the house when the AC has turned off.
The HVAC central heat and air unit is actually a very efficient whole house air purifier when there is UV ionizers placed in the ductwork.

These in duct air purifiers require the air to move through the house regularly work right.

Running AC fan only?

Having the fan on can help even out the temperature throughout the house by redistributing the air.

But, the AC fan doesn’t really cool down the house on its own. It is primarily used to circulate air through the ductwork and doesn’t have too much of a cooling fan effect otherwise.

The main reason you might want to keep the fan on the air conditioner running continuously is when you are using induct air purification which needs the fan to circulate the clean Air throughout the house.

Do Air Conditioners Purify Air?

Having an air conditioner is an indispensable part of living in today’s modern culture.

Can you imagine that the indoor air conditioner has only been around since the early 1900s?

Many of the architectural designs we admire, high ceilings for instance, came to be out of necessity define ways to cool off the air inside of the house.

But these days, only a little over a hundred years later, many of us cannot stand to be outside in the summer separated from the cool air indoors.

But as building techniques have grown into highly sophisticated ways keeping our homes sealed up, we now have a different problem of our indoor air being polluted.

Breathing clean air is as fundamental a need as being able to cool down or heat up indoors.

It would be great if the same appliances and machines that cool and heat our air we’re also responsible for cleaning our air.
But is that even a possibility?

Do air conditioners purify air?

Air conditioners function mainly to cool off the air in a home but they do work slightly as an air purifier in two ways.

1. They filter the return air.
2. They reduce the humidity can facilitate mold growth and house dust mites.

Do I need an air purifier if I have AC?

Yes. Though your AC can help clean your air through the return vent and keeping the humidity down to a small extent, your typical indoor air quality is much worse then what the air conditioning is able to combat.

Though your AC does have a filter, the primary reason it is there is not to purify the air but to keep dust pollution from getting into your air conditioner.

And though you can purchase HEPA filters that capture much more air pollutants then the typical AC filter,

You have to remember that the AC requires a free flow of air to function properly. Using a dense filter like HEPA for your AC we’ll put a lot of strain on your machine and require much more energy to work.

And though air conditioning coils work much like a dehumidifier, relying on the air conditioner alone to reduce the humidity in the house during the hot summer months also causes the AC to work on overload. Which makes your bill higher and the efficiency what’s your air conditioner work lower.

The air conditioning function of your HVAC unit is also responsible for much of your bad indoor air.

What do I mean?..

The climate inside of your HVAC is moist and it is dark. And there can be actual standing water inside of the drip pan located by the condenser coils.

Standing water in a moist dark area is the ideal environment for mold to grow.

If you have mold inside of the duct work of your AC, then every time your unit cycles, it dispenses mold spores throughout your home via your duct work.

And then the same moldy air gets pulled into your return vents where the cycle starts over again.

Another problem your AC poses to the indoor air quality in your home is dust mites.

If your duct work is dirty, then you have a built-in home for dust mites.

Dust mites also flourish in humidity.

and how humidity is one of the main reasons the air conditioner is running Non-Stop in the summer.

A vicious cycle..

Long story short. Indoor air quality is not best left to an air conditioner to manage.

Air conditioner with air purifier?

With most combo type devices whether it be a humidifier / diffuser or air conditioning and air purifier all-in-one combo, the result is usually subpar.

Most of these machines do completely different jobs and shoving all the parts for both inside a box is not the best ideal.

The portable air conditioner with a built-in air purifier usually means one of two things:

1. It contains a HEPA filter that can filter out smaller particles as the air is being pulled into the air conditioner.

2. Or the purifier itself is an ionizer

Using a HEPA filter in the slot where the normal AC filter goes will capture a little more of the airborne contaminants then the typical filter but it cannot do anywhere as much as having a dedicated filtering air purifier.

Plus the exchange of air that an air conditioner requires to work properly does not happen easily when the air filter is extra dense like a HEPA.

The result will be much like running the air conditioner with a dirty filter which limits its ability to cool dramatically.

A portable or window air conditioner with a built-in ionizer is a better idea but it doesn’t exactly make for all the components of a good air conditioner or a good air purifier.

The problem is is that ions have a very short life and they have a even shorter life when they are blown by a fan.

The air condition will have to be kept on it the lowest fan setting for the ionization to have a real effect on the room.

But…

Ionizers inside of a HVAC air conditioning unit can be a much better idea.

Specifically ionizers that use photocatalytic oxidation or plasma.

Placing these air purifiers directly into the ductwork and the plenum of your HVAC can extremely limit the amount of mold and germs, as well as dust mites that are distributed by your AC and heat every time your air handler kicks on.

This is the best way that your air conditioning can actually be your air purifier and efficiently work as a air purifier and air conditioner.

Summary.

Can your air conditioner purify air?

Yes your air conditioner does have some slight air-purifying function because it does contain a filter that captures dust pollution before it is pulled into the AC.

Also air conditioners have a dehumidifier effect that help reduce moisture in the air which can facilitate dust mites and mold spores.

But air conditioning is not an air purifier and does not have the capacity to manage indoor air quality or efficiently combat indoor air pollution.

Though there are a few portable air conditioner and air purifier combo available to the public, they are fundamentally flawed and do not cool or clean the air, either one efficiently.

But if your home is outfitted with central heat and air, the opportunity for you to have an air conditioner that efficiently cleans the air is available.

In duct air purifiers, specifically photocatalytic and plasma in-duct air purifiers can efficiently clean the air inside of your ductwork as well as clean the air that is returning to your unit to be redistributed.

Hopefully as time moves forward, this type of air purification will be built in to each central heat and air unit that is being installed.

We’ll see…

Why Does Air Conditioning Make Me Cough?

Why does air conditioning make me cough?

Coughing around an air conditioner is usually a symptom that your air conditioning unit is dirty.

For example, neglecting to change the AC filters will cause the debris and allergens caught in the dirty filter to circle around the house when the unit kicks on.

Dirty filters can also cause your unit to function poorly.

The first place to look when your air conditioner is not cooling or causing you to cough is the filters.

Some Reasons for Air Conditioning Sickness Symptoms

Dirty filter
Air conditioning drying air out
Mold in duct work
Dust and dust mites in duct work

h4>Air-Conditioning Cough Treatment?

Treating an AC cough is not about taking a pill or getting some rest, it is identifying what is in the air conditioner or the air conditioning ducts that is causing you do you have an allergic reaction.

Check the Filter

The easiest thing to check when you find yourself coughing or getting a dry or sore throat around an air conditioner is the filter.

This is a more common problem than you would think. There is no telling how much money has been spent hiring a HVAC tech only to find out that the filter hasn’t been changed and the unit is not heating or cooling. A cool hundred dollars down the drain for such an easy fix.

If the HVAC filter is not changed regularly then all the household allergens floating around the air, things like pet dander, pollen, dust mites, and just everyday dust are all stuck in your HVAC filter.

So basically every time the unit kicks on, it filters the air through a layer of allergens before it distributes back into your room.

Any one of these pollutants can present you with allergy symptoms like coughing, sore throat, sneezing, phlegm, etc.

Changing the dirty filter may not only alleviate an annoying cough when you’re around air conditioning,

You will also have identified a problem that will eventually cause your HVAC to work much less efficiently or even freeze up.

Not changing the filters or not using a filter will also provide a early death for your air handler.

AC Dry Air

The second reason your AC may be making you cough is that air conditioners dry out the air.

When there’s not enough humidity in the air you can experience a whole host of symptoms including coughing, sore throat, clogged nasal passages,etc

The easiest thing to do when there is not enough humidity in the air is turn on the humidifier.

If you’re not acquainted with what a humidifier is, it is a small appliance that you fill with water, which is slowly dispersed into the air as a mist.

Humidifiers are a low-cost item that can give you an enormous amount of relief from the health symptoms related to dry air.

In the South where I live, we keep cool mist humidifiers in every room during the winter.

If you don’t have a humidifier, there are some ways that you can add moisture to the air without one.

How do you humidify the air without a humidifier?

1.Place some open containers of water around the room or house.

This is an old trick that I remember seeing as a kid but back then I had no idea what the water was for.

My grandmother would keep mason jars with water in them, sitting around the house on shelves and whatnot.

Turns out she was simply adding some moisture to the air.

2. Plants

Plants require watering, so keeping house plants is also is a great way of adding moisture into the air. They will not only help add some humidity back into the air, they will also supply some much-needed oxygen back to the air that will also help you breathe.

Some species of plants also act like an air purifier and will help keep your air clear of allergens.

3. Another humidity remedy that I remember seeing as a kid was keeping a pot of boiling water on the stove.

Keeping a pot of water slowly boiling on the stove top will do a great deal to add humidity into the air will that having to purchase a humidifier.

Moldy AC

The third thing you can check when you have a air conditioner cough is whether or not your air conditioner has mold in it.
Unfortunately this is not as easy as changing your filter or turning on a humidifier.

Your air conditioner could be moldy because AC creates condensation when it is running, the inside of an HVAC system, being that it is dark and humid, is actually the perfect environment for mold to breed.

The easiest way to find out if you have a moldy AC is to examine the Vents and see if you can find any mold around them.

If you do then great, you’ve identified the problem.

But if you don’t then that doesn’t automatically mean that there is not mold in the system.

Since there’s no way to get inside the duct work without some kind of probing camera,

The second way to look for mold in your HVAC is to simply smell for it.

Mold and mildew you have a distinct smell that you will probably recognize as soon as you smell it.

Getting the mold out if the AC is a whole other issue.

This is where you start talking about spending money to fix the problem.

The first thing, of course, is you’re going to have to call in an HVAC tech.

He will clean your duct work and supply you with a new filter and will probably suggest that you purchase a induct air purifier.

In duct air purifiers work by:

a. targeting ultraviolet light on the source of the mold which is the coils in the drip pans

b. PCO or plasma ionic air purifiers.

These purifiers are placed in your in duct system and run continuously in the background to ensure that the air inside of your unit is clean and that you are getting clean air delivered into your house via your HVAC duct work system.

Dirty and dusty duct work.

The fourth reason you may have developed a cough when you around air conditioning is that the duct work is just plain dusty.

Like stated before, the inside of the HVAC is going to be humid by nature because of the fact that air conditioning creates condensation when it is working.

What do you have when you combine dust and humidity?

Dust mites.

Dust mites thrive in humidity.

Dust mites are also a major source of indoor allergy problems.

Just like mold, dust mites also can exasperate asthma causing symptoms like tightening in the chest and wheezing.

If the duct work is extra dirty, then there is no other recourse other than calling your neighborhood HVAC tech.

Another one of those bills that you’re going to be shocked at the price when you realize that it could have been avoided simply making sure you’re using filters and making sure they are the right size for a tight fit.

Summary

Air conditioning cough can be caused by several things including a dirty filter, no filter, dry air, moldy or Dusty AC.

Most of the time at is as easy as changing the HVAC filter or adding a humidity machine to the room.

But if the culprit is mold or extra Dusty duct work, you are looking at calling in a professional and having it cleaned properly.

Though no one wants a cough or any type of allergy symptom, when it comes to your air conditioning, your cough is a red flag that something is not right with your air handler.

Taking it as a sign that it is time to do some maintenance on your AC can save you a lot of money down the road.

20 Ways to Lower the Humidity in Your House

Are you wondering how to lower the humidity in your house? You are not alone, as a lot of people feel a sense of discomfort and unhappiness when they deal with super high humidity levels. And that’s why it makes a lot of sense to find new, creative ways to lower home humidity as quickly as possible. With that in mind, here you have a few tips that will help in this situation.

1.Use a dehumidifier

A dehumidifier is one of the simplest tools you can use to keep the humidity levels as low as possible. It’s highly recommended to invest in a good dehumidifier since it allows you to ensure proper airflow circulation, all while eliminating any humidity from the air. Ideally you want to keep the unit away from furniture or any walls, unless it has air vent on the top.

2. Clean the downspouts and gutters

You want to do this because they will carry water away from your home. It’s a good idea because if you don’t do this, you will end up with high humidity levels in your home. Plus, it’s a good idea to restrict watering plants to bare necessities, just to be safe. The more restrictions you have in this situation, the better it will be as you do want to avoid complications.

3. Keep fresh-cut firewood outside

Why is this important? The most important aspect to consider is that freshly cut firewood has large amounts of water in it when you store it indoors. You want to leave the firewood outside so all that water will evaporate. If you don’t do that, then you will increase the humidity levels inside. Even if it doesn’t feel like a lot, in a situation like this, every little thing counts, so you might as well want to take that into consideration just to be safe.

4. Bring all your plants outside

Don’t keep plants indoors. They end up increasing the humidity levels and that’s the type of thing that you want to avoid. Ideally you want to keep them outside and you will be just fine. You could also keep them in a single room, however that room will have lots of humidity, so you really need to figure out what works for you here.

5. Keep the AC drip pans and drain lines clean

If you keep them clean and unobstructed, it will be a lot easier to avoid any humidity issues. The AC will remove all the humidity from your room. However, if the AC is not working properly, then you will have issues with this approach. You need patience to do this right, but it will be worth it.

6. Vent your clothes dryers outside

The reason you want to do that is that you end up generating a lot of humidity if you do this inside. There’s no real benefit coming with performing this activity inside anyway, so you have to figure out what works for you and how you can adapt to the entire process.

7.Add double-glazing to your windows

When you do that, you will have less humidity and that on its own can be a very important aspect to consider. Double-glazing really brings in front great results, and the best part is that you can avoid severe condensation without spending a whole lot of money. It’s the best of both worlds and you should totally check it out.

8.Aerate your attic and basement

Normally these are two of the places in your home where you will have a lot of moisture. If you start bringing in fresh air in there, you will start removing more and more moisture naturally. It’s one of the best approaches you can have and it does work really well if you do it right. We recommend you to test it out and perform this task often to avoid moisture and dampness in your home.

9. Use a fan in your kitchen

If you cook often, you will generate humidity in your kitchen. It makes a lot of sense to use a fan or anything that will bring in fresh air and push the humidity away too. This is an important aspect to think about, and it will offer you a very good experience every time. In a situation like this, you need to start easily, and this approach does make a lot of sense.

10. Open the fireplace damper

The fireplace damper allows you to push moisture away from your room. It’s a good way to lower the humidity naturally, and we believe that you should always consider it as one of the first things you can do when you deal with lots of humidity inside your home.

11. Open up the windows

This is simple, but it helps you push humidity away, all while bringing in dry air from outside. You have to figure out what approach works for you, and it all comes down to delivering the best results and having the right approach here.

12. Cover your food while cooking

Another interesting thing to do when you are cooking is to try and cover the food. This will keep the humidity under control. Alternatively, you could use a slow cooker, which brings pretty much the same experience and great results you would expect. It’s always a good idea to find alternative solutions, and it can be very well worth the effort all the time without any worries.

13. Take cold, short showers

Hot showers will generate steam and that will obviously increase the humidity levels in your home. Not only that, but if those hot showers are long, then you are further increasing the humidity levels. You need to pay a lot of attention to this, because the more you take hot showers, the more humidity you are generating within the entire home.

14.Replace the carpet if it’s a model that retains moisture

Some types of carpets like the fluffy or very thick ones tend to retain a lot of moisture. They will also end up capturing dust mites and bacteria. It makes a lot of sense to replace your carpets with simpler ones. Make sure that you go with carpets that are not going to retain any moisture. And if you do that properly, it will be more than ok.

15.Add wrap or tubular insulation

Insulating tubing works great for the cold water pipes. It will help decrease sweating, and the best part is that you will have less humidity in your home. Even if it seems like a simple thing to do, it will make quite the difference.

16. Repair the door and window frames

When you have issues with the window and door frames, the first thing you want to do is to repair them. These frames can bring in moisture into your home, and that’s the last thing you want to have. Even some simple repairs can make quite the difference, and all you need is to give these a try, it will be well worth it in the end.

17.Insulate the crawl spaces

The best method you can use for insulating crawl spaces is through using a plastic vapor barrier. This is not that hard to do actually, and it will bring in front some pretty impressive results. The idea is to know how to perform proper insulation, and if you do it right, it will be a very good experience.

18. Waterproof the concrete basement walls

Waterproofing these walls will be a major way to deal with excess humidity. Most of the time concrete walls will bring in humidity to your home. That’s why waterproofing them is so important, and you should treat this as a priority to avoid any possible problems.

19. Treat the foundation with Hydroclay

Hydroclay is known for waterproofing tunnels. It’s a water-absorbing clay, and it will seal the basement where you have water infiltrations. Waterproofing your foundation with this will make quite the difference, and it will help you keep your home safe. Plus, you get to deal with humidity the right way, and that on its own can deliver quite the difference.

20. Vinyl wallcovering

Using vinyl wallcovering can be a very good idea. The trick here is that this type of wallcovering will help trap the moisture and basically keep it out. If you ignore this, it will lead to mold growth. So that’s certainly something to keep in mind.

Conclusion

It’s very important to find great, creative ways to keep the humidity levels as low as possible within the entire home. If you have low humidity levels within your home, you will breathe better, your skin will feel better, and you will have a great sense of well being. It’s important to take all of this into consideration, and the results can be very good every time. If you still have high humidity levels within your home, it’s a very good idea to hire a professional and solve this issue!