Category: Air Conditioning

Why Do Window Air Conditioners Drip Water?

Window air conditioners are one of the easiest ways that you can get cold air into a room. Provided you have a window to install it in.

But there are things about window air conditioners that are not exactly well known and people don’t realize are a thing till they actually get it home and installed.

For instance, you may have not realized that the air conditioner that you put in your window was going to be a continuous dripping faucet.

Why do window air conditioners drip water?

Window air conditioners actually dehumidify the air as they are cooling it off.

One of the functions of a refrigerated air conditioner like a window AC is to pull the moisture out of the air as a means of making the room cold.

  The moisture that is pulled out of the air is condensed, turning it into water that exits through a drain hole in the bottom of the air conditioner.

This is a perfectly normal function of a window air conditioner. The amount of water that a window air conditioner drips is directly related to the relative humidity.

If you were running a window AC when the humidity is high, you will notice that the amount of water draining out of your AC is much higher than usual.

Likewise, if the weather is dry, you may not even notice any water draining out of your air conditioner.

When is it not normal for a window air conditioner to drip?

If the window air conditioner in question is dripping water but it is not dripping out through the drain hole, the drain hole is probably clogged, making the water find a different exit.

  If you find your AC is dripping water but it is not coming out of the drain hole, you’ll probably find that the bottom of the AC is filling up with water.

This can be an issue if the air conditioner is not tilted because the water can begin to leak through the bottom into the room side of the air conditioner instead of the outdoor section of the air conditioner.

So keeping the drainage hole cleaned out on the window air conditioner is important and can save you from having any type of damage to your walls if the leak becomes big enough.

Another issue that can result in water dripping from window AC in an area other than the drainage hole is a window AC that is not properly leveled and tilted slightly back to the rear.

  To give you a better idea of what I’m talking about, think about it this way.

If I were to pour water into a glass that is sitting on an uneven table. The water would set heavier on the inside of the glass that is lower than the other side because of the uneven table.

It’s the same thing with the window AC, if it is not level horizontally, then the condensed water will want to gather on the side of the air conditioner that is lower than the other side.

Which means that it will not drain evenly and may cause water to drip out of the side instead of the drainage hole.

Summary

Why do window air conditioners drip water?

“Window air conditioners dehumidify the air as they cool the air down.

In the dehumidification process, the humidity in the air is condensed and turned to water.

The water exits the window air conditioner through a drainage hole on the bottom of the AC.”

The water that exits the AC is the continuous dripping that window air conditioners are known for especially in humid weather.

How to Quiet a Noisy Window Air Conditioner

Window air conditioners are pretty noisy by nature.

After all, they sit halfway in and out of a window with a motorized compressor sitting right behind the vents where the cool air comes out.

  But like any machinery, window air conditioners can become noisy after time.

  New vibrations, parts clanging, new outdoor sounds can make a window AC unit much louder than it was intended to be.

But for every problem, there is a solution. Usually.

In this article we are going to attempt to help you identify the noise, and give you a solution to get rid of the sound or at least dampen it.

Let’s get rolling.

How to Quiet a Noisy Window Air Conditioner

1.  Gurgling

The gurgling sound coming from a window air conditioner is one of the most noticeable noises that a window AC unit can make.

And to be honest, it’s not one that you’re going to always be able to get rid of.

The problem arises when condensation builds up to the point that there is water standing inside of the air conditioner.

Not only will you start hearing a gurgling noise, you will also start to feel mist coming out of the vents.

  This is a drainage issue.

It is either caused by a drain hole being stopped up to the point that water does not drain,

Or an air conditioner that is unlevel so that the water does not flow towards the drainage hole.

If the drainage hole is stopped up, the easiest thing to do is to take a water hose and spray the inside of the air conditioner out and take a pencil or something similar and dig the gunk out of the drain hole.

If the stoppage is more extreme, then there is the possibility of having to take the outside of the air conditioner off and doing a thorough cleaning inside.

In the case of an uneven window air conditioner, leveling it can be done using a level and some shims.

Most window ACS call for the rear of the AC to be slightly tilted backwards so that the water runs towards the outside of the house and not the inside.

But like I said before there’s not always an answer for this problem.

  The reason is that some window air conditioners do not have drainage holes and are meant to rely on evaporation to get rid of the condensation.

But if the humidity outside is too high, sometimes it can overcome the ability of the air conditioner to evaporate the condensation.

This can result in water inside of your air conditioner making a gurgling sound.

2. Walls vibrating

This is a problem that can create an annoying buzzing sound in the walls.

  There are a couple of things to look for when you have vibration sounds around the air conditioner.

   The vibration in the walls is a direct result of the vibration of the air conditioner.

If the air conditioner is sitting directly on the window sill without a buffer between the unit and the wood, then the walls will vibrate with the vibration that is happening naturally with the air conditioner.

Putting a piece of foam window seal weather stripping between the air conditioner and the window seal, as well as the window should cut down the amount of vibration coming from the air conditioner quite significantly.

If the vibration is extra loud, it is a result of an abnormally heavy vibration coming from the window unit itself.

  In this case, it’s more than likely that something has come loose inside of the air conditioner and is shaking.

A screw has worked itself loose and you have something shaking that should be tightened down.

The solution is to take the air conditioner out of the window, remove the outer casing and look for, then tighten down the part that has vibrated loose.

Once everything is fastened down and foam insulation has been installed between the windowsill, the AC, and the window, you should notice a big difference.

3.  Outside noise

Rarely does a window air conditioner take up the whole space of a window.
That is why they provide you with the plastic, adjustable fillers to place on both sides of the air conditioner.

  Those fillers tend to work fine for a little while as far as keeping the outdoor air on the outside. But even for that they tend to weather fast and break.

   But they were never meant to keep the outdoor noise out. The plastic on those things is much too thin to be considered a noise dampener.

Replacing the window fillers that come with the air conditioner with something much thicker will keep the outside noise outside much better.

  Even some 3/4 inch plywood can block the outdoor noise way more efficiently.

   And even more sound absorbing material is an insulation product called mineral wool. Not all of your hardware stores are going to carry it, but it is the same stuff that they make sound absorbers for music studios.

It is not strong enough to work as a standalone product when you’re talking about using it as a window filler, so it will have to be glued to another product. Like the three quarter inch plywood.

The whole process is to cut the plywood to the exact measurements that you need to fill in the spaces on the side of the AC.

Cut the mineral wool to the exact same sizes as of the wood and glue it on to the wood with some spray adhesive.

  You can cover the pieces with some fabric or wallpaper so that the mineral will insulation is not exposed.

Put your new pieces into the window and fill in the gaps around them with some spray insulation.

4. Other outdoor noises

Some outdoor noises come directly through the grill of the air conditioner.

Usually the sound of the compressor inside of the air conditioner is loud enough to cover up any outdoor noises coming through the unit itself.

But there are times when this is not the case.

How do you dampen an air conditioner noise?

One solution is to build an enclosure around the air conditioner. This can be a fully( open bottom) insulated box that sits on the outside of the air conditioner.

Important: But there is one stipulation. It must sit at least a foot around the air conditioner.

  The reason a window air conditioner needs to be in the window is because of the heat that exhausts out of the rear and the side grills that let air into the air conditioner to keep the components cool.

So any encasement around an air conditioner has to allow for these two things to occur.

Putting anything directly against the outside of the air conditioner will cause the unit to not only not cool the air like it’s supposed to, it will overheat and trip the overload button.

This is why, even though there are people selling them for this reason, putting a weighted blanket on the outside of the air conditioner to reduce the outdoor noise is not a good idea.

How to stop rain noise on window AC?

Another outdoor noise that can be a little loud inside of the house when you have a window air conditioner is the sound of rain hitting the unit.

Very similar to the sound of rain hitting a metal roof.

This can be solved by putting a dampener directly on the outdoor portion of the roof of the AC.

  One ideal is to use rubber welcome mats.
You can purchase them with foam inside of them also, which would make a great sound dampener.

And they are also easy to cut with a pair of scissors.

Very simply measure the size you need and cut it out of the welcome mat.

You can send it directly on the AC. If it is too windy in the area that you have the AC, double-sided tape can be used to keep it from blowing off.

Leaves and branches

Another outdoor noise is simply the sound of please brushing up against your air conditioner.

In this case a little bit of outdoor maintenance in the form of clearing out some brush is going to be necessary.

6. Window air conditioner compressor noise

Compressor noise comes with an AC window unit.

Unlike other types of air conditioners like mini splits and HVAC which are split into two halves with the compressor completely outside, window ACS are an all in one box type solution.

In other words, there’s no getting away from the sound of the compressor running on a window AC completely.

But not all compressor noises or meant to be there. Compressors are machines that vibrate. Vibration can lead to parts breaking and parts coming undone inside of the air conditioner over time.

Why does my window AC sound like a helicopter?

If the compressor is abnormally loud, and though this is not normally true of brand new units, something in the compressor might have come loose.
Which is making an extra sound inside of the air conditioner, providing extra noise then usual.

This is a disassembling job. You’ll have to take the air conditioner out of the window, unscrew the casing and take it off and then search for what is making the noise.

If you turn it on without the outside casing , and the noise is not there anymore, then your problem lies with the casing.

Maybe something has come loose and is tapping the casing or the casing has gotten bent and is pushed up against a component inside of the air conditioner.

Summary

How to quiet a noisy window air conditioner?

Window air conditioners can create a lot of noise and they can also allow a lot of noise to get through them.

  Some of the different kinds of noises include gurgling water sounds, mechanical banging sounds, loud outside noise getting through the air conditioner, and standard compressor noises.

In the above article, we talked about making sure that the air conditioner is level and the drain hole is completely open.

We also talked about vibrations and how to handle the result of what a vibrating window air conditioner can give.

We also talked about how window air conditioners are inherently noisy because they are an all-in-one solution that has the running compressor directly inside of it, and vents little love the noise to come directly into the room that you were using the air conditioner in.

Hopefully one of these tips is what you were looking for and you are able to quieten down your window AC.

The Disadvantages and Side Effects of an Air Cooler

Using an air cooler can be a great alternative to refrigerated air conditioning.

  For one it does not use nearly the amount of electricity a refrigerator air conditioner does. And it does not require a way to exhaust the heat.

Which can be a huge advantage when you have spatial constraints like say a personal office space or even the garage and most people’s houses.

And if you live in a dry region, evaporative air coolers do an excellent job of keeping the air cool and comfortable.

But air coolers do have their disadvantages.

disadvantages of air coolerSome of the disadvantages and side effects you can expect from using a air cooler include:

  • Are not as cool as traditional air conditioning
  • Cannot be set to a specific temperature
  • Don’t work well and humid regions or circumstances
  • Can be a source of excess humidity
  • Require routine draining and cleaning
  • High and low settings are fan speeds
  • Noisy
  • Can be a source of asthma triggers and allergens
  • Only work well and ventilated areas
  • Attract mosquitoes

first…

How does an evaporative air cooler work?

Evaporative coolers work by drawing warm air through water soaked pads and blowing it out the other side.

When the air comes out the other side of the pads it is cooler in the same way that air blowing over a lake or body of water is cooler.

The mix of warm air and cool air cause evaporation to happen as a result.

1.Do not work in humid regions or circumstances

Evaporative coolers transform dry warm air into cool air by adding humidity to the dry air.

An evaporative cooler is essentially a large fan that blows air through a water soaked pad.

Since the air is dry, the moisture from the pad cools off the air and the indoor environment.

But if the air is already humid, adding more humidity to it will not cool it off.

But instead will cause the air to be more humid.

2.Can cause excessive humidity

Excessive humidity can make the outdoor temperature feel much warmer than it actually is.

When the humidity outdoors is already humid and you attempt to cool the air by using an evaporative air cooler, the result is not cooler air, but extra indoor humidity.

Excessive humidity not only feels warmer, it makes a room feel swampy and comes with some undesirable side effects like frizzy hair.

So you can see that using an evaporative cooler in a humid region can actually make the air feel warmer.

the disadvantages and side effects of an air cooler

 

3.Do not cool as well as traditional air conditioners

There was a time not so long ago that evaporative cooling was the primary way people cool off their homes and businesses.

These days, refrigerated air conditioning by way of central heat and air or window and portable air conditioners have become the norm.

  The truth is, evaporative air cooling does not provide indoor comfort of using a refrigerated air conditioning system.

The traditional AC is much cooler and can be controlled. Which leads to the next point.

4.You cannot set an evaporative cooler to a specific temperature.

Most of us are familiar with turning the thermostat up or down to control how warm or how cool we want it inside of the house.

If we walk into a room and the temperature is too hot, we simply turn the thermostat down and wait a little bit, in the AC adjust to revive the temperature that we dialed in.

That is a luxury you do not get with an evaporative cooler.

Just like you cannot control the specific temperature with a fan, evaporative cooling has no way of dialing in a specific temperature either.

5.Settings on evaporative cooler are fan settings

The high and low settings on an evaporative cooler control of the fan only.

6.Require a routine draining and cleaning

Air coolers require quite a bit more maintenance than a conventional AC.

Where conditional ACs require you to change a filter once a month or so, evaporative air conditioners require you to drain and change the water fairly often.

This is because standing water can be a source of airborne bacteria, mold spores, and other allergens.

Legionnaires’ disease can be fatal especially in people with weakened immune systems.

Legionnaires disease is caused by inhaling airborne bacteria that has grown on water.

Its origin has been traced back to industries and businesses that had left their rooftop evaporative coolers full of water where it stagnated and became full of bacteria.

7.Attract mosquitoes

Another point related to the importance of keeping the water in an air cooler drained when it is not in use is the fact that mosquitoes hover around stagnant water.

Mosquitoes can also carry disease.

8.Not good for asthmatics

Humid air is thick and can be harder to breathe. Asthmatics can find breathing humid hair air difficult.

Humid air is also known for being a source of nutrition for dust mites and mold spores. These allergens thrive in conditions of high humidity.

Both are asthma and allergy triggers.

noisy fan




9.Noisy

Since evaporative coolers are essentially large fans, the noise level for them are relevant to what setting you have the fan on.

A fan on high speed is noisy.

Some coolers are louder than others and if you have your cooler on the roof then the sound of the fan is not an issue.

But if you’re using a portable evaporative cooler in your room, then the noise level can come into play.

10.Require ventilation

Air coolers work best when you can open up the windows on the other side of the house for air flow.

When you use an air cooler in a room with no ventilation, the air can become muggy and not provide the level of cool air that is needed.

Recap
Air coolers are a great alternative for cooling the air.

Refrigerator air conditioners require that you exhaust the heat coming from the unit outdoors.

Sometimes you just do not have an access point to be able to do so.

  In situations where you need cool air but cannot facilitate a hose, the evaporative cooling is a great alternative to look into.

But they do have their issues.

Evaporative coolers have a lot of disadvantages and side effects that you need to know about before you dive into purchasing one.

Namely they do not work in humid conditions, and they do require the extra maintenance of draining and keeping the water clean.

They also do not have the luxury of being able to set them to a specific temperature.

And for people who are sensitive to allergens, air coolers can raise the humidity inside of the home to an unsafe level that can make the air uncomfortable to breathe and be a source of allergy and asthma triggers.

How to Reduce the Humidity in a Air Cooler?

Can you reduce humidity in an air cooler?

Evaporative air coolers have the advantage of being cheaper to run than a portable or window air conditioner because they don’t use as much energy.

Air coolers are a much simpler design in that they are basically a fan blowing over and through water.

  And if you live in a very dry area, the extra moisture that evaporative air coolers create is welcomed. And evaporative air coolers do a very nice job of cooling a house when the air is dry.

But if you live in an area with a normal range of humidity, air coolers have the disadvantage of creating much more humidity in your house then you need.

And the result is the uncomfortable feeling of stickiness, as well his other symptoms like fatigue. Too much humidity can just put you in a bad mood. 

So it’s not surprising that one of the first things people want to know about air coolers is how to reduce the humidity in the house when using one.

Unfortunately there is not one magic bullet to reduce the humidity created by an air cooler.

But… There are a few things that can help you reduce the humidity in your home caused by an air cooler.

high humidity remedies1.  Open Windows

There is a misconception that air coolers work best when a room is tightly closed. Not so.

Opening the window or Windows on the other side of the house actually helps pull the air through the house making the air cooler more efficient.

And the open windows let dryer air back into the house which can help lower the humidity caused by the air cooler.

2.  Extra Fans

Adding some extra fans in the house will help dry the air.

Anything that causes rapid air movement, including a fan, can evaporate moisture.

Though the amount of air being moved by a fan may not amount to much drop in the humidity, having air blowing directly on you will help reduce the feeling of humidity.

Think about it this way: if you were to sit in front of a fan with your hair wet, your hair would dry faster.

If your skin is feeling sticky from humidity and you sit in front of a fan, the humidity on your skin would dry out.

3.  Exhaust Fans

What do you do when after you take a steamy shower and the mirror and the windows are fogged over with condensation?

You turn on the exhaust fan.

Same thing in the kitchen. If the air is getting steamy from cooking and boiling, you flip on the exhaust.

Installing and running a few exhaust fans is an excellent ideal to pull some of the excess humidity caused by your air cooler out of the house.

4. Desiccant Dehumidifier

Desiccant Dehumidifiers or dehumidifiers that do not use a compressor and coil system. Instead they use a silica gel chemical absorbent to absorb moisture out of the air.

Silica gel is known as the little packets that are included in all types of products. Anything from shoes to electronics to help keep moisture out.

Desiccant dehumidifiers are full size units that are able to work spaces up to 480 ft.

And they also come in portable containers that you can place around your house.

  To stop a dehumidifier is completely silent because they do not use a compressor or a fan to reduce the humidity.

What about Compressor Dehumidifiers?

Can you a run a dehumidifier with an air cooler?

Technically you can use a standard compressor based dehumidifier to help reduce the humidity caused by an air cooler.

But you have to remember they do exhaust heat out of the rear. Which will compete with the cool air coming from the air cooler. And they are loud.

This is a more experimental approach to lowering the humidity caused by an evaporative air cooler. And it’s probably worth a shot if you happen to have a dehumidifier on hand.

But if you were thinking about purchasing a dehumidifier to lower the humidity caused by a evaporative air conditioner, then it begs the question:
Why don’t you just purchase a window air conditioner or portable air conditioner instead of an air cooler?

Other Natural Humidity Remedies

All natural dehumidifiers are a good way to reduce humidity in your house while running an evaporative air cooler.

Some of the most popular are:

  1. Charcoal briquettes
  2. Calcium chloride
  3. Rock salt
  4. Coffee creamer

1.Charcoal Briquettes

 

 

Charcoal is a naturally porous absorber that can be used as a do-it-yourself dehumidifier.

Simply filling some containers with about 8 to 10 charcoal briquettes and setting them throughout the house will have a dehumidifying effect that will help dry out your air.

2.Rock salt

Rock salt is also a well-known damp absorber.

The idea is to take two buckets. Drill holes in the bottom of one and put it inside of the other bucket was something in between the buckets to keep them apart. ( It doesn’t matter what you use, I use the lid off of a peanut butter jar that was in the trash)
Then fill the top bucket with rock salt.

3.Calcium Chloride

Calcium chloride is an all natural dehumidifier also.

The ideal here is to take a sock and fill it with calcium chloride then hang the sock somewhere with a bowl or a bucket beneath it to capture the condensation that will begin to drip from it.

4.Coffee Creamer

Cheap coffee creamer is a surprisingly good moisture absorber. And there is really no technique to using it.

Simply purchase the biggest container of cheap white coffee creamer that you can buy and pour it into a bowl.

The coffee creamer will draw moisture.

You’ll know to replace it when the coffee creamer gets too hard.

Dehumidifying Plants

 

 

Plants are natural dehumidifiers all on their own.

Anything that pulls moisture out of the air is going to be a dehumidifier and plants certainly qualify. Some plants more than others.

The best plants for dehumidification or plants that have waxy or hairy leaves with a large surface area.

Here’s just a few as an example.

1.  Cactus

Cactus flourish in dry regions because of their ability to draw moisture out of the air.
There’s not an easier plant to take care of than a cactus either.

2.  English ivy

English IVY is a super easy plan to take care of that’s also a great starter plant. It also is a great dehumidifier and thrives off of the humidity in the bathroom.

3.  Spider Plant

Spider plant is an easy indoor favorite. It grows easy and it grows quick in about any circumstance you put it in.

4.  Peace lily

Peace lily is a lovely plant that is not only a dehumidifier, is a air purifier too. This plant removes air pollutants like formaldehyde and xylene and is a addition to your home if you suffer from seasonal allergies or asthma.

Recap

Does air cooler increase humidity?

No doubt an air cooler increases the humidity in the space it is being used in.

Evaporative air coolers or basically a fan blowing over evaporated water as a means of cooling the air off as it’s blowing.

Essentially a giant humidifier.

Can an air cooler cool the room?

An evaporative air cooler can cool the room off nicely in the right circumstances. For instance, if you live in a dry area, then an air cooler can make a room feel very comfortable.

But if you live in an area that is already humid, then an air cooler will just pile on the humidity and add insult to injury.

Is there an air cooler with humidity control?

 

Unfortunately there’s not really an air cooler that has humidity control since the primary function of an air cooler uses humidity to help cool off a room.

But there are a few ways to help reduce the humidity caused by air coolers that are worth looking into.

Opening the windows on the opposite of the house will create air flow and help dry out the air at the same time.

Exhaust fans will also help pull the moisture out of the air.

Desiccant dehumidifiers or dehumidifiers that absorb moisture out of the air without the noise and the heat of a compressor.

They can be purchased as full size dehumidifiers or as containers of desiccants that you sit around the house.

There are also some nice do-it-yourself dehumidifiers that can do a good job.

Rock salt and calcium chloride make great moisture condensers.

Charcoal briquettes and cheap coffee creamer are also great humidity absorbers.

And don’t forget about the house plants.

House plants are one of nature’s Best dehumidifiers and they add oxygen to your air. Some plants even purify the air as they dehumidify.

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

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

  And there are a lot of advantages that come with the extra rain. For one you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg watering the grass.

Plus the vehicles get a lot of good washing without going through the car wash or pulling out the hoses and brushes at home too.

But there are definitely disadvantages to having an extra rainy season.

And one of the primary ones is the amount of humidity in the home and how to deal with it.

Dehumidifiers are machines that are designed with excessively humid seasons in mind. But they come with a lot of questions.

Should you run a dehumidifier and air conditioner at the same time?

You shouldn’t have to run a dehumidifier at the same time as an air conditioner in an average rainy season.

The air conditioner dehumidifies as it cools and as long as you’re talking about typical on and off rain, the air conditioner should keep up just fine.

But as you know, there are always exceptions to the rules.

And sometimes a rainy season means that the rain does not let up for days and sometimes for weeks.

  And if you’re in Seattle or Florida, the climate may be excessively humid, just because.

The rain and humidity in Northern Texas last year was so high that it looked like the air conditioners were busted and had major leaks going on because of the amount of condensation that was pouring out of them.

The window air conditioners were creating so much condensation that the ground beneath them was basically just saturated mud.

So yes there are times when the humidity can be so high that the air conditioner is going to have a hard time keeping up.

In that case, you can place a dehumidifier or two in your house to help reduce the indoor humidity and take some strain off of the HVAC. (Central heat and air)

And you could possibly be avoiding an expensive service call for your HVAC down the line by helping it out now with a dehumidifier.

where do you put the dehumidifierBut where do you put the dehumidifier?

Good question.

Dehumidifiers expel heat from the rear. So placing them in a room that you are using is not the ideal situation.

But as a means of reducing humidity to take the strain off of the air conditioner running continuously, you don’t necessarily have to have the dehumidifier in the same room that you live in.

Placing the dehumidifier or dehumidifiers in bedrooms or guest rooms that are not being used can still reduce the humidity enough to help the AC.

If you do not have extra rooms, place a dehumidifier, you can minimize the heat by making sure that the filter and the coils are kept clean.

And you do not have to have the heat coming off of the dehumidifier pointed at you.

Just make sure that the unit is not against the wall or draperies, etc.

Can you use a window air conditioner as a dehumidifier?

Most modern window air conditioners have a dehumidifier setting that allows you to run the unit as a dehumidifier (dry mode) without any cold air blowing.

The effectiveness of a window air conditioner to reduce humidity won’t be on the same par as a dehumidifier because the heat that a window air conditioner creates is expelled outside.

  And the heat from a dehumidifier is expelled inside and used to create a circle of humidity to extract the humidity out of a room further.

But a window air conditioner does not have to be in dry mode (dehumidifier mode) to dehumidify.

And as a means of reducing the strain on the main air conditioning, you can run the window air conditioner as a supplemental air conditioner.

That way it will be helping with the cooling and the dehumidifying.

Plus there are many times where certain spots in the house are not as well cooled by the HVAC as others because of the amount of vents or distance of the vents from the main air conditioning plenum.

So putting a window air conditioner in or near those areas can actually be a good solution to expanding your central heat and air during the summer.

More and more, you are starting to see window air conditioners that have a heat setting on them too. So provided you have the right window air conditioning, it could be a solution for the low heat in those areas during the winter too.

  But remember, the more air conditioners or dehumidifiers you have running, the more amount of energy it’s going to take. And dehumidifiers and window air conditioners are both considered energy hogs.

But neither are considered as much of an energy hog as the main HVAC. And when it is running overtime to keep up with the amount of humidity,

Finally. What if you’re using evaporative air cooling?

Can you run a dehumidifier at the same time as an evaporative cooler?

Evaporative cooling basically amounts to a fan blowing over water to cool off the air as it enters into your room.

In dry areas, they work very well.

In humid areas, not so much.

And one of the main questions that people have about air coolers is how they can reduce the humidity in the house that comes along with using an air cooler.

A dehumidifier will help reduce the humidity caused by running an air cooler.

The purpose of a dehumidifier is to extract humidity from a room. Rooms that are being cooled with evaporative cooling are humid.

But you have to remember that dehumidifiers do expel heat and that the cool air that you get from a water evaporator is not on the same par as running a refrigerated air conditioning system.

  So you may find that the heat from the dehumidifier might conflict with the cool air from the air cooler more so.

And the amount of humidity might outpace the dehumidifier.

  Evaporative air conditioning even with a dehumidifier is not really going to be ideal if you’re having an excessively humid season.

Can you use a window air conditioner as a dehumidifierRecap

Can you run a dehumidifier at the same time as an air conditioner?

There are times when running a dehumidifier with an air conditioner can actually help take the strain off of the main air conditioning and cool down the house better.

If you’re having an excessively humid season, the air conditioning can run 24/7 trying to keep up with reducing the humidity.

Dehumidifiers can offset the amount of work the air conditioner is having to do.

Window air conditioners used as  dehumidifiers

Window air conditioners typically have a dehumidifier setting called dry mode that allows you to run the unit as a dehumidifier only.

But window air conditioners can also supplement the main air conditioning because they dehumidify and add cold air to the room at the same time.

This can be a good solution especially if you have hot spots around the house where the main air conditioning is not doing the full job.

  And window air conditioners can be purchased with a heat setting to offset the cool air from those same spots that are not getting adequate air from the HVAC.

For people using evaporative cooling, dehumidifiers can offset the amount of humidity being introduced into the room by the air cooler.

But air coolers are not necessarily made for regions that can experience high humidity.

And you may find that running dehumidifiers may reduce the humidity in the air enough to make the room comfortable without having to run the air cooler at all.

And since window air conditioners and dehumidifiers, depending on which one you purchase, can be a comparable price, you might decide that the better money is spent on a window air conditioner.

 
 

Can I Use a Humidifier Without a Air Conditioner? – With?

Can I use a humidifier without air conditioning?

 
The humidifier does not need cool air from an air conditioner to function. Its moistens  the air regardless of the temperature.

The humidifier is a device that’s purpose is to add moisture into the air.

And though an air conditioner’s primary purpose is to cool a room, it also dehumidifies in the process.

Air conditioners and dehumidifiers pull warm air out of the room and drag it across refrigerated coils that cause the moisture to condense and exit as a liquid.

This is why window air conditioners have a drip hole in the bottom of the case.

  It is so that the humidity that is pulled out of the air while the air conditioner is running has a place to escape from.

  Humidifiers are more commonly run in conjunction with heating systems and heaters.

During winter months when the air is naturally dryer and the heater is on and off drying the air out even further, humidifiers are used to combat the dry air.

Without the humidifier running you might start seeing a lot of telltale signs like everyone walking around zapping each other because of static electricity. Plus Dry lips and dry and bloody noses, and a lot of congestion.

But that does not mean that there is no need for a humidifier in the summer. Though we primarily think of the summer months as being extra humid, that is not always the case.

In Texas for instance, we have gone months without any rain and temperatures in the ’80s daily.

Which amounts to dry, dusty and windy heat.

You can bet we use our humidifiers with the air conditioner running.

  But, on the other side of the coin, if we’re having a rainy and humid season, you definitely don’t want to do something to add more moisture to the air like run a humidifier.

In fact, a dehumidifier may have to be run in conjunction with an AC when the relative humidity is so high that the AC cannot keep up with dehumidifying.

So regardless of the temperature or of the season, the humidifier is meant to add moisture to the air when the relative humidity is below the 40 to 60% mark.

And while it’s more common in the winter, dry conditions can occur throughout the year.

Getting to know the lingo

Of course there are so many devices, appliances and systems that do something to regulate the air, it is hard to know which is which and what does what sometimes.

  For instance, a true story. For years I personally ran an air purifier retail store.
The only thing we sold was air purifiers. 
We didn’t sell any other types of appliances or or anything that had to do with air other than clean it.

But like clockwork, every holiday when the family gets together, my brother-in-law asked me how my “water filter” business is doing. Jeez.

  The point is, unless you deal with these things on a consistent basis, there is really no need to keep up with what is what.

So when somebody asked me a question like ” can I use my humidifier without the air conditioner?” I’m more likely to believe that they meant “dehumidifier” instead of air conditioner.

The reason I say that is, air conditioners typically come with a dehumidifier setting. So that you can use the dehumidifier without using the air conditioner.

There are many times when the temperature is not all that excessive but the humidity level in the house makes it feel like it’s 110°.

  At those times, you can run the dehumidifier on your air conditioner without running the “cool” setting and be able to cool the house off by extracting the moisture out of the air and never turning the air conditioner setting on at all. 

In that case, the answer is yes. You can run the dehumidifier setting on your air conditioner without running the air conditioner per se.

humidifier-air conditionerRecap.

When someone ask” can I use a humidifier without the air conditioner ?” They can mean one of two things.

 

They want to know if it’s good to run a humidifier when the air conditioner is on?

Or they are confusing the dehumidifier setting on the air conditioner for a humidifier.

The answer is, you can run a humidifier anytime that the relative humidity is below 30 or 40%, and get benefit out of it.

Even in the summer, there are times when the air is so dry that it calls for a humidifier to be going even with the air conditioner running.

But air conditioners do not come with a humidifier setting.

They do on the other hand come with a dehumidifier setting.

Which leads me to believe that a lot of people confuse the lingo and call the dehumidifier a humidifier.

The dehumidifier on an air conditioner can be run without the air conditioner running on the cool setting along with it.

There are many times when reducing the humidity in a room will increase the comfort because it’s the humidity that’s making the room feel so uncomfortable.

Air conditioners and dehumidifiers are very similar appliances. If you take them apart, their mechanics look almost identical.

The difference is, an air conditioner cools the air as it pulls the moisture out and dispels the heat outside of the room.

A dehumidifier does not cool the room off as it pulls the moisture and it dispels The heat inside of the room which helps pull even more humidity out of the air.

You generally don’t need to run a dehumidifier if you have an air conditioner.

But there are times when the humidity level can be so high that the air conditioner can’t keep up with pulling the moisture out alone.

At that point a separate humidifier can help to reduce the moisture in a house further, cool things off a bit more, and take some strain off of the air conditioner.

Air Cooler vs. Air Con – The Sticky Difference

 In the Midwest where I live, the heat has been soaring this year.  We are all the way into September and the midday sun does not seem to want to let go of its power to make everyone miserable.

And what’s worse , the humidity has been extra high and thick. Which means the air conditioning is struggling and the mosquitoes are rampant.

I can tell you this , in this environment, evaporative cooling is useless. More about that later.

I long for the early days of spring when the air cooler made a difference.

But living through this season has given me a unique or at least a “fresh” viewpoint on air coolers and air conditioning. More like a “sticky” viewpoint.

Air Cooler vs. Air Con

  • Air conditioning – Refrigerated air.
    Air Cooler- Evaporated Water cooled 

 An air cooler usually refers to evaporative cooling. An air con or air conditioning typically refers to refrigerated air conditioning.

Evaporative cooling uses water to cool the air. Air conditioning uses a refrigerant.

difference between air cooler and air conditioningThe difference between an air conditioner and an air cooler,

comes down primarily to the humidity.

An air conditioner reduces the humidity whereas an air cooler increases the humidity.

It’s because of the method by which each cools off the temperature of a room.

An air conditioner uses a refrigerant to bring down the temperature while at the same time condensing and removing the humidity in the air.

This works great because humidity, when it is excessive, can make the temperature seem hotter than it actually is.

By reducing the humidity along with cooling off the air with a refrigerant, air conditioners are capable of bringing down the temperature of a room very efficiently.

Which translates to a more comfortable environment.

An air cooler on the other hand uses water to basically brush the air and cool it off as it is blowing past the water.

The ideal is more like a breeze that is blowing off of the ocean. The actuality is a fan that blows water-cooled air.

This method has a built-in problem.

What if the air is already humid?

Will not the air cooler just add more humidity to the air and eventually make the air more uncomfortable?

The answer is yes.

One of the main ways air coolers are referred to is as “swamp coolers”.

That’s because though evaporative air coolers can work great when the air outside is dry, combining them with air that is already humid can make the room feel swampy.

Which is another way of saying muggy or sticky.

  This is why I said in the beginning that evaporative cooling is useless in the climate that I’m living in right now.

Trying to cool down the air that is already wet doesn’t accomplish anything. The only thing it accomplishes is making the air feel more uncomfortable.

  The truth is that running a fan alone is more effective than using a air cooler when the humidity is too high.

But not all climates are humid and this has been an extra humid season.

Just be prepared for your evaporative air cooler to be less effective when the humidity rises.

Another disadvantage to evaporative air coolers is they require a source of water.

You will either have to hook it straight up to a water faucet or fill the basin up with water on a regular basis.

And also machines that require water have to be kept very clean and maintained often to avoid bacteria and mold from growing in them.

  What that means practically, is that the water will have to be emptied anytime that the machine is not in use.
That is to avoid any chance of standing water that can easily become a source of bacteria and a breeding ground for mosquitoes

air cooler vs. air conditioningBut air coolers do have their advantages
One advantage over a refrigerated air conditioner that air coolers possess is that they do not require any way to be exhausted.

 

Which makes them more of a portable option then an “air conditioner”, even what they call a portable air conditioner.

Because even though a portable air conditioner may be more “portable” than say a window air conditioner or a central heat and air unit, it still has to have a way to exhaust the heat outside.

Which means an exhaust hose that attaches to a window.

Portable Air “coolers” are actually portable and are not confined to having to have a window nearby to the exhaust from.

An air cooler is the only option for  vent-less air conditioning in a room that has no windows.

Most home garages do not have Windows which makes exhausting refrigerator air conditioning a challenge to.

So portable evaporative cooling is a good option for cooling off a garage.

Recap

What’s the difference between an air “cooler” and an “air conditioning”?

Air cooler refers to evaporative cooling that uses water to cool down fan blown air.
Air conditioning refers to air that is conditioned with refrigerant and is condensed to reduce the humidity in a room.

  Refrigerator air conditioning is more efficient and can be dialed in much easier. But it’s design requires a way to exhaust heat. Which means you either having a separate compressor outside or a window to place the air conditioner or exhaust it from.

Evaporative air cooling is not nearly as efficient and cooling down a room to a specific temperature is not an option.

Air coolers also must be maintained regularly to avoid bacteria and mold growth.

But they do have one main advantage over refrigerated air conditioning, which is that they do not require a window nearby to vent any heat.

Which makes an air “cooler” truly portable compared to a portable air “conditioner “that requires a window nearby to vent and exhaust the heat created in the air conditioning process.

Remember:

Air cooler – evaporative cooling
Air conditioning – refrigerated air.

How Does A Ventless Air Conditioner Work?

While so many air conditioning systems are available, people find ventless air conditioners more reliable.

This portable, user-friendly, and economical appliance controls the indoor humidity with simple operation methods.
But what about the internal working process in the first place?

How Does A Ventless Air Conditioner Work?
A Ventless Air conditioner decreases the temperature by increasing the humidity in the air. It circulates the hot indoor air and cools it down using an evaporator coil within the machine.

In short, the machine will cool the existing air instead of pulling air from the outdoors.
But there’s more to it! Let’s discuss how ventless ACs circulate the cool air, and how you can get the most out of it.

Ventless air conditionerWhat Actually is a Ventless Air Conditioner?

A Ventless air conditioner is also known as a portable swamp cooler, evaporative air conditioner, or vent-free AC.

From the name itself, it refers to that unit that doesn’t require any vent through the window to function properly. In the HVAC world, there are no similar things as a ventless air conditioner.  

This technology provides a powerful cooling system without any vent. There is no exhaust hose inside these appliances. Because in Ventless Air Conditioner there is no heat exchange or refrigeration process available like Traditional Air Conditioner. 

 Therefore, no hot air is produced inside the appliance. That is why it doesn’t need any exhaust hose to hang on the window. 

How Does A Ventless AC Work?

Before knowing How Does A Ventless Air Conditioner Work, you have to understand what evaporation is.

Because Ventless Air Conditioner works by following this simple science.

In general terms, evaporation is an important part of the water cycle. In this process liquid material like water converts into gas with the help of thermal or electrical energy. 

 

As we know that ventless air conditioners work through the principle of evaporation, let’s discuss its methodology.
The basic methodology of vent-free AC is, it uses a heat pump to bring water from water storage. The cooling pads absorb the pump’s water.

When the fan is flowing, it draws the hot air from the outside by the water-soaked pads. 
As air goes through the pads, where the temperature is absorbed by the process of evaporation which cools the air.

Here the mechanism of supplying cold air is, the warm water moves through a honeycomb corrugated filter and collides with a hydrone wet filter.

With the help of a honeycomb filter, the exchange of air and water has finished. And finally, a fan supplies the cold air into the surface. 

Do Ventless Air Conditioners Work?ventless ac

The working mechanism of a portable air conditioner or swamp coolers is similar to a Traditional Evaporative Cooler.

For that reason, many people think Ventless Air Conditioners are a scam.

The point here to be realized is, Ventless AC does not reduce the overall temperature of a room the same way a traditional air conditioner does. Rather it cools the air by evaporation and humidifying the air. 

Here is no rocket science to understand whether Ventless AC is a scam or not. Because Ventless Air Conditioner cools the air by pooling a simple natural process of evaporation with an advanced air moving system. 

In this method, fresh air comes from outside and is drawn into the cooler by moistened pads. And then, the air is filtered by saturated evaporation and finally humid air circulated by the blower.

A portable Ventless AC can produce 80% relative humidity on average. 

Why You Should Go With Ventless Air Conditioner 

 

There are a number of reasons that make Ventless Air conditioners different from similar kinds of air conditioning systems like ductless systems.

While people go with Ductless AC systems, ventless window air conditioners provide enormous facilities. Before getting an air conditioning system, you should know which factor makes a huge difference.

Which factor makes ventless more worthy than Ductless AC or mini-split systems? 

Facility of Portability

Ventless AC is generally a portable air conditioner indoor unit. It doesn’t need any outdoor unit to attach.

Therefore, you can transfer it from one palace to another place easily. There is no cooling system installation or maintenance needed in these indoor units.

Like other types of HVAC systems, it doesn’t need to be installed in a fixed place. Just plug in the appliance, add water and go! 

Energy Efficient 

Where other HVAC systems need two units to install and require much energy to operate, ventless AC comes as an energy efficiency facility.

Ventless Air conditioners run constantly and consume only 90 to 160 watts per hour. 

 

On the other hand, ductless or single split air conditioner systems consume 500 watts of energy on average per hour.

Also, an evaporative cooler or ventless AC doesn’t emit any harmful gasses and uses no refrigerant like other central air conditioning systems. 

Inexpensive 
A portable air conditioner is significantly more affordable than a split system or central HVAC system.

It does not demand any extra installation charge. With this simple device, you can cover 350 square feet of area to cool.

No other HVAC system is more money-efficient than a single portable air conditioner. 

how does a ventless air conditioner workWho Needs Ventless Air Conditioners More?
 

Ventless Air Conditioners come in different sizes and all have individual applications. They are designed in small and large sizes to cover different types of areas.

As they cover indoor areas, you should know who needs it the most before getting one.
As discussed earlier, Ventless-AC uses evaporative cooling and its function depends on relative humidity.

So, if you live in an area where the relative humidity level is too high, this kind of appliance does not suit your needs. 

Ventless Portable AC is best for low humidity areas and high-temperature countries or regions such as the United States, Australia, Mexico, Chile, Saudi Arabia. Sometimes, Ventless AC may be used outdoors since outdoor air will not raise relative humidity like a room.

Conclusion

No one wants to go with complex things when they find a simple way instead of it. A ventless air conditioner is one such kind of thing among other HVAC systems.

Its working mechanism, versatile use make it popular day by day in low humidity regions, humid climates, and dry climates. Because keeping the relative humidity maximum level is essential to lead a healthy life. 

We hope, by going through How Does a Ventless Air Conditioner Work, now you know its overall mechanism. This knowledge will help you to have a portable air conditioner system that certainly fulfills your needs.

Thanks for reading this article with patience. 

60 Percent Humidity in the House? 70? 80?

Humidity has a big effect on your health and property, and the truth is, it is much more serious than you probably ever gave it credit for.

Both high and low humidity comes with its own problems and symptoms.

This article is about many of the symptoms and problems that you can expect with high humidity. And some solutions too.

40 to 60% relative humidity is the optimal range to protect your home and family from the spread of germs and avoid damage to your personal property.

A direct statement by ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
says “health effects caused by road of humidity would be minimized by maintaining indoor levels between 40 and 60%”

60 percent humidity in house

 

At 60%, the humidity in the house is nearing the outside of the range of what is considered comfortable and safe humidity inside of the home.

At 60% RH, you have already begun to enter into an area of relative humidity that can provide enough moisture in the air for mold to take root.

As that number increases, the likelihood of mold being found somewhere in your home increases.

70% humidity is the ideal moisture level that you will find mold growing.
And with mold comes mold spores. A significant household allergen.

70 humidity in house

 

At 70%, you are already noticing the telltale signs all around you.

The AC will begin to feel like it’s not running at all and condensation will be nearly pouring from it.

You will undoubtedly feel very clammy and will have no chance of dealing with your frizzy hair.

You might also find yourself sneezing and rubbing your itchy eyes.

Why is that?

It’s because dust mites thrive in temperatures that hover around the 70 to 80° range with a relative humidity of 70 to 80%.

80 humidity in house

At 80% humidity, you may start wheezing because of the amount of dust mites and mold spores in the air.

And the risk of dehydration will become a real threat because your body will not be able to produce sweat nearly as easily at that level.

Your performance will be off and you will find that you’re not able to do as much without getting tired.

Humidity sustained at that level will begin to rot the wood around your home including window sills and floorboards.

And any musical instruments you have around the house will have probably gone way out of tune by now. And the risk of them bowing to a point that they may never play well again is serious.
violin i

Uhh!!

As you can tell, a sustained high level of humidity is not good for your health or your home. If any of this describes your situation then you should be taking steps to remedy the situation.

Determining the Origin of the Humidity

 

Climate

Of course there’s not too much you can do about the weather. And if the outside humidity is shooting up then you’re inside humidity is going to shoot up with it.

Solutions

Air Conditioning

Refrigerated air conditioners, either the type you have built into your house via the HVAC

or window air conditioners which would include portable air conditioners that vent out of the window,

will reduce the humidity inside of the house.

This type of air conditioner pulls humidity out of the air, reduces it to condensation, and either drips or funnels it outside.

And most refrigerated ACs you find these days have a dehumidifier setting that will reduce the humidity in the room without having to have the cool function running.

The dehumidifier setting on an AC is usually called “dry mode”. It’s symbolized by a water drop, if your unit has symbols instead of words.

Dehumidifier

The dehumidifier is a device that is similar to a refrigerator air conditioner except that it doesn’t have any type of cool setting.

It’s only function is to reduce the humidity.

Humidifiers exhaust heat similar to the way a window air conditioner does.

If you have ever walked behind a window air conditioner then you probably remember feeling heat coming off of the unit.

  But the heat that is exhausted on a dehumidifier is expelled inside of the room.

A factor you’ll want to consider when you’re thinking about operating a dehumidifier.

Depending on the reason for the humidity, the heat exhausting from the machine it’s not exactly a welcomed feature if the temperature is already hot outside.

70 humidity in house

When is the AC not useful in humidity?

Even though refrigerator air conditioning is the easiest and most effective way to bring them the humidity level indoors, there are times when air conditioning will do the opposite.

AC humidity problems

1.  Running the AC with “fan on” setting engaged.

There’s a lot of confusion when it comes to running the air conditioner with the “fan on” setting engaged versus the “auto on” setting engaged.

The “fan on” setting well actually makes your home feel more humid.

The reason is, one of the primary ways that an air conditioner cools down a room is by extracting the humidity and turning it into condensation.

But when the “fan on” setting is engaged, the humid air that is being pulled into the air conditioner does not have a chance to stay in front of the condenser coils of the AC long enough to turn into condensation.

So the result is humid air being pulled into your air conditioner and redistributed throughout the house without the humidity being extracted.

2.  Too Large of an Air Conditioner

Another problem that can occur with air conditioning and humidity is that you have too large of an AC unit.

The result of running an AC unit that is too large for a home is a phenomenon called “short cycling”.

Which means that your air conditioner turns on and off more frequently.

This affects the way a air conditioner extracts humidity because the air conditioner is continually turning on and off,

and not giving the condenser coils enough time to turn the humidity into condensation and funneled out of the house.

humidity in house3.  Evaporative cooling

 

Evaporative coolers are essentially a large fan blowing over water as a means of cooling the air off.

Evaporative coolers are also known as swamp coolers because they can make a room feel swampy.

Number one, if you were trying to use a evaporative cooler when the humidity is high, you will not be able to feel anything much more than a fan coming from the unit at that point.

Number two, you are only adding more humidity to an already elevated moisture level.

And for some people this may be the reason your home feels humid in the first place.

Any devices or machines like evaporative coolers or humidifiers that disburse water droplets into the air, should not be operated when the humidity level is high in the house.

Humidifiers are for dry air only.

Leaking pipes

If you have above average humidity in your home but the climate outside is not especially humid, then you have another problem altogether.

Basements are usually known to be extra humid because of being located beneath the ground.

The moisture in the ground can find itself inside of your home.

  Dehumidifiers can be outfitted with pumps and drainage hoses to reduce the humidity inside of a basement.

  Leaking water pipes are also found in the basement quite often and can cause the humidity level to soar.

Telltale sons of leaking pipes inside of your home usually appear as drywall that is bowing or that feels damp to the touch.

Discoloration of the walls usually indicates a leak of some sort also.

Leaks in the ceiling are usually very easy to locate and are very noticeable because they appear as some liquid that has been spilled on the ceiling.

If the high humidity inside of the home is due to leaking pipes, then as you probably guessed, you’re going to need a plumber.

Air Conditioning Symbols Explained

Air conditioner symbols explained

 

Have you taken a good look at a modern AC thermostat? If your like me, you don’t know what half of the symbols and modes on the air conditioner do.

Chances are, You are sitting on a goldmine of awesome settings if you just knew how to decipher them.

Honestly a thermostat can be confusing to look at and understand how to operate for anyone. So hopefully this brief guide can give you a little bit of the knowledge you need to operate your air conditioning system a little easier.

Air conditioner mode symbols

Some air conditioner mode symbols are very easy to identify but others are far from it. They range from simple fans and raindrops to pine trees in a forest.
How in the world would you ever know what a pine tree symbol on an AC it supposed to represent? Not exactly intuitive.

 

Fan mode in AC

fan-mode-in-acFan Mode symbol is simply a fan. The fan mode on an AC when set to the “on” position runs the AC fan continuously even when the compressor is off.

A few reasons you may want to use this are:
1.  Helps eliminate hot and cold spots in house. The fan blowing continuously will help move the air and keep the temperature more even as the AC cycles on and off.
2.  Helps thaw a frozen AC out faster.
when you have a problem with the AC freezing over, turn the fan on will help fall out the condenser coils quicker.
3. Air purifiers are installed in the system that need continuous air flow.

Auto mode in AC

auto-mode-in-acAuto mode on the AC, when set to the “on” position turn the fans on automatically when the AC is is in cooling mode.

Benefits of using auto mode on the AC include

  1. Lowers utility bill.
  2. Less humidity. Auto mode allows for the condensation to drain out, rather than be evaporated back into your home.
  3. Fewer filter replacements.

     

Cool Mode Symbol in AC 

cool-mode-in-ac
The snowflake is the common symbol for Cool Mode in an AC. Cool mode on the AC is the default mode for an air conditioner.

It is the setting that you want to turn on when you need cool air flowing through your home. To operate simply , make sure that cool mode is on the “on” position and scroll up or down to choose your desired room temperature.

Air conditioner modes explained

Heat mode in AC

heat mode in acHeat Mode on a AC is represented by the Sun.
The heat mode on an AC is the opposite of cool mode.

Central heat and air systems incorporate both air conditioning and heating so that you can have cool air in the summer and warmer in the winter.

Heat mode on the AC operates exactly the way the cool mode does.
Simply place heat mode into the “on” position and scroll up or down to the desired temperature you want the air to be.

Dry Mode symbol in air conditioner

dry-mode-in-ac
Dry mode on an AC operates the air conditioner as a dehumidifier while it is on. Dehumidifiers reduce the relative humidity inside of a house.

Some reasons you may want to use this setting are:
The weather is muggy but not too hot.

When the humidity is high, the temperature can feel much hotter than it actually is. During these times, dry mode on the AC will increase the comfortability of your home without the ac cooling.

  1. Lower utility bill.
  2. Helps keep condensation off of the windows

     

Sleep mode in AC

sleep-mode-in-ac
Sleep mode symbol on AC remote is a crescent Moon.
Sleep mode on your AC is an energy saving mode designed to raise the setting of the thermostat gradually while you are sleeping.

While the AC is in sleep mode,  the temperature of the house will rise every hour till the house is 2to 3 degrees warmer than when you went to sleep.

Plasma ion mode in AC

ion-mode-in-acIon mode on an AC turns on a built-in ionic air purifier that disperses plasma ions( ions that have both a negative and a positive polarity) throughout your home.

Reasons that you may want to use the plasma ion setting are.

  1. Reduces airborne bacteria and viruses
  2. Keeps dust out of the ambient air
  3. Improve air quality and reduces airborne household allergens

Turbo mode in AC

Turbo mode on your AC is the mode you want to use when you need the house to cool off quickly.

What it actually does is run your fan on full speed for approximately 30 minutes to move the cool air throughout the house faster.

Turbo mode or “quick cool” as it is found on many thermostats, is the most energy consuming mode on your AC. It’s the equivalent of pressing the gas pedal all the way down to speed up.

Timer in AC

The timer on an AC is used to set your AC to go on or off at a specific time.

When the AC is in auto mode, it goes on and off according to the temperature in the room.
But there are times when you do not want your air conditioner on regardless of the temperature in the room.

The timer on the AC can be used to schedule when you want your AC to come on or turn off.

Some applications for this are:

1.You want your air conditioner to be running a little bit before you get home
2. You have pets.

Tree Symbol on AC Remote

 

health-mode-in-acThe Tree symbol on a AC remote is Health Mode. Health mode on an AC is similar to ion mode.

 

 Health mode is put in place to help reduce bacteria and mold inside of your AC. This function not only helps clean the inside of your unit, it helps your unit deliver cleaner air.

Swing mode air conditioner

 

swing-mode-air-conditionSwing mode is a setting on some air conditioning remotes the controls the flaps on an air conditioner.
This function basically pushes Cool Air one direction then after about 30 seconds pushes it the other direction.

Eco mode in AC

Eco Mode in AC stands For Economy. This is the setting that uses less energy by combining different percentages of fan air and cooled air to achieve comfort in the home and still use less energy. Similar to the economy setting in a modern car, the cooling result is good but not intended to be the best.