Quote:
Originally Posted by Camelback
When it's humid there's not much you can do. The AC acts as a dehumidifier. In August we'll get days where the high only reaches 93, but it's miserable because the humidity is high. In April and May you get days where it's 95, and you can avoid the AC by keeping the windows open at night and fans on during the afternoon.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steely Dan
In the eastern half of the country, A/C as a dehumidifier is a billion more times important than it is as making the air cooler.
If you're in the shade relaxing, it's remarkable how tolerable hot dry air can be, but the throttle up the humidity and it becomes downright stifling.
90 degrees with a dew point of 50 is an entire universe of difference than 90 degrees with a dew point of 80.
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I see that lots of people in the east know what the problem is that makes summers uncomfortable, but don't understand the best way to tackle the problem. They understand that humidity is the issue rather not the dry temperature, but don't understand the best way to remove humid air.
Yes, and A/C dehumidifies the air, but only up to a certain point. How does an A/C dehumify the air? By taking the warm humid air and blowing on to cold coils. The result is the water vapor in the air condensing on the coils and flowing to a drain or drain pipe. That's the basic dehumidification process.
However, if the A/C cools the space too fast and the compressor turns off,
then it is no longer a dehumidifier. That's a common issue because people often purchase A/Cs or A/C systems that are oversized. It's also a common problem in the Southeast because the main problem there is humid air that no A/C will get rid of, even if it's undersized.
So how to tackle the problem? Well, how about using an actual .....
dehumidifier? Dehumidifiers are simple: they are basically A/C's in reverse. They condense water vapor from the air using cold coils, just like an A/C. The difference? They then blow this cold dry air on to the hot compressor to warm the air. The result is warm dry air, which has much higher capacity to hold water vapor than cool air (check your psychrometrics charts).
You might be saying, "wait a sec, dchan, why would I want warm air in my house?" The answer? You still need an A/C to cool your house. But now, the A/C's primary function is what it was mainly designed for: cooling the sensible temperature. The result is cooler drier air, and your A/C is no longer being used for a task it was never really designed for.
This is the solution for warm humid climates like the Southeast US. Use a dehumidifier to control the latent heat (wet bulb temperature), and an A/C to control the sensible heat (dry bulb temperature).
Whatever you do, do NOT use an evaporative cooler (AKA - Swamp Cooler) in the Southeast. Do you ever see those mini desktop cooler ads on Facebook or Youtube during the summer? Mini evaporative coolers - DO NOT BUY. And those DIY coolers using a fan, a thermos cooler (like the ones you bring to the beach), and a ton of ice? Evaporative coolers - DO NOT BUILD. The only places that evaporative coolers make sense are in dry desert climates, where adding moisture to the air makes sense and is necessary for comfort.