How An Air Conditioner Installation Professional Can Help With Humidity Control Issues | Plano, TX
Besides cooling your indoor space, the air conditioning unit is supposed to remove humidity from your indoor air. But why do you have a lot of humidity at your home? Is your air conditioner not properly doing its job? Controlling indoor humidity is essential in eliminating bacteria, mold, and other germs in the air. Since these microorganisms thrive in high-humidity areas, lowering humidity levels will eliminate them. However, your indoor humidity should be between 40-60%.
Hence, if you notice sweating in your home, the air conditioner is on, or your home has a musty smell, the unit might not work efficiently. You might want to talk to your air conditioner installation professional to see what can be done to enhance its performance, or you will need a replacement. There are many reasons why your air conditioner might be causing high humidity, including;
The Air Conditioning Unit That Is Too Large
When talking of the air conditioning unit’s size, it isn’t about the physical size but rather its cooling capacity. Unfortunately, some homeowners still misinterpreted this important fact about air conditioning. If you aren’t an air conditioner installation technician, it might seem counterintuitive that a large air conditioning system cannot do its job effectively because of its size. You might even wonder, won’t a huge system provide better AC humidity control and cooling over a small one?
Unfortunately, the answer to your concern is negative. If an air conditioning system is oversized, it does poorly control the humidity and indoor temperatures. That is because the powerful compressor turns off and on frequently, meaning that the system doesn’t run long enough to eliminate the humidity from the air. The size of your air conditioner needs careful calculation considering the load. Besides helping you install a unit at your home, you also can consult your trusted air conditioner installation technician to have them help you determine the right AC size to install at your home.
Your Air Conditioner Has a Single Speed Limitation
Is your air conditioning system limited to running or operating at a single speed, mostly off or on? Then it can have the same problem as that which is too large, especially when controlling the indoor humidity. When the air conditioner runs at a single speed, it runs full blast till the indoor air reaches the thermostat set temperatures when you turn it on. It then turns off until the indoor temperatures go below those set on the thermostat.
Hence, the air conditioner does not run consistently enough in a way that helps it remove the humidity. It specifically holds when the temperatures aren’t too high though there is a lot of humidity. When planning a new air conditioner installation in Plano, TX, consider purchasing a modulating air conditioning system, for instance, the Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) system. VRF systems run longer at lower capacities, meaning they do better in controlling indoor humidity.
Your Space Has Negative Air Pressure
Do you feel uncomfortable whenever you enter your home? Among the different things which can cause this is having a ventilation system that is poorly designed. Put simply, it means you’re venting a lot of air from your indoor space. For instance, this may happen in hotels/restaurants that have powerful exhaust systems in their kitchens.
When your home has negative pressure, the air tries to self-balance. More outdoor air is drawn into your home through any means possible. When your air conditioner experiences this, it might strain to cool your home. For instance, when someone opens your outside doors, you may notice a gust of wind entering your home. Hence, this is a great consideration regarding air conditioner installation.
What will happen when the outdoor relative humidity reaches the 70s, 80s, or higher? You guessed it; the building is drawing in all of that humid air. If the issue is severe enough, your air conditioner might be unable to keep up, impacting HVAC humidity control. Have an air conditioner installation technician modify the design of your ventilation system to address this problem.
You Are Using the Wrong Thermostat Settings
You might think you are removing more humidity from the indoor air using the thermostat FAN ON setting. Whenever you’re using this setting, your fan continuously runs even when the air conditioner isn’t running. However, the fan still moves the air even when the air conditioner isn’t running. Therefore, you may feel some cooling benefits by having an air conditioner installation technician install one at your Plano, TX, home. However, you are worsening your indoor space’s humidity conditions by running the fan with a thermostat fan-on setting. You might end up blowing that moisture that your air conditioner had expelled from your home into your space.
Your Old AC Cannot Handle The Load
Your air conditioner may not operate with the effectiveness it once had due to parts wearing out with age. When the system hasn’t had maintenance, this likelihood is amplified. You’ll notice poor air conditioning, humidity control, erratic temperatures, and insufficient cooling. You might have to choose between replacement or repairs at this stage. Is it necessary to replace the system now, or may a few adjustments be made to restore appropriate performance? That is a question that only your air conditioner installation answers after evaluating your existing system and making considerations of age and current damage. Remember, an air conditioner is a pricey appliance and requires a deep thought before purchasing and installing one.
An AC is a vital appliance for your home. Besides regulating the indoor temperatures, it also ensures the indoor humidity at your home is in check. However, several factors, as described above, may impede your air conditioner’s ability to regulate humidity. Have you noticed a surge in indoor humidity levels at your home? Contact us at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas, your reliable air conditioner installation company in Plano, TX.