This time of year I am often asked why the air in a home sometimes feels heavy or muggy, even when the temperature in the home is at the desired temperature set-point. In the Hill Country part of Texas (New Braunfels, Seguin, San Marcos, Selma), removing humidity is a major and necessary part of the Air Conditioning Cycle. To remove the humidity, the air has to contact the cold (40 degree+-) evaporator coil long enough for the water to “fall out of the air” and accumulate on the coil fins. This moisture is then supposed to run down the drain. This process is fairly easy to picture when you place an ice and water filled glass on the table and watch the water drops form on the outside. The longer the glass is allowed to stand, the more water forms and runs onto the table. This is the same moisture we are removing from the air in your home. The problem is that when it is 85 degrees outside, and 70 degrees inside, with high humidity, the air conditioning system is effectively over sized. The system does not run long enough to remove the moisture in the air. Systems are sized for hot summer weather not mild springtime weather.
In the high humidity climate we live in, this creates a real problem. It is uncomfortable, and this damp air can sometimes aid in the formation of damaging mold and mildew. The single stage systems most people have on their homes are limited in what they are able to do to combat this issue. There are good quality, high efficiency systems today that have variable capacity built in to combat this exact issue. If you want more information on these systems, how they work and what they cost, call me. I am happy to discuss them over the phone with you.
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AuthorJonathan Smith has been in the Air Conditioning and Heating industry for well over 30 years and has spent more than 27 years in the Electrical industry. Archives
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