In summer, you love your air conditioner. After all, it keeps your home cool and relieves the debilitating humidity of a sticky summer day. Unfortunately, your air conditioner won’t stop at keeping you comfortable. It just as readily dumps humidity into your home as it removes moisture from the air outside. Here, Fritts Heating & Air discuss ways your air conditioning can increase humidity reduction.
Keep Your Air Conditioning Coils Clean
The coils are the part of your air conditioner that cools the air in your home. They are also the part that can allow moisture to build up, which causes mold and mildew to grow. If you notice that your home has an odor or if you see signs of mold or mildew on your walls, there is likely a problem with the coils in your air conditioning unit.
The coils inside your air conditioner are where condensation occurs. Condensation is a normal part of the cooling process, but if the coils aren’t cleaned regularly, they can become clogged with dirt and debris. This will inhibit airflow through the coil and increase moisture levels in the house.
It helps keep mold and bacteria away from the unit. The dirtier the coils get, the more likely they will grow mold and bacteria. This can lead to health problems for those with allergies or asthma and damage your HVAC system.
The dust and debris on the coils can cause them to work harder than necessary. This means you’ll be paying more money than necessary on your monthly electric bill!
Keeping your HVAC system clean will increase its lifespan by years! When it comes time to replace your system, you’ll save yourself thousands if it is working correctly because it will last longer than expected.
Make sure they are completely clean after each use. When you turn off your air conditioner, ensure you turn off the electricity and gas supply before cleaning them out, and this prevents damage to the system when it is turned back on again. Make sure you use an approved cleaner to remove dirt and dust from inside the unit so that it does not contaminate indoor air quality when turning it back on again.
Change Your Filters Regularly
Clogged filters restrict airflow through the air ducts and prevent cold air from reaching your home’s interior spaces. If your filter is dirty or clogged with dust or pet hair, it needs to be changed immediately. You should also check for any leaks in your ductwork that could cause water damage over time or lead to mold problems. Use only high-quality filters that trap allergens and other contaminants without restricting airflow.
Air filters are essential for keeping contaminants out of your HVAC system, and they also help keep dust from building up inside the vents and ducts of your unit. If you do not change filters on schedule or replace them when needed, dust may build up inside the coils of an unvented heat pump or outdoor unit, causing it to overheat and stop working altogether. You should change these filters every two months (depending on how often you run your unit) and monitor their condition regularly to know when they need replacing.
Adjust Your Fan Speed To a Slower Speed
Adjust Your Fan Speed To a Slower Speed – The fan speed on an air conditioner controls how much cold air is distributed throughout the house. The higher the fan speed, the more quickly you’ll feel chilled; however, this also means that more moisture will be pulled out of the air by your AC unit’s compressor. If you don’t want to adjust your temperature setting but want to reduce humidity levels, turn down your unit’s fan speed, so it distributes less cold air throughout your home. This will help keep humidity levels under control while providing enough cooling power to keep you comfortable during hot summer days.
Install a Thermal Expansion Valve
It should be installed if your air conditioner does not have a thermal expansion valve. The valve is responsible for allowing the coolant to expand when it gets hotter. Without this valve, the air conditioner will overwork itself to cool your home and shorten its lifespan.
A thermal expansion valve can be installed in any air conditioner, regardless of age or model. It is easy to install and can be done by a licensed HVAC technician in under an hour.
Check Your Refrigerant Charge
An air conditioner works by removing moisture from the air through a process called “condensation.” This means that the cool air inside your home gets warmed up as it passes over coils filled with refrigerant — an invisible chemical that absorbs heat from its surroundings and releases it into the atmosphere. When this happens, water vapor condenses into liquid form and drips down into a pan called an evaporator coil. The evaporator coil then sends the cooled water back outside, where it can evaporate again into the atmosphere and continue the cooling cycle of cooling your home.
Clean Out Your Blower Motor Housing
Over time, dust and dirt can build up in your blower motor housing, and this can cause issues with airflow and even cause overheating if it gets too bad. If you notice that your fan isn’t working properly or dust is coming out of the vents, it might be time to clean the blower motor housing.
Call Fritts Heating & Air Today
How can a homeowner best improve the HVAC system’s ability to keep humidity down? These tips should help any HVAC system reduce humidity even further. Making minor adjustments to your system can make a big difference in reducing indoor humidity. If you are looking for reliable air conditioning service, be sure to call us today! We will get one of our trained technicians out to you ASAP. Be patient with us as we are working