How Humidity Reduces Your Air Conditioner’s Effectiveness

Air conditioning repair in Alexandria has to handle all kinds of issues, from leaky refrigerant to broken fan motors. Many customers are surprised to learn, however, that humidity plays a factor in how their air conditioning system functions, and thus is an important consideration during many types of repairs. Virginia residents certainly aren’t strangers to humidity – we get pretty muggy here in the summer – but you may not know just how humidity reduces your air conditioner’s effectiveness.

Humidity & Your Air Conditioner

In the first case, humidity plays a large role in our comfort levels. Human beings usually need relative humidity levels to be between 30% and 50% in order to stay comfortable. Why? Those levels allow sweat to evaporate off of our skin, which makes us feel cooler. When humidity levels are too high, there’s too much moisture in the air and your sweat won’t evaporate. That leaves you feeling sweaty and gross, as well as preventing your body from lowering its overall temperature.

Air conditioner help out with that as part of the normal cooling process. Cooling temperatures cause moisture in the air to move from a gaseous to a liquid state. (That’s why dew forms on plants and grass in the early hours of the morning, when temperature are lowest.) As the air conditioner cools the air, it pulls moisture from the air and sends it back into your home. As it runs, that reduces humidity levels and helps you feel more comfortable.

Unfortunately, if humidity levels are high, that means the air conditioner has to work much harder in order to help you feel comfortable. Yes, it can remove the moisture in the air, but doing so costs power and energy, lowering its effectiveness in the process. Depending on the situation, you may wish to invest in a more effective air conditioner, or have a professional install a dehumidifier in your home to help with the problem. For air conditioning repair in Alexandria, call upon the experts at Oasis Heating A/C & Refrigeration, Inc.

We understand how humidity reduces your air conditioner’s effectiveness and we can make informed recommendations that fit your particular needs! Call us today.

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Tuesday, May 9th, 2017 at 3:49 pm | Categories: Air Conditioning |