Serving Tampa & Surrounding Areas In most of the southern U.S., but especially in Florida, humidity is a problem most of the year. Even when we start crawling closer to the fall and winter months, the soggy air is nearly always a concern. Humidity makes it extremely uncomfortable to be outdoors, and that only makes it more frustrating when our homes are humid as well.
Naturally, the first solution we usually think of is purchasing a dehumidifier to soak up all the moisture in our homes. Once that happens, the humidity problem becomes a thing of the past, and we can go back to being comfortable. But what about our AC units? They blow cool air everywhere, so shouldn’t they function as a dehumidifier as well?
If that’s the case, couldn’t you just use it to get rid of humidity and skip the whole buying-a-new appliance part? The answer is both yes and no. Read on, and let Home Service Heroes walk you through why that is.
Why an AC Can Work as a Dehumidifier
So, the first part of the answer – why an AC unit can help reduce airborne moisture – requires understanding how it works. An air conditioner takes in the air in your home, passes it over a cold coil, and returns the now-cool air to circulation. When this happens, your AC is naturally going to take in some of the humid air and remove the moisture.
However, doing so requires a lot of energy from the unit itself. To remove more moisture, the AC has to be set to an exceptionally low temperature – to work harder, it needs a target. The obvious benefit is that your home’s air will lower in humidity, but the drawback is that it will require more money in the form of a higher energy bill.
…And Why Can’t
As we outlined above, your AC can – to an extent – operate as a sort of dehumidifier. What it can’t do is remove moisture while, at the same time, keeping the temperature stable. It needs the lower setting to activate, which means the only way you can lower humidity is by creating a frozen tundra of a home.
If you’re brave enough soul to endure frigid temperatures in the name of removing humidity, then you need to be sure your home’s AC unit is properly sized. One that is too large won’t stay on long enough to get rid of the moisture, and a too-small one won’t be able to do the job, period.
So, to summarize, you can use your home’s AC unit as a dehumidifier – to an extent. If there’s just a small bit in your home, you might be able to get away with it, but most of the time you can’t. There’s a reason dehumidifiers were invented, and you’d be better off investing in one of those than you would be trusting your AC to do all the heavy lifting.
Home Service Heroes is here to handle all of your AC needs, and we’ll work closely with you to develop the right solution. Give us a call at (813) 696-3398 and speak with one of our team members to find out how we can help you!
