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You know those periods when it feels like tiny, little drops of water were hovering over your head? You may not notice it, but when summer comes rolling in, you get this persistent feeling. And just then, your air conditioner becomes the most important appliance in your house. After all, you won’t want to go sweating uncontrollably around the house!
But then, have you ever asked yourself what that muggy feeling could be? Humidity!
What's Inside
What’s Humidity and How Does It Matter?
Looking up to the clouds could create such wonderful moments, but how about the atmosphere in your home? I never knew you had one? Of course, you do! Water comes in three forms: solid, liquid, and gaseous. The amount of gaseous water (water vapor) present in the air is referred to as humidity.
If you do a lot of dry laundry or stove-top cooking in your home, the humidity of your home could be surprisingly high! Unfortunately, high humidity levels have adverse effects on your clothes, appliances, and even your body! It could make your clothes extra damp when you keep them in the cupboard, cause short-circuiting in your computer, and lead to respiratory problems for you.
Air conditioners and dehumidifiers are two appliances that help reduce the humidity level in your home.
How Do They Work?
Dehumidifiers are similar to vacuum cleaners; they suck in air from one side of the room, removes the moisture present in the air, and blows the air back into the room. Actually, the process is quite more complicated than that. The air passes over an evaporator coil followed by a condenser coil before it is released. During this process, the air is warmed.
On the other hand, air conditioners, rather than producing warmer air, give out air that is much cooler than the one taken in. In a single sentence, a dehumidifier removes moisture from the air by warming the air, while an air conditioner removes moisture from the air by cooling the air.
Luckily, some appliances efficiently combine the functions of both an air conditioner and a dehumidifier.
Can I Use Both Simultaneously?
In as much as these two appliances help reduce the humidity of the air, they could go to the extreme in performing their functions. For instance, take a look at ACs.
The whole purpose of putting on the air conditioner to make the room cooler. After some minutes, this aim is achieved. However, further cooling of the air would result in an overly dry room. The same applies to the dehumidifier; over usage could create an overly warm room.
So, in reality, using both simultaneously would help each appliance compliment for that missing balance. Meaning you get to stay in a room that is neither too warm nor too cold, coupled with the absence of humidity.
Any Other Benefits of Such Combo?
Come to think of it: ACs are two-way functioned. Firstly, they remove the water vapor in the air, and then they make the air cleaner. If the dehumidifier already removes the water vapor, the amount of energy gulped by the AC would reduce.
A cool and humid environment is a perfect recipe for fungi, mold, and bacterial growth. This could result in several health hazards: coughing, sneezing, allergies, asthma attacks, to mention a few. This combo eliminates the chances of such a moment occurring.
