The air conditioning system in your home is often an unrecognized hero during the hot and humid summer months. It not only cools the air that keeps you home more comfortable, but it also removes excess humidity. However, sometimes, you might notice that despite the air conditioning running at full blast, the humidity levels remain high. This can be a puzzling and frustrating issue for homeowners. It your air conditioner appears to be running yet your home has a ton of moisture in the air, you may wonder if something is wrong with your air conditioner. The answer is yes, something is wrong. Steve’s Heating and Air will share how an air conditioning system removes humidity from the air and what problems may have occurred.
How Does an Air Conditioner Work?
An air conditioner works by absorbing the heat and moisture from the air inside your home. The warm, humid air is pulled into the air conditioning system where it passes over the evaporator coil. The evaporator coil is filled with refrigerant that absorbs heat from the air, cooling it down. As the air cools, its capacity to hold moisture is reduced, causing the water vapor to condense on the evaporator coil in the form of condensation. The condensation will then drain away, reducing the humidity in your home. If the air conditioner is not removing the humidity in the air, something went wrong during the cooling process that may require a professional’s help.
Why is My AC Not Getting Rid of Humidity?
• Improper AC Unit Size: The size of your air conditioning system matters greatly when it comes to removing humidity. If your system is too large for the space it is cooling it will cool the area quickly and cycle off before it has a chance to remove moisture from the air. This is because the moisture removal occurs when the air is in contact with the cool evaporator coil. Short cycling prevents this, leaving humidity levels high inside the home.
• Improperly Positioned or Dirty Coils: If your evaporator coil is not clean or is positioned improperly, it may not be able to effectively condense the moisture in the air. Regular maintenance and cleaning can help ensure that your air conditioner’s components such as the evaporator coils are in the best shape in order to perform their tasks.
• Lack of AC Maintenance: Just as with any other piece of machinery, regular maintenance of your air conditioning system is critical. Neglecting your HVAC system’s maintenance can lead to poor performance and efficiency, including the units ability to remove humidity.
• Faulty or Improperly Set Thermostat: If your thermostat is set to the proper mode such as mainly focusing on cooling and not dehumidifying, or if it is malfunctioning, it might be contributing to your humidity problem. Some modern thermostats have a dehumidification setting that can help control this. Check the thermostat setting and modes to make sure it is dehumidifying.
• Leaky Air Ducts: If your air ducts has a leak, it can draw in unconditioned air from outside or un-cooled areas from the house like the attic. An air duct leak can raise the humidity level inside your home. Also, if the cooled and dehumidified air is leaking out, it won’t reach your living spaces effectively. The air duct system can develop leaks and will need periodical maintenance and or repairs.
Central Air Conditioning Preventive Maintenance Tune Up, Emergency Repair, Replacement & More in Sumrall, Purvis, Oak Grove, Dixie, Richton, Columbia, Lumberton, Petal & Hattiesburg MS & Pine Belt, Mississippi
If your air conditioning system isn’t removing humidity from inside your home, you will want to have your HVAC system checked. For quality HVAC services, contact Steve’s Heating and Air today.
