Air Conditioner Versus Dehumidifier
Simply maintaining an ideal temperature in your home during summer months isn’t enough to keep you comfortable. However, creating a healthy environment is possible when you know the difference between your air conditioner and dehumidifier.
Each one helps by controlling humidity, and they work together to maintain optimum temperatures in your house when humidity levels are high.
What’s the Difference Between the Two?
Both an air conditioner and a dehumidifier circulate refrigerant through a continuous loop, switching between liquid to gas repeatedly. However, regardless of their similarities, both have subtle differences. The first difference is air conditioners move warm and cool air and dehumidifiers don’t.
An air conditioner has a fan system design to move air in a room over the evaporator coils, which cools the warm air. The leftover warm air is exhausted outside, so your home remains cool.
A dehumidifier uses a fan to pull in the moist air and deliver dry air back out. The warm air isn’t disposed of so it comes back inside, which plays an adverse effect on the cooling process in your home.
The next difference is moisture control. Both deal with moisture by condensing it on the cooling coils. However, the air conditioner pools the condensate in a pan, which drains. There might be a drip edge or drainage tubes, either way gets the moisture out of the house.
A dehumidifier pulls the water from the air, allowing it to accumulate in a water reservoir. A hose is attached to the reservoir for a dedicated drainage area. An automatic shutoff prevents spills.
Controlling Humidity with an Air Conditioner
Because your air conditioning system can remove some of the moisture from your home, it’s a great option for moderate humidity areas. However, if your current air conditioning system isn’t correctly sized for your house, it won’t effectively eliminate excess moisture.
If you live in Alabama, where the humidity is unbearable during the summer months, combining a whole-home dehumidifier with your cooling system will be the best option.
Benefits of a Dehumidifier
A dehumidifier works with your current air conditioning system to provide more moisture control and even temperatures in your home. The relative humidity in most homes needs to be between 30 percent and 50 percent. In Birmingham, an achievable level is closer to 45 to 55 percent. When humidity consistently goes above the 60 percent mark, you may experience:
- Increased mold and mildew growth
- Growth and spread of dust mites
- Damaged clothing and furniture
- Weakened immune system
- Health complications for those with asthma or allergies.
A whole-home dehumidifier offers many benefits besides controlling and maintaining your moisture levels in your home. Portable dehumidifiers require you to move them from room to room. Or they require you to buy multiple units to cover several spaces.
Whole-home dehumidifiers remove moisture from every room in your home by working with your current heating and cooling system’s ductwork.
This allows your air conditioning system to work less often because the lower humidity levels make the air feel cooler. A whole-home dehumidifier helps your air conditioner run more efficiently because it only has to work to cool the air and not dehumidify it.
Douglas Cooling & Heating – Your Dehumidifier Experts
A dehumidifier with your current HVAC system is more efficient compared to portable units and come in a variety of sizes. Douglas Cooling & Heating carries several dehumidifiers to choose, and our NATE-certified technicians will suggest the best option for your home. Concerned about expenses? We offer financing!
Using a whole-home dehumidifier with your air conditioner improves energy-efficiency in your home and keeps you feeling comfortable all summer long.
Contact Douglas Cooling & Heating if you are ready to take control of your Alabama humidity issues in your home. Our NATE-certified technicians are experienced and skilled to install a quality dehumidifier with your air conditioning unit.
