Throughout most of Texas, the summer time is not only hot, but also humid — and as you know, moisture can make you feel even hotter. Relief from the heat usually means relief from the humidity. A/Cs and dehumidifiers are crucial for this purpose. While an A/C unit may cool the air and help cut down humidity in the house somewhat, in some parts of Texas, where the humidity is thick in the summer, a dehumidifier may also be needed.
A/Cs and dehumidifiers pull moisture out of the air. A/C units do this indirectly through condensation. In a standard A/C unit, copper coils carrying refrigerant capture moisture from the warmer household air. The surface of the copper coils is much colder than the air around it, reducing the air’s “dew point” (the temperature at which water vapor in the air condenses into liquid water). Cooler air holds less water vapor than warmer air. A decent sized, 12,000 BTU air conditioner removes between three and four pints of water from the air per hour.
While A/C units act as dehumidifiers to some degree, it is only a result of the cooling process. Dehumidifiers essentially use the same principles, but they are much more effective at removing moisture from the air. They are much more adept at condensing water vapor into liquid water, but they do not cool the air coming out. The moisture is collected on a series of coils and then drained, usually into a bucket that must be emptied. The air moving out of the dehumidifier is then drier, but it is also slightly heated from the compressor. Dehumidifiers are similar to A/C units in that whole house models are more efficient and will cut down on energy costs in the long run. They can increase comfort in the spring and fall months when the air is humid, but temperatures are down.
See what Bill Joplin’s Air Conditioning & Heating can add to your home with an A/C or dehumidifier this summer. Joplin’s has provided excellent HVAC service to McKinney and the north Dallas area since 1978.
