Does a dehumidifier help with cooling?
You have to admit that dehumidifiers are one of the best inventions of the century. (Even though they are not a new invention, they are still amazing).
Dehumidifiers’ main function is to remove moisture from the air. They do this by using either the desiccant or refrigerant methods. Both of these methods work by drawing moisture from the air and then heating it, so the moisture is released as water. Most of the time, this water is collected and drained and can be reused for other things.
Essentially, dehumidifiers are designed to deal with high levels of humidity. After all, the latter causes unwanted effects such as mold growth, structural damages, and other health issues.
However, it is already a common notion that these dehumidifiers can also cool a particular area–similar to what air conditioners do. But is there truth to this matter?
Dehumidifiers vs. Air Conditioners
To know the answer to this curious question, we have to understand first if an air conditioner is similar to a dehumidifier. Or if the latter can be used as an alternative for traditional AC systems.
Interestingly enough, air conditioners and dehumidifiers are both appliances used to keep a home cool in the summer. But do you know the difference between these two appliances?
Air conditioners dehumidify the air to cool the temperature of a given space. But instead of warming the air, they are cooling it. Cool air has weaker water carrying capacity than warm air, making it not prone to moisture accumulation. Unlike dehumidifiers, air conditioners have a partial external setup; the end of its body is placed outside. This design allows the air conditioner to take warm air and pass it to the coils.
As the air is passing the condenser coil, its warmth is ejected outside. The resulting output is cool air that circulates around your room or space.
Dehumidifiers offer the same mechanism as air conditioners. They take the air inside the room and dry it. In this way, the moisture contained in the air will be converted into water. Similar to air conditioners, dehumidifiers release cool air. However, instead of cooling, dehumidifiers dry the air so that it would be comfortable and free from excess humidity.
Does A Dehumidifier Help With Cooling?
Based on the explanation above, dehumidifiers are capable of cooling effects. It may not actually cool an area the way an air conditioner does, but it does help in reducing the temperature.
Keep in mind that warm air is humid. Air is composed of nitrogen, oxygen, and other gases, as well as tiny dust and water droplets (humidity). When air is warm, it can hold more moisture. But warm air is less dense than cool air, so it rises. As it rises, the water condenses to form small droplets of water. This is the reason that the air is humid. As the air cools, it becomes denser and falls to the ground, which is why you feel colder when you move from a hot room to a cooler space.
Also, as you have noticed, the air during summer or any hot days is moist to wet. Temperature plays a factor in expanding the air’s capacity to hold water vapor.
Every time the temperature is high, it is often difficult to feel dry. You get sweaty, but it doesn’t dry off because of the existing humidity in your environment. It is impossible for your sweat to evaporate quickly. Oppositely, when you enter a room that is fully air-conditioned, you’ll notice that it is difficult for you to sweat.
In short, when you dehumidify a room, things feel cooler. Dehumidifiers are often used together with air conditioners to amplify the coolness of a given space without making things odorous and musty. It is easy to experience the best of both worlds if they are operating side by side.
What Is Considered Highly Humid?
Humidity is a measurement of the amount of water vapor contained in the air. It is usually expressed as a percentage and can be calculated by using a hygrometer. When the air contains more water vapor than is needed to saturate the air, it is called high humidity.
High humidity is considered a problem because the air becomes very uncomfortable and has a tendency to make people feel hot and irritable. When the air is saturated with water vapor, the air is said to be at 100% humidity.
However, highly humid air starts at around 65%. At this point, you will feel the symptoms of humidity, which include swampiness and discomforts. Meanwhile, humidity is said to be “correct” if it is in the range of 40% to 60%.
How To Know If You Need A Dehumidifier?
You can immediately tell if you have humidity problems if the following symptoms are present in your home or building:
- Clammy air – If the air is humid, you will notice that your ambiance feels moist. This makes the air feel less comfortable, especially to the skin. You will sense stickiness.
- Fogging windows – When your windows become foggy, it could be a sign that there is too much humidity in the air. Water vapor cannot escape outside, so they tend to get trapped in the surface of glasses and windows.
- Musty smell – Musty odors are caused by mold and mildew buildup due to excess moisture in the air. This can be caused by high humidity, which may come from leaks, poor ventilation, or the use of humidifiers.
- Mold growth – Did you know that mold growth on walls and floors is often a sign of high humidity? If you’ve noticed a small area of mold on a wall or floor, it’s possible that the humidity levels in your home are too high. While it’s true that you can get mold on your walls even if the humidity levels are too low, the condition is most common in homes with higher levels of humidity.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, it is true that dehumidifiers can provide cooling effects to a particular area. After all, it operates the same way as air conditioners, albeit with some distinct nuances.
Do you have other questions related to humidifiers and dehumidifiers? Ask me in the comment section below!