Last Updated: February 27, 2024
Enduring high heat makes you uncomfortable, and when this high heat is combined with elevated levels of humidity, it becomes unbearable. Apart from making it awkward, high humidity levels also pose serious health challenges. A high moisture level in a living space is a potential breeding ground for molds, mildews, dust mites, and other allergy triggers.
Nowadays, residences are designed to be air-tight, trapping excess moisture and pollutants inside. Being underground, basements tend to stay damp, and limited ventilation leads to humid, stagnant, smelly air. Some basements lack windows entirely, while others have tiny windows that are often located up high at ground level. If left unattended without proper ventilation, your basement can become a repository of mold spores, pungent smells, and other harmful pollutants.
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- How Much Does a Basement Dehumidifier Cost?
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- Best Air Conditioner Dehumidifier Combo (Buying Guide 2021)
Due to its location, the basement is susceptible to moisture and cold air seeping through wall and floor cracks. Once this cold air comes into contact with the warmer air in the basement, it leads to condensation, creating mold and mildew conditions to thrive. These hazardous air contaminants do not remain confined to the basements and can disperse the contaminated air to the whole home. Mold causes serious indoor air quality problems that can lead to severe health conditions. Even seemingly healthier adults can be affected by mold and low indoor air quality.
Basements are magnets for mold, but they don’t have to be! Air conditioners and dehumidifiers are both well known for removing humidity from the air. The question that comes is the difference and which one is better than the other for use in the basement to handle humidity.
Operation of a Dehumidifier
A dehumidifier pulls in the humid air from the environment and removes the moisture by moving the air through tubes and fins. This air then passes through refrigerated coils in the unit, condenses, and the vapor separates from the air. The dried air is released back into the house, while the condensed water droplets are collected into a container or drained through a hose outside. Their ability to remove a high amount of moisture levels in a given space makes dehumidifiers great for water damage restoration. Dehumidifiers are often employed to quickly and effectively dry flooded rooms, significantly reducing the risk of structural damage and the emergence of mold.
Operation of Air Conditioners
Air conditioning involves modifying the air’s temperature and humidity by cooling the air, enabling warm sticky environments to become much more comfortable.
An air conditioner also pulls in the warm, humid air, but it removes both the heat and moisture by passing it through the refrigerated coils and recirculates the cool air back into the house. The condensed moisture is drained away, and the heat that is absorbed is released through the air conditioner’s outdoor unit. This cooling cycle repeats itself until it achieves the desired temperature in the area.
An air conditioning unit helps keep allergies and irritants at bay and maintain a comfortable indoor environment. Some air conditioning units are equipped with filters that can remove pet hair, dust, and dander from the air.
Dehumidifier Vs. Air Conditioners – The Similarities
Dehumidifiers and air conditioners reduce the humidity level of a given space and help ensure cleaner airflow. These devices are equipped with filters that can trap certain particulates in the air. AC and a dehumidifier offer comfortable ventilation in an indoor space. You can efficiently operate them in bedrooms, living rooms, or even the basement for ventilation purposes. These appliances are also similar when it comes to ensuring prevention from specific health-related issues.
Dehumidifiers and air conditioners also offer a certain extent of portability (depending on the model), making it easier for you to move these units from room to room. Since both of these appliances extract moisture from the air, they need to store and expel water.
Dehumidifier vs. Air Conditioners – The Differences
The principal difference between the two appliances is that air conditioners are used to cool air in a designated area. Dehumidifiers are responsible for reducing the humidity levels by pulling moisture out of the air by drying the air, and making it warmer.
An Air conditioner collects the condensate moisture in a tank that drains outside, generally through a drainage tube. On the other hand, dehumidifiers, after pulling the water or moisture from the air, store it in a water reservoir or pass in the drainage through a hose attachment. These units also tend to have auto-off features to prevent spillage.
Another difference between these two appliances is temperature control. Air conditioners are used for controlling the overall temperature of a space by expelling hot air out of a room while throwing cool air in a space. Dehumidifiers are not exclusively designed for temperature control. They are more concerned with maintaining the humidity levels and will help extract moisture from an area.
Can an Air Conditioner be used as a Dehumidifier?
During the warm summer months, the air inside your home feels clammy and warm due to the humidity. Those staying nearer the coastal towns will be well aware of this. Sweltering sun or high humidity, neither sounds very pleasant. You may wonder whether your air conditioner can act as a dehumidifier and improve air quality to make you feel more comfortable.
Some air conditioners are equipped with a dry function that can work as a dehumidifier by lowering the room temperature and reducing the humidity levels. However, this is partially effective because an air conditioner removes some moisture while circulating warm air and pushing cold air. However, since eliminating humidity is not the primary function of an air conditioner, it would not be as effective in removing humidity in extremely humid climates.
If your air conditioner unit is larger than required for the house, it cools it down to temperature before it can adequately dehumidify. It may not effectively remove humidity even if it runs continuously, which is also extremely costly and impractical. You may notice humidity in the home if you happen to a humid basement, regardless of whether the AC is running because the air conditioning thermostat measures the temperature where the unit is located (mostly in the upper part of the house) and does not consider the entire home’s humidity level. Also, while an AC unit circulates cold air throughout the area, it doesn’t actively remove humidity from the basement, which is most susceptible to moist conditions. Also, the air conditioner does not utilize the warm air produced by its system to dry out the cool air further but disposes it outside the house.
The primary purpose of a dehumidifier is to remove moisture from the air; hence it is more efficient at creating dry air, increasing air quality, and preventing mold. A dehumidifier would not expel the heat produced by its condenser outside the building as the moisture-less air is reheated to dry it further out and is then expelled right outside the system.
The Perfect Balance
Your air conditioner needs an ally to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home because of its relationship between heat and moisture. A dehumidification unit can improve the overall air quality throughout not only your basement but the entire house. Basement dehumidifiers clean and filter the air, control moisture, and humidity, and reduce odors and mold growth potential. These units can be ducted and are self-draining, so you don’t have to worry about emptying any buckets or reservoirs.
Running a dehumidifier in your air-conditioned home will reduce your overall energy usage because it makes it easier to remove moisture, enabling the air conditioner to work more efficiently. Dehumidification lowers the relative humidity levels in your home and reduces the cooling requirement as you feel more comfortable. A dehumidifier costs significantly less than an air conditioner and also inexpensive to operate comparatively. When the outside temperature is not high, you can save on electricity as you stay comfortable. This also reduces the overall wear and tear on your air conditioner as it is not required to rigorously lower humidity, potentially saving you a large amount of money and hassle on repairs and eventual replacement costs.
To conclude, a dehumidifier will remove the excess humidity without causing the temperature to drop significantly. An air conditioner will reduce the moisture and lower the temperature significantly. Dehumidifiers are best used to manage high levels of humidity that do not require significant cooling. An air conditioner is more suitable for a condition when the primary aim is for cooling, even though it can also act as a dehumidifier by default.
Dehumidifiers tend to be less expensive than air conditioning units and also use less electricity. If you feel sticky and clammy despite continuously running an air conditioner, you may benefit from adding a dehumidifier. The humidity levels inside your home are also affected by the house’s location, how well it is shaded and ventilated. Additionally, a dehumidifier will quickly and permanently resolve the stale smell and molds in your cold, damp basement, kitchen, or bathrooms. In cooler autumn or winter months or during heavy downpours, the general temperature is low but contains a high humidity level. In such a condition, you can effectively use the dehumidifier without using the air conditioner.
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