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Why does the air cooler increase the humidity?
In summer, when the heat indoors becomes unbearable, neither at home nor in the office it is impossible to do without air conditioning. But air conditioners have a significant disadvantage – they consume too much electricity and in addition they dry the air. The alternative to air conditioners is a more economical portable air cooler, which not only cools the air in the room, but also refreshes it. The principle of operation of this device is simple: with the help of a fan, air is forced inside the device, which passes through a filter moistened with water. As a result, the water evaporates, providing a cooling effect to the air due to the liquid-to-steam conversion effect known to every schoolboy. In addition, air coolers are easy to handle and relatively inexpensive, which explains their widespread use even in poor countries, as well as their use by poor households around the world. But the air cooler also has the disadvantage that it increases the humidity in the room, causing additional inconvenience to the occupants. How can you reduce air cooler humidity with simple home remedies that aren’t burdensome on your wallet and don’t require special appliance handling skills?
Seven ways to reduce humidity in an air cooler
Let’s get acquainted with seven tips to solve this problem, and at the same time extend the life of your air cooler well beyond the warranty period. Many of these methods require you to take just a few minutes and are also completely free.
Ensuring adequate ventilation
All you need to do is ensure a supply of fresh air into the room by opening windows and doors. Please note – if you have alternatives, you should not open the windows that face a busy thoroughfare, as it gets into the room not only the street noise, but also the dust that precipitates on the floor, window sills, furniture surfaces and office equipment. And if you live in a humid seaside climate, this simple solution, on the contrary, can increase the natural humidity in the room, so it is better to try alternative ways to reduce humidity. The same undesirable effect can be achieved if you open a window when the weather is too hot – instead of cooling the air, you’ll feel as if the room is hot as the tropics.
Adding charcoal briquettes to your home
To reduce the humidity of the air cooler, you can also use charcoal briquettes, made from an environmentally friendly material – charcoal, inexpensive and commonly available. In order to use this method, it is enough to put several briquettes in any open container – a basket, a bowl or a container, putting it so that it did not cause inconvenience when moving around the room and could not topple from your careless movement. No additional manipulation is needed – the air will humidify automatically while you go about your daily activities or just relax.
Remember, though, that charcoal is a flammable material. This means that you need to make sure the electrical wiring is working properly and do not use open flame sources (such as gasoline lighters) near the briquettes. For this reason, it is better to put briquettes in ceramic containers rather than plastic ones, and especially not in containers made of pressed cardboard, which burst into flames with the slightest spark.
Take care of leaks.
Unnoticed leaks, such as water dripping from the faucet, can also contribute to a high level of humidity in the room. So if you feel that your apartment or office is turning into a kind of hotbed, inspect the faucets and plumbing, make sure none of these appliances are leaking and dripping. That’s the third answer to the question, “How do you reduce humidity in an air cooler?” Not only will this “inspection” help reduce the humidity level in the room, but it will also save you the extra expense associated with wasting water. However, if you’re worried that you can’t handle shutting off leaks without creating more problems for you and your neighbors, you’ll have to call a plumber who can handle this task professionally.
Don’t hang wet clothes in your home
Another potential source of excess moisture indoors is wet clothes that you’ve just walked in the rain in (option: clothes that haven’t dried out after another wash). To prevent this problem, get a washing machine with a drying effect, or dry soaked/freshly washed clothes on the balcony instead of indoors. And most importantly, do not hang them to dry directly in front of the air cooler, which, unlike air conditioner, does not dry your clothes, but creates just the opposite effect, increasing the duration of drying and filling the room with suffocating wet fog, reminiscent of laundry air.
Remove plants from your room
The effect of humidifying the air is created by indoor plants. Anyone who has been in a greenhouse at least once in his life will be convinced that their presence has this effect – the effect of tropical humidity is created not only by the glass roof, but also by plants actively evaporating moisture, especially if they are inhabitants of southern latitudes.
So if you suspect that it is your indoor plants that are causing this unwanted effect, take them out of the room and onto a balcony. Make sure that the door to the balcony to which the pots or planters are moved is tightly closed. This will allow the moisture the plants evaporate to escape into the outside air rather than into the interior of your apartment or office. If you are right you will experience a welcome freshness effect in just a few hours. Don’t forget to water your green pets, especially if it’s a hot summer, and don’t expose them directly to the scorching sun! As night falls and it gets cooler at night, put them back in.
Add ice to the air cooler
Just add a few ice cubes to the water your air cooler is using, and you’ll feel the desired freshness and coolness. This simple action allows you to increase the capacity of the appliance, as well as put the evaporation process under control. Another law of physics, familiar from school years, comes into play – instead of saturating the room with humid mist, the air cooler will begin to emit a cool gaseous mist. It’s important not to overdo it – if you put too much ice in, the air cooler will simply stop working.
Perform Proper Maintenance
This rule, seventh on the list, could have been put at the top of the list. Although it requires extra effort and expense, it will ensure that your air cooler lasts as long as possible and will save you from the unnecessary costs associated with repairing your current unit or buying a new one.
First of all, you need to remember to clean the fan, water tank and other parts of the appliance, remove dust and dirt from them. Especially if you use tap water rather than filtered water, which may be too hard and contain undesirable impurities that precipitate on the surface of the air cooler and reduce its service life.
Remember to change the filter at least every six months, and preferably use a natural rather than synthetic filter material. This also helps reduce the moisture content of the air cooler.
Some manufacturers advise keeping the refrigerant enclosure outside the room, directing the air flow through a window or doorway. This will also help reduce the humidity level in the room.
Remember, the air cooler is designed for rooms that have optimal ventilation. If your apartment or office does not meet these requirements, it is advisable to purchase an air conditioner.
Also, to reduce humidity levels, you can turn off the cooler at night, leaving only the fan on.
So, the air cooler is an extremely convenient device, the use of which has both pros and cons. First of all, you need to remember that this device is best used in regions with a cool temperate climate, not where there is a tropical heat. Do not forget about the rules of maintenance of this device, which prolongs the period of its operation to the maximum possible, follow the above rules and you will achieve the desired effect of freshness and coolness.
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