Home Repair (alt.home.repair) For all homeowners and DIYers with many experienced tradesmen. Solve your toughest home fix-it problems.

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1   Report Post  
 
Posts: n/a
Default running dehumidifier with central a/c, yes or no?

TimR wrote:

Stormy Weather wrote:

If your intention is to control the humidity, then yes run your
de-humidifiers. The trade off is more money. The heat added by the
de-humidifiers will cause the a/c to run longer...


The heat is bad news, in summertime.

...Just let the AC filter get dirty.


To reduce the airflow over the cold side...

Well, it is wrong, but filters isn't the answer. (Although they may
help with the constant volume problem.)


I disagree. (What's the "constant volume problem"?)

I don't think his intention is to control humidity, I think it is to
save energy.


We might use night air for cooling, with AC mainly for dehumidification.

...Normal household AC does not control humidity. It controls temperature,
and reduces humidity by happy thermodynamic accident.


It's no accident. If C cfm of 70 F air at 50% RH with Pa = 0.374" Hg enters
a box with a 20 ft^2 40 F coil and mixes well before leaving, we might have
something like this (viewed in a fixed font):

1/C 1/40
70 ---www-------www--- 40
|
T = exit air temp = 40+30C/(C+40).

cfm T RH@70F = 100e^(17.863-9621/(T+460))/(2x0.374)

100 61.4 50%
50 56.7 50%
20 50.0 49% |
10 46.0 42% | dirty filter
5 43.3 38% |

One way to get better control is to use a humidistat and add reheat.


Reheat is bad news, in summertime.

A dehumidifier could sort of function that way. I think you would want
to change your basic AC parameters if you wanted to do that though.


We might add a freezestat...

Nick

  #2   Report Post  
TimR
 
Posts: n/a
Default running dehumidifier with central a/c, yes or no?

wrote in message ...
TimR wrote:

Stormy Weather wrote:

If your intention is to control the humidity, then yes run your
de-humidifiers. The trade off is more money. The heat added by the
de-humidifiers will cause the a/c to run longer...


The heat is bad news, in summertime.



You don't bother to state your assumptions. If you are below your
design conditions, you have capacity to handle the heat. If you are
at your design condition you are getting good humidity reduction and
your dehumidiers don't run.



...Just let the AC filter get dirty.


To reduce the airflow over the cold side...

Well, it is wrong, but filters isn't the answer. (Although they may
help with the constant volume problem.)


I disagree. (What's the "constant volume problem"?)


Simply that a constant volume airconditioner can never adequately
reduce humidity at part load. It's basic thermodynamics. See the
paper on the Trane page, it's pretty clear. How often are you at part
load? Well, if you design for a 2.5% day, then about 97.5% of the
time. If I did the math correctly. This is the problem VAV systems
solve.


I don't think his intention is to control humidity, I think it is to
save energy.


We might use night air for cooling, with AC mainly for dehumidification.

...Normal household AC does not control humidity. It controls temperature,
and reduces humidity by happy thermodynamic accident.


It's no accident. If C cfm of 70 F air at 50% RH with Pa = 0.374" Hg enters
a box with a 20 ft^2 40 F coil and mixes well before leaving, we might have
something like this (viewed in a fixed font):

1/C 1/40
70 ---www-------www--- 40
|
T = exit air temp = 40+30C/(C+40).

cfm T RH@70F = 100e^(17.863-9621/(T+460))/(2x0.374)

100 61.4 50%
50 56.7 50%
20 50.0 49% |
10 46.0 42% | dirty filter
5 43.3 38% |



Your system is designed to have variable air volume by adding
resistance to the filter section. Bad idea for two reasons: The way
you want to vary the CFM is by a variable speed fan. Also, you can't
turn airflow down to 5% on a DX coil, you'll freeze it solid.

One way to get better control is to use a humidistat and add reheat.


Reheat is bad news, in summertime.



No, there's nothing wrong with reheat, IF you have capacity. And you
always do, at part load. At full load, your reheat doesn't run. It
doesn't need to, you have (usually) sufficient humidity control.


A dehumidifier could sort of function that way. I think you would want
to change your basic AC parameters if you wanted to do that though.


We might add a freezestat...

Nick


Tim
  #4   Report Post  
HvacTech2
 
Posts: n/a
Default



Hi ~^Johnny^~, hope you are having a nice day

On 21-Aug-04 At About 14:36:13, ~^Johnny^~ wrote to All
Subject: running dehumidifier with central a/c, yes or no?

~ From: ~^Johnny^~


~ Ane evap cpil will ice up, if the compressor runs too long,
~ regardless of airflow, UNLESS there is a good EPR downstream in the
~ suction line.

Just so eveyone is clear this is not true. if the air flow and temp are high
enough you could run the compressor as long as you want and it would not
freeze. but if you let the air flow rate, or temp, drop too low it will freeze
in no time flat.

-= HvacTech2 =-


... *IT IS* documented, look under "For Internal Use Only."

___ TagDude 0.92á+[DM]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++
spam protection measure, Please remove the 33 to send e-mail
Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Central Air Flow Problem Bob Shuman Electronics Repair 6 July 9th 04 01:14 PM
Why is AC running in the morning when it's cooler outdoors? LuckyDucky Home Repair 18 July 17th 03 02:24 PM
How safe is it to short out pressure switches in central A/C conpressor? [email protected] Home Repair 4 June 25th 03 05:38 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 05:59 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 DIYbanter.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about DIY & home improvement"