Extra Dry Aircon is drying out my skin, lips, throat??

[wgdanson]

46 minutes ago, startracker said:

 

I don't believe that's the case.

 

It's usually set to 23/24, which is what I've been setting A/C's to in Thailand for around a decade.

 

 

Isn't it strange that if you have your heating on in UK at 20 C, it's reasonably warm, but if you put your a/c on here at 20 C, it's <deleted> freezin'. !

[Mike Teavee]

41 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Sorry, it was another poster in this thread, not you, who was talking about having the AC set at 18....

 

Nonetheless, you might try upping the thermostat a bit to 25 or 25 and see if that helps -- in addition to doing anything with a bowl of water and/or a humidifier.

 

As someone who's had lifelong sinus problems, I too have heard doctors recommend having a large bowl/basin of water in the bedroom at night, near or next to your head in the bed like on a nightstand, to help lessen dryness symptoms. Never done it myself, though. It's an easy and no-cost potential remedy.

Hmmm... I've just tried to find the article that said 18 was the optimum temperature for sleeping and came across one that says it's 25... http://www.aircon-servicing.com.sg/articles/best-aircon-temperature-for-night-sleeping.html

 

As I say, it's not the heat that bothers me (I'm also one of those "Pillocks" that has the Aircon on 16/18 and ends up crawling under the duvet/comforter - Though I do love to have cold feet!) - I have it on all night because the low hum it makes cancels out the noise from the MRT construction across the road.

 

Will try it on 21 tonight & make my way to 25 over the next week or so... 

 

Now I think about it, the guys who serviced my aircon last time (standard to service them every 1/4 as part of the condo rental contract in SG), said I should stop setting it on a high speed / low temperature as it causes mold.

 

Edit: Then Sleep.org says the optimum temperature is 60-67F (15.5-19.5C) https://sleep.org/articles/temperature-for-sleep/ 

Edited September 16, 2018 by Mike Teavee

[transam]

5 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

Not being negative, but I doubt whether salt in the water will make any difference. The water will evaporate leaving the salt in the bowl, like salt farms down south where they leave sea water in pools. But as you say, cost nowt to try it, and maybe the placebo effect will take place. Cheers.

Well, my bedside table gets covered in salt after a while, so l have to top the bowl up...The bowls outside gets a salt crust which l break off after a few months....

 

A friend of mine has respiratory probs, doc keeps giving him strong antibiotics that don't work, l told him to try my salt fix,  he laughed and carries on taking the tabs that don't work..?

[CharlieH]

26 works for me, set on timer for 2hrs whilst settle and sleep then timer turns air off and fan on. That eliminated any "dryness".? and around 1000b month off the electric.?

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, wgdanson said:

Not being negative, but I doubt whether salt in the water will make any difference. The water will evaporate leaving the salt in the bowl, like salt farms down south where they leave sea water in pools. But as you say, cost nowt to try it, and maybe the placebo effect will take place. Cheers.

Saltwater should require less heat input to evaporate (taking only around 540 calories per gram instead of 540+80 calories per gram for freshwater).

[jak2002003]

1 hour ago, transam said:

Well, my bedside table gets covered in salt after a while, so l have to top the bowl up...The bowls outside gets a salt crust which l break off after a few months....

 

A friend of mine has respiratory probs, doc keeps giving him strong antibiotics that don't work, l told him to try my salt fix,  he laughed and carries on taking the tabs that don't work..?

Maybe the bowl is leaking... or made from a porous material, or you are dipping you hand in it in your sleep when you are dreaming....... because salt will not evaporate no matter what you do... only the water will.  

 

Sorry that is scientific fact.

 

 

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, Mike Teavee said:

Will try it on 21 tonight & make my way to 25 over the next week or so... 

 

I would imagine temperature can be a variable thing by person, perhaps on what their ethnicity is, and/or where they've lived previously. And obviously personal preferences and perhaps body composition.

 

But in my case, after many years living here, I find that 25 is a comfortable temperature at night for me with the air con on, and still being underneath a comforter. Depending on the weather outside, I can also set the AC temp to 26, and then maybe not sleep under the comforter.  If I set it to 27C, I begin to feel sticky during the night.

 

But in living here, with properly working air con, I've never felt the need to go below 25C at night and usually have the fan set on 2 on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being the lowest. I also have a digital monitor in my bedroom that tells me the actual temp, relative humidity and air pollution levels. So I know if my air con thermostat setting is or isn't keeping the room at the desired setting.

 

Sometimes if we're having a heat wave, when I first come into the bedroom at night, I might set the unit to 23 or 24, and set the fan higher, just to do the initial cool down more quickly. But once the overall room temp is down, I'll usually even in hot times set the temp to 25 and the fan to 2 once we're sleeping.

 

I've had those settings on all night and into this morning in the bedroom, and with that, my monitor is showing room humidity of 50-55%... and I don't usually feel any drying symptoms from our bedroom AC. That's with it set to the normal cooling mode.

 

Edited September 16, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, CharlieH said:

26 works for me, set on timer for 2hrs whilst settle and sleep then timer turns air off and fan on. That eliminated any "dryness".? and around 1000b month off the electric.?

 

What kind of timer and/or unit allows you to automatically shut off the AC cooling and just go with the AC fan setting -- without any manual intervention?

 

 

[wgdanson]

1 hour ago, wgdanson said:

Isn't it strange that if you have your heating on in UK at 20 C, it's reasonably warm, but if you put your a/c on here at 20 C, it's <deleted> freezin'. !

Sorry, I meant very cold!

[NCC1701A]

Bedroom air cond set to 27 or 26 if I have a friend over. Of course many variables like room size, BTU's, age of air cond. 

 

FOR ME it is the humidly that makes it hard to sleep, not the temp so much. So set to Dry mode.

 

 

[Bluespunk]

3 hours ago, wgdanson said:

Or simply use just the fan in the a/c.

Always thought that used a lot more power than a floor fan.

 

Is the wattage use the same?

[wgdanson]

Just now, Bluespunk said:

Always thought that used a lot more power than a floor fan.

 

Is the wattage use the same?

My floor fan is 50 watts, a/c fan 35, but not as strong. Works for us OK.

 

[Bluespunk]

7 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

My floor fan is 50 watts, a/c fan 35, but not as strong. Works for us OK.

 

Floor fans always worked for me. Each to their own. 

[transam]

1 hour ago, jak2002003 said:

Maybe the bowl is leaking... or made from a porous material, or you are dipping you hand in it in your sleep when you are dreaming....... because salt will not evaporate no matter what you do... only the water will.  

 

Sorry that is scientific fact.

 

 

 

 

I will repeat, a pharmacist told me to try it, it may help/work. After a week and ever since, my problem has gone, and l do have to top up the salt after a period.

Now I don't give a stuff that folk say salt won't be in the air, what l know is the bowl of salt water with the aid of a ceiling fan has done the trick for me......?

PS. I was also told to put charcoal in a basket in the corner of the room, never got round to that as the salt thing worked..

[CharlieH]

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

What kind of timer and/or unit allows you to automatically shut off the AC cooling and just go with the AC fan setting -- without any manual intervention?

 

 

To clarify, the A/c shuts down completely and an oscilating pedestal fan turns on via plug timer. No manual intervention when set correctly.

[startracker]

So then, to get back to the topic if okay.

 

Humidifiers.

 

Is anybody using one?

 

What model did you get?

 

Have you noticed a difference?

 

Thanks 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

58 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

To clarify, the A/c shuts down completely and an oscilating pedestal fan turns on via plug timer. No manual intervention when set correctly.

 

Ahh... OK. Thanks...  I know there are air con unit timers here that will shut off the unit period, as you've explained.

 

But I wasn't aware of any, at least among the kinds sold here in Thailand, that have the "smart" feature to change cooling modes on the unit itself based on a timer, like switching from cooling to fan-only mode.

 

PS - For some time, I've been trying to figure out if there's any reason for me to buy a "smart" wifi timer from the U.S. like those used with Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant.  Maybe using the air con's built-in simple timer together with a separate "smart" timer on a standalone fan would fit the bill.

 

Until that idea, I really couldn't find much of a use for for the Alexa / Google Home-based timers here, especially since all the lights in my home are overhead florescent as opposed to lamps. And just not that much other stuff at home that gets plugged into a wall outlet where I'd see much benefit in having an auto timer.

 

 

Edited September 16, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[OneMoreFarang]

In case you don't find a solution.

Put Vidisic Gel in your eyes at night. That will keep them moist without side effect.

I use it since years - the eye doctor recommended it.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, startracker said:

Humidifiers.

 

Is anybody using one?

 

What model did you get?

 

Have you noticed a difference?

 

Usually here, it's the opposite problem -- too much humidity vs not enough.

 

That said, if it were me, I'd try both turning down the fan setting and turning up the thermostat setting on the bedroom AC first, since neither of those cost anything to try (and instead, they're going to save you money). 

 

And then, at the same time or as a second step, try a good sized bowl of water near your head in bed at night.  And see whether one or both of those changes improve things for you.

 

And then, if they don't, go down the road of looking to purchase a humidifier.

 

------------------------

 

BTW, FWIW, I just went back and checked in our main bedroom where we've had the AC off since noon time.

 

With the AC, the temperature went down to 25C and the humidity to between 50 and 55%.

 

Now after hours without the air con, on a cloudy, rainy day in BKK, the room temperature has gone to 30C and the humidity in the room has risen to 60+%.

 

Edited September 16, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[startracker]

Bowl of water with salt.

 

25 degrees.

 

Still the same.

 

Felt the dryness as soon as entering the room. A/C was on maybe an hour before.

 

 

Will look at the dehumidifier things.

 

Thanks. 

[sometimewoodworker]

23 hours ago, Airalee said:

I use a humidifier as the dry air at night bothers my throat and sinuses.  Lazada sells the ultrasonic ones and although they help (a lot), from what I have read, everything in the water is vibrated into the air and into your lungs. I noticed that there would be a chalky film buildup on the glass so I can understand the theory.  Now I recently bought a wicking cool mist humidifier from Amazon (Honeywell HCM-710) that I’m hoping won’t have the same effect.  Being that it is 110v, I also had to purchase a converter.

Having used both kinds, the ultrasonic is easily the best kind to use. Up to recently I had outside humidity levels going down to 10% and that is painfully dry.

 

The only way to avoid the chalky film is to use pure water, the reason you have the build up is the mineral salts do not evaporate whichever humidifier you use, so I suspect that you are not going to have solved the problem and that you will have to change your water supply.

[sometimewoodworker]

23 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Maybe take the vodka internally would be better !!

That would dry you out more?

[sometimewoodworker]

18 hours ago, startracker said:

So then, to get back to the topic if okay.

 

Humidifiers.

 

Is anybody using one?

 

What model did you get?

 

Have you noticed a difference?

 

Thanks 

This is a similar model to the one I used for years that was very effective and increased the humidity from 10~20% to 60~70% in a medium sized bedroom. Regrettably 100v as it's a Japan only model but they do have export versions 

[startracker]

Thanks.

 

Ultrasonic Air Humidifier.

 

How does this one look?

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/deerma-f535-ultrasonic-humidifier-air-purifier-aroma-diffuser-5l-intl-i158616655-s189920816.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.41.7f8c2cb0clrNR0&amp;search=1

[sometimewoodworker]

4 hours ago, startracker said:

Thanks.

 

Ultrasonic Air Humidifier.

 

How does this one look?

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/deerma-f535-ultrasonic-humidifier-air-purifier-aroma-diffuser-5l-intl-i158616655-s189920816.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.41.7f8c2cb0clrNR0&amp;search=1

So so they are being economical with the truth on the activated charcoal filter, and it's a fanless unit so limited humidification. It may be OK if you want cheap but not any where as good as my linked unit.

 

With the fan ultrasonic units there is no visible mist just filtered humid air.

[jak2002003]

On ‎9‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 4:24 PM, transam said:

I will repeat, a pharmacist told me to try it, it may help/work. After a week and ever since, my problem has gone, and l do have to top up the salt after a period.

Now I don't give a stuff that folk say salt won't be in the air, what l know is the bowl of salt water with the aid of a ceiling fan has done the trick for me......?

PS. I was also told to put charcoal in a basket in the corner of the room, never got round to that as the salt thing worked..

Your bowl and salty water help.. because of the WATER evaporating.  You try it without the salt... and the result will be the same.

 

As for the salt.. you may as well hang up a magic spell or enchanted witch doctor thing... they will do just as good a job as the 'evaporating salt'... so long as you have your bowl of water too.

 

Do you really believe that the salt is evaporating into the air?  

 

I suppose your salty water is not doing any harm.... and salt is cheap.. so you might as well keep doing it... maybe it has a placebo effect on you.  But, to say the salt is evaporating and helping with your health problems from the AC... I assure you that is not true.

 

 

 

[transam]

5 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

Your bowl and salty water help.. because of the WATER evaporating.  You try it without the salt... and the result will be the same.

 

As for the salt.. you may as well hang up a magic spell or enchanted witch doctor thing... they will do just as good a job as the 'evaporating salt'... so long as you have your bowl of water too.

 

Do you really believe that the salt is evaporating into the air?  

 

I suppose your salty water is not doing any harm.... and salt is cheap.. so you might as well keep doing it... maybe it has a placebo effect on you.  But, to say the salt is evaporating and helping with your health problems from the AC... I assure you that is not true.

 

 

 

You may well be right, but I will continue topping up the salt....?

[Mike Teavee]

On 9/16/2018 at 2:38 PM, Mike Teavee said:

Hmmm... I've just tried to find the article that said 18 was the optimum temperature for sleeping and came across one that says it's 25... http://www.aircon-servicing.com.sg/articles/best-aircon-temperature-for-night-sleeping.html

 

As I say, it's not the heat that bothers me (I'm also one of those "Pillocks" that has the Aircon on 16/18 and ends up crawling under the duvet/comforter - Though I do love to have cold feet!) - I have it on all night because the low hum it makes cancels out the noise from the MRT construction across the road.

 

Will try it on 21 tonight & make my way to 25 over the next week or so... 

 

Now I think about it, the guys who serviced my aircon last time (standard to service them every 1/4 as part of the condo rental contract in SG), said I should stop setting it on a high speed / low temperature as it causes mold.

 

Edit: Then Sleep.org says the optimum temperature is 60-67F (15.5-19.5C) https://sleep.org/articles/temperature-for-sleep/ 

 

So last time I cranked the aircon up to 21 (more on that later*), had a great nights sleep but must have got cold at some point as I ended up wrapped in the quilt/comforter.

 

*Actually, it turns out I went to sleep with the Aircon on at 26 - I turned it on & it was at 16, clicked the "Up-Temp" button 5 times so it was at 21, then got distracted by a call, 30 mins later I go into the room, turn the light off (I sleep on the opposite side of the bed from the light switch), bathroom duties (Door to the ensuite is on my side of the bed), back to bedroom & without looking, clicked the "Up-Temp" button 5 times again - It was only when I woke up this morning & looked at the remote that I realized what I'd done. 

 

I'm very happy at 26 ? 

Edited September 17, 2018 by Mike Teavee

[Naam]

On 9/16/2018 at 10:10 AM, startracker said:

Is there a trick or method to not have an aircon dry out all the air? I don't see any extracter fan or whatever, if there should be one. 

no trick/method available. aircons dry out the air by condensing humidity of the room air on the cold evaporator from where it is drained through a pipe. no need for any extractor fan/gadget. you can reduce the drying function by running the fan at a higher speed and/or increase the temperature setting.

[Naam]

our bedroom is cooled down to 18-20ºC. when we go to bed big unit is switched off and small unit on set to 26ºC. the room warms up over the hours as our bodies demand it. small unit kicks in when temp reaches 26º. never had any "too dry" problem. relative humidity in bedroom is never below 55%.