How to use aircon to keep the air dry?

[Lorry]

This morning,  outside was colder then inside,  so a/c switched itself off (my experience with many brands).

Air in the room got very stuffy and humid. 

Opening the window,  not possible,  too noisy.

Fan, too windy,  cannot sleep. 

I have seen the word "dry" on many remotes,  does it have a meaning?  I have very poor experiences with a/c remotes and their buttons. Never seen understandable instructions, never seen anybody who understood them (including Mitsu staff).

Any ideas?

Daikin, 12y.o.

 

[Gobbler]

Aircons by their very nature remove water from the air. 

[patman30]

put AC in "dry" mode

[KannikaP]

1 minute ago, patman30 said:

put AC in "dry" mode

Sometimes called DEHUMIDIFY with an appropriate icon on the remote, looks like a water drop on my Mitsu. 

[scubascuba3]

Dry mode is only meant for a few hours, not all night, Google it. 

 

Also buy a quiet fan, in the morning can turn AC off, i have fan on 1 all night, i like the air movement rather than just AC

[brianthainess]

31 minutes ago, Lorry said:

I have seen the word "dry" on many remotes,  does it have a meaning?  I have very poor experiences with a/c remotes and their buttons.

Works fine on my Samsung you can set the temp. to whatever you want and it will continue 'drying' the air. Go on be a devil and press the button..........

[brianthainess]

22 minutes ago, patman30 said:

put AC in "dry" mode

Agree. 

[Rimmer]

Some posts intended for another topic have been removed

[Lorry]

Thx for the answers,  but just as I thought:

Remote has a button " MODE" 

Pressed it > can scroll 3 icons:

a snowflake, I guess it means cooling mode

a fan blade, I guess it means fan-only mode

an almost invisible icon in an unlit dark corner of the screen,  it could be water drops??? TGF when asked what this is, said "mai lu ".

Is this how Daikin says "dry mode"? (Or is it to make the a/c start dripping? Or is it something completely different?)

[johng]

Yeah I think that is the dry mode

be aware that to remove moisture the compressor has to run keeping the indoor unit (evaporator) cool and causing condensation to form  so the temperature will drop and more electricity will be used depending on how low you normally set the temperature.

[scubascuba3]

13 minutes ago, Lorry said:

Thx for the answers,  but just as I thought:

Remote has a button " MODE" 

Pressed it > can scroll 3 icons:

a snowflake, I guess it means cooling mode

a fan blade, I guess it means fan-only mode

an almost invisible icon in an unlit dark corner of the screen,  it could be water drops??? TGF when asked what this is, said "mai lu ".

Is this how Daikin says "dry mode"? (Or is it to make the a/c start dripping? Or is it something completely different?)

Yes, the drip is universal, often

[Lorry]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

Yes, the drip is universal, often

This only makes sense if dry mode makes the air even dryer than cooling mode.

Is this really the case?

[scubascuba3]

2 minutes ago, Lorry said:

This only makes sense if dry mode makes the air even dryer than cooling mode.

Is this really the case?

I don't know but that same advice i see a lot, i guess you could try it and see, if you end up with an ify throat may be due to dry mode

[johng]

3 minutes ago, Lorry said:

This only makes sense if dry mode makes the air even dryer than cooling mode.

Is this really the case?

To remove moister from the air the aircon has to cool the temperature in the room  this happens at the evaporator coil in the cooled room    imagine  a very cold glass of beer  sat on a table on a warm day water vapour is pulled from the surrounding air and condensates on the cold glass causing a puddle of water on the table ( this is removed moisture) 

to remove more moister the  cool surface has to either be cooler ( up to a point)  or be cooler for longer,  making the cool requires energy  to run the  compression/evaporation cycle thus using more electricity.

After below about 40%  humidity (moister level)  some people start to  experience dry nose,sinus,eyes  and throat  so too "dry" is not so good  and costs more money.

[Lorry]

10 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I don't know but that same advice i see a lot, i guess you could try it and see, if you end up with an ify throat may be due to dry mode

Good idea.

I tried to read up on this,  but stopped when a a/c site from Singapore recommended to use dry mode "in the early hours of the morning, when humidity is highest". So, set my alarm to 5a.m. to switch on dry mode, and go to bed again??? Sorry, maybe this fits a Singapore lifestyle, but not me.

[GammaGlobulin]

a. The very best way is to seal the room, fairly well, so that there is minimum air exchange between outside and inside air.

Doing this should be obvious.

 

b. Then, just turn AC to COOL mode.

 

c. Set AC thermostat to whatever setting you prefer....for me 18 degrees C....but for you....maybe 25 degrees C...or whatever....

 

Don't worry, it won't get to cold for you...because.....

 

d. Find the old space heater you have stored away, or go buy a space heater of about 1000 to 1200 watts.

 

e.  Turn on AC and simultaneously turn on the space heater in the same room.  I suggest setting the space heater to med setting, around 600 Watts, or so.

 

f.  Now, your room will become quite dry, with the relative humidity in the room....probably about 50%, or most likely lower.

 

Just leave it like that until the weather outdoors changes.

 

Simple as pie.

 

I have used this method to goof effect in the past, but not necessary for me in Thailand, because I like the room so cold, anyway.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

Also, buy Amazon, whenever you can, rather than the local garbage with incompetent sales clerks...is my other piece of good advice.

 

Hope this helps.

 

No worries....this will work without fail....

 

 

 

[KannikaP]

6 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

d. Find the old space heater you have stored away, or go buy a space heater of about 1000 to 1200 watts.

 

e.  Turn on AC and simultaneously turn on the space heater in the same room.  I suggest setting the space heater to med setting, around 600 Watts, or so.

And consequently use twice as much electricity. Warming up a room with an air con turned on is the most ridiculous thing I have heard from you. But, of course, for you money is no object.

A similar thing to someone putting their air con on 18 so it is as cool as in the home country, and sleeping under a 13 TOG duvet.

[GammaGlobulin]

5 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

And consequently use twice as much electricity. Warming up a room with an air con turned on is the most ridiculous thing I have heard from you. But, of course, for you money is no object.

A similar thing to someone putting their air con on 18 so it is as cool as in the home country, and sleeping under a 13 TOG duvet.

 

Yes.

But I do not drive an internal combustion engine machine.  So, I am being good to the Panet.

 

And, if you want to dry the air quickly, and block out the outdoor noise, and have the indoor temp that you choose...then....my methodology NEVER FAILS.

 

The OP asked for what would work, failure proof, and my method works.

 

Actually, my method will not use that much more electric power if you just keep the space heater at 300 Watts, and then turn the AC thermostat to 25 degrees C, or maybe 23 degrees C would be best for drying the air out quickly.

 

No charge for my great advice, of course....

 

 

[KannikaP]

2 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

But I do not drive an internal combustion engine machine.  So, I am being good to the Panet.

Where did I mention being good to the PLANET? 

You do what you want, and us others will do logical things.

You keep your advice to yourself please.

[GammaGlobulin]

37 minutes ago, Lorry said:

This only makes sense if dry mode makes the air even dryer than cooling mode.

Is this really the case?

 

In Dry mode, on some but not all machines, the compressor will turn on and off at set times, perhaps once every couple of minutes or so, and then will turn off, and repeat.

 

But, on an inverter machine, the compressor will probably just run more slowly, periodically, and the temperature will decrease accordingly.

 

With the Panasonic model that I have, the machine will maintain the set temperature...set on the remote.

 

Some Dry setting on some machines are more effective than others.

 

 

Alternatively, if one can, try using a dehumidifier and the AC simultaneously.

But I do not have a dehumidifier.

And, I still like to use my space heater solution simultaneously with my AC running.

This works the best for me.

 

Also, a lot less noisy than using a dehumidifier in the room.

And, all condensed water goes outdoors, and not into a pan or something.

 

But you guys do what seems right for you....

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

1 minute ago, KannikaP said:

Where did I mention being good to the PLANET? 

You do what you want, and us others will do logical things.

You keep your advice to yourself please.

 

OK.

I will.

But, the only reason I provided advice is because I thought people were asking for it.

Next time, I will probably keep my mouth shut.

No skin off my nose, of course.

 

[KannikaP]

Just now, GammaGlobulin said:

 

OK.

I will.

But, the only reason I provided advice is because I thought people were asking for it.

Next time, I will probably keep my mouth shut.

No skin off my nose, of course.

 

Great, thank you for your kind consideration.

[GammaGlobulin]

12 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Great, thank you for your kind consideration.

 

Sure...No Problemo!

 

In fact, the surest way to avoid supercritical criticism from many others is just to KEEP MY TRAP SHUT...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This will be my pleasure...from here on in....rest assured.

 

And, I will continue to keep this important advice to myself...always in mind.

 

 

[AndreasHG]

23 hours ago, Lorry said:

This morning,  outside was colder then inside,  so a/c switched itself off (my experience with many brands).

Air in the room got very stuffy and humid. 

Opening the window,  not possible,  too noisy.

Fan, too windy,  cannot sleep. 

I have seen the word "dry" on many remotes,  does it have a meaning?  I have very poor experiences with a/c remotes and their buttons. Never seen understandable instructions, never seen anybody who understood them (including Mitsu staff).

Any ideas?

Daikin, 12y.o.

 

 

How the "dry" or "dehumidify" mode works depends on the type of air conditioning you have installed.

If it's an older unit equipped with a fixed-speed compressor, the only thing the "dry" mode does is run the unit at the lowest fan speed, regardless of internal temperature. The fixed speed compressor cycles On and Off to prevent the internal coil from freezing.

If the air conditioner is equipped with an inverter, the speed of the compressor is also reduced and, especially in a high-quality inverter, the unit precisely regulates the dehumidification of the air according to the air temperature. 

A high-quality inverter unit allows the compressor to run at a wide RPM range, from very low to high, so that the cooling capacity is accurately adjusted to efficiently maintain the desired setpoint, without the compressor continually switching between On and Off.

 

Edited 5 hours ago by AndreasHG

[Lorry]

1 hour ago, AndreasHG said:

 

How the "dry" or "dehumidify" mode works depends on the type of air conditioning you have installed.

If it's an older unit equipped with a fixed-speed compressor, the only thing the "dry" mode does is run the unit at the lowest fan speed, regardless of internal temperature. The fixed speed compressor cycles On and Off to prevent the internal coil from freezing.

If the air conditioner is equipped with an inverter, the speed of the compressor is also reduced and, especially in a high-quality inverter, the unit precisely regulates the dehumidification of the air according to the air temperature. 

A high-quality inverter unit allows the compressor to run at a wide RPM range, from very low to high, so that the cooling capacity is accurately adjusted to efficiently maintain the desired setpoint, without the compressor continually switching between On and Off.

 

Thanks for all the posts and especially for this one. It explains a lot.

It's a 12y.o. Daikin, obviously no inverter.

 

I've tried dry mode last evening and the only effect was - none at all.

The air coming out of the unit was a little bit colder than in cool mode.

The wind coming out was  just as strong as cool mode.

Dry mode obviously is just a nice digital icon, something that one has to have in the digital age where everything needs to have many nice icons and buttons

 

So last night I ran it in cool mode, 1° colder than usual and that was okay, until it got warm outside in the morning

It's hot outside now, so I just set it one more degree colder 

 

( I never understand why these things work according to the outside temperature, not the room temperature. Heating in my home country is the same)

[Liverpool Lou]

On 10/4/2024 at 12:55 PM, Gobbler said:

Aircons by their very nature remove water from the air. 

...and by using the "Dry" mode they remove even more.

[KannikaP]

On 10/4/2024 at 1:12 PM, scubascuba3 said:

Dry mode is only meant for a few hours, not all night, Google it. 

 

Also buy a quiet fan, in the morning can turn AC off, i have fan on 1 all night, i like the air movement rather than just AC

A ceiling fan is ideal for this as it isn't quite so local. 

[scubascuba3]

11 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

A ceiling fan is ideal for this as it isn't quite so local. 

My ceiling fan is too powerful even on 1 so i don't use it at night. AC inverters are cheap anyway so i have on from 6pm to 4am

[KannikaP]

15 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

My ceiling fan is too powerful even on 1 so i don't use it at night. AC inverters are cheap anyway so i have on from 6pm to 4am

Ceiling fan = 30 watts. If using fan only on your A?C, doesn''t matter if old style or inverter.