Side Effects From Air Con?

[HalfSquat]

Hello,

Since arriving in Bangkok about 4 weeks ago my skin has got quite dry and I was wondering perhaps it might be the constant exposure to air conditioning?

Back home in England I rarely experienced them but here they are on in the flat, in the taxis, in the malls etc.

They are really nice, don't get me wrong, but do they have any downsides?

Anyone use a humidifier to keep the air moist?

I'm trying to ween myself off them at home and am just using a fan.

Thanks

[phetaroi]

Since arriving in Bangkok about 4 weeks ago my skin has got quite dry and I was wondering perhaps it might be the constant exposure to air conditioning?

Back home in England I rarely experienced them but here they are on in the flat, in the taxis, in the malls etc.

They are really nice, don't get me wrong, but do they have any downsides?

Anyone use a humidifier to keep the air moist?

I'm trying to ween myself off them at home and am just using a fan.

I often have trouble with a dry throat after sleeping all night, but not dry skin. This is a pretty humid time of year, even with AC. I often find the AC here in Thailand way too cool.

[stevymac]

they give me a cold. wake up most mornings with the sniffles. im strictly anti air con, fan much better in my opinion although me thai bird is bloody obsessed with air con!! grrrrrrrrrrr

[Samuian]

Sore throat, tense muscles specially neck and arms - mostly confined to desk work.... and yes as if the Thai are immun to cold.. they get the sniffles and cough too, but never ever one cut's down on the temperature of the a/c.

[aay2553]

Hello,

Since arriving in Bangkok about 4 weeks ago my skin has got quite dry and I was wondering perhaps it might be the constant exposure to air conditioning?

Back home in England I rarely experienced them but here they are on in the flat, in the taxis, in the malls etc.

They are really nice, don't get me wrong, but do they have any downsides?

Anyone use a humidifier to keep the air moist?

I'm trying to ween myself off them at home and am just using a fan.

Thanks

I got the same- and so i bought a nice little device at MBK which seems to counter this nicely. Cost 1200bht.

[givenall]

Sore throat, tense muscles specially neck and arms - mostly confined to desk work.... and yes as if the Thai are immun to cold.. they get the sniffles and cough too, but never ever one cut's down on the temperature of the a/c.

I used to have problem too but i started to turn it up to 27 or 28 and all the problem gone away. it is not cold and i do not need a thick covering or blanket. it save me a lot of energy, bath and also no more dryness problem

[surangw]

aircond ( especially in rented rooms) are breading ground for bacteria, moist ( and not cold all the time) they build up particles from the air and "things" grow

lyson spray helps if you don't mind packing it and using it.

as for taxis, no mercy

Sore throat, tense muscles specially neck and arms - mostly confined to desk work.... and yes as if the Thai are immun to cold.. they get the sniffles and cough too, but never ever one cut's down on the temperature of the a/c.

I used to have problem too but i started to turn it up to 27 or 28 and all the problem gone away. it is not cold and i do not need a thick covering or blanket. it save me a lot of energy, bath and also no more dryness problem

[dumball]

The A/C does not breed anything , it has no gender 555 , The filter is the culprit which is quite simply remeded , remove it and wash it in soapy water , you will be amazed how dirty most of them are , hey , if staff cannot do a good job of cleaning the toilet , do you expect them to climb on a chair to reach the A/C ? 10 degrees below the outside temperature is considered to be the best comfort level all around , especially in transition from one to the other , most rental places always have it set at 20 degrees , that is where the cleaning ladies like it .

[britmaveric]

AC do not cause colds!! What a load of rubbish.

[phetaroi]

AC do not cause colds!! What a load of rubbish.

Well, research is not definitive on this. Some research appears to indicate that a loss of body temperature (for example, by staying in wet clothing) can decrease the body temperature just enough to not allow the body to fight off bacteria or viruses quite as effectively. AC does affect me. If I stay in a heavily air conditioned environment for any significant period of time, I can guarantee myself at least a very raspy (if not sore) throat.

[Tolley]

Lived for years in Saudi Arabia with aircon 24/7 and had maybe two colds in all the years i was there.

If you have decent aircon I don't think it causes any problems.

[toptuan]

When I'm on top of the bed (like watching TV) with no blankets/sheets over me, and the a/c blows directly on my feet or legs, I get painful cramps. I know, probably also has to do with marginal blood circulation (I'm older), but curious if anyone else has the problem.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

if the A/C is at your home etc then they have many products for sale at Tesco etc for spraying onto the coils to clean them. In addition to cutting down on mold and bacteria the cleaning helps the unit cool more efficiently. Also a good idea to clean the removable filter periodically. In bad air pollution times a 3M filtrete material can be cut and placed over top the removable filter(s) to provide more air particle removal.

The one thing I tend to notice with A/C is because there is no fresh air coming into the system then the oxygen levels become low and this has a draining effect on the body. Central Air systems don't have that issue but the common per room type units don't draw any fresh air.

Having plants that expel oxygen can help balance this issue or just periodically opening doors and windows to allow new air in helps.

[gunnyd]

Could just be the change in climate. When I am in Arizona the AirCon runs continuously except for the few months of cool we have here. When I travel to LOS and Cebu it takes a couple of weeks to adjust from the very dry climate in Phoenix to the VERY humid climate in LOS. You most likely just need to wait for your body to adjust to the weather.

If you do run a humidifier in your place in LOS and the AirCon is running at the same time all you will do is make the AC unit work harder, since AC units remove humidity from the air just doin their job. Humidifiers are pretty inexpensive so give it a shot. If it works great, if not, at least you won't be out to much money.

[thetravellingcat]

hanging up a damp towel near the window will have a humidifying effect on the room.

[Bpraim1]

No problems here with aircon,

I haven't shut mine off in four months, unless I'm leave'n for awhile

never get stuffed nose, colds, headaches, or that kin of crap yet.

I also keep my house humidity at 40-50% no more, keeps the mold down.

I think alot of the problems come from uncleaned aircons and high humitidy. Unclean air!

But that is just my thought

[dumball]

An A/C that is correctly maintained with a clean filter will not CAUSE ailments , it is the application of its intended purpose that causes people to have problems with dry skin/throats etc . Because A/C's are so prevalent , people tend to think one just pushes a button and off you go , why do you think they come with a manual of operation ? You know what I mean , that booklet that usually goes out with the box and styrofoam .

I have read stories on TV from Farang husbands whos wife trots off to get her driving license , gets in the car , turns the key , selects drive and rams a tree/post that jumped out in front of the car , sound like a somewhat similar scenario ? The father spending an hour in a useless attempt to assemble his sons Christmas toy and get it operational , son dissappears into his bedroom , 5 minutes later re-appears with it all up and running . "How did you do that "asked the father ? "Read the instruction manual "answered the son . 555 LOL

[HalfSquat]

Interesting.

No colds so far, just dry skin. I'll have a look for a humidifier.

Any ideas how I can find out the level of humidity in a room?

[Sheryl]

Without a/c, the humidity level in any room in Thailand is mroe than high enough.

If the a/c is too high, things may get too dry. But in that case the best solution is not to add a humidifier but rather, turn down the a/c.

[dumball]

Should you set the temperature level too LOW it will de-humidify the room too much , part of the operation of cooling is the act of dehumidifying the air . Raising the shut off temperature to a sensible level is a good start in finding your personal comfort zone , 28 degrees is about average , also turning off the A/C at night will most likely prevent all your minor discomfort , including cramped muscles .

[Thongkorn]

AC do not cause colds!! What a load of rubbish.

It will give you legionaries decease if you do not clean the regularly, Have you been to the Cinema thats cold also if you use the busses , they always seem to want to freeze your nuts off,

[dumball]

britmaveric' post='3004851' date='2009-09-12 01:07:34']AC do not cause colds!! What a load of rubbish

It will give you legionaries decease if you do not clean the regularly, Have you been to the Cinema thats cold also if you use the busses , they always seem to want to freeze your nuts off,

So you concur , it is not the A/C it is a lack of maintainace , practically everything mechanical or electrical needs regular attention to keep it operationaly effective , your health and safety is in your hands , so be it .

[Gaccha]

One more problem with air conditioning is an allergy to it. This is actually one of the most common allergies. Of course, you can't have an allergy to the air conditioner as such but to the system it creates.

The dust circulated by the A/C will often get in your eyes at night because your eyes will often only partly close. People with this allergy to the dust often wake up feeling dizzy and fatigued.

Even intensive cleaning of the air conditioner will not resolve this. People with this allergy typically sleep with the window open and a fan on and the A/C off.

[Garret]

I have all of mine serviced once or even twice a year and they really clean them for 500b each. I also clean the filters once a month. There is also a product you can buy at Fuji market that cleans and disinfects them. It comes from Japan and is easy enough to find.

What about people who have an older airconditioner thats been sitting in pidgeon shit for years??

What about Sick-Building Syndrome??

I think that there can be a whole list of ailments that can stem from a filthy air-conditioner.....Fungus...Gekko shit...Dust...etc.

I keep my house at about 24 degrees all the time peroiod.

Illness comes from being exposed to patogens.