a/c versus fans

[scubascuba3]

What works for me best at night is AC to cool the room then switch to fan. My last hotel they only had AC so i had no choice but to leave on all night. Even 1 degree moved me from too cold to too hot, hard to get right

[lopburi3]

5 minutes ago, nisakiman said:

When I'm wandering round Bangkok, I often wonder how many degrees the ambient temperature is raised by the thousands upon thousands of AC units pumping out hot air. It must be a fair bit, I'd imagine.

It was hot in 1971 and is still hot in 2017.

 

7 minutes ago, nisakiman said:

With going in and out of the hotel, within a couple of days I'd developed a serious bronchial infection

Expect this was due non immunity to local virus - I also had a lot of such issues in those days - hardly ever get anything for last few decades.  

[inThailand]

Why don't more hotels install fans in their rooms?

 

With a open window with a mosquito screen and a decent fan it's a good night sleep for me.

[lopburi3]

1 minute ago, inThailand said:

Why don't more hotels install fans in their rooms?

 

With a open window with a mosquito screen and a decent fan it's a good night sleep for me.

Would you be willing to pay the rain damage costs of open windows?

[Antonymous]

8 minutes ago, inThailand said:

Why don't more hotels install fans in their rooms?

 

With a open window with a mosquito screen and a decent fan it's a good night sleep for me.

Quelle finesse!

 

Finding that decent 'fan', that's often the difficult part.

[jeab1980]

10 minutes ago, inThailand said:

Why don't more hotels install fans in their rooms?

 

With a open window with a mosquito screen and a decent fan it's a good night sleep for me.

Theres plenty of hotels who rent fan only rooms you need to search around a bit more

[Jonnapat]

Fans simply blow warm air around, personally I wouldn't be able to sleep without air con. I thank God for the invention, particularly in the hot season.

[DDbkh]

This all makes fascinating reading for someone involved in the problems caused by air pollution. Thailand, like most SE Asian countries has very high average humidity i.e. Over 70%.
The effect of this is the rapid growth of mold and most bacteria.
However humans can appear to become immune to many of the effects by exposure but unfortunately modern city living exposes us to pollution problems that are not present in the rural country.
Mold is a huge issue in this climate and when contained in a modern building it has major effects on the people and the operating costs
If you are comfortable without a/c in the country that may be fine but in deepest darkest Sukhumvit you are breathing very polluted air. The a/c attempts to reduce the humidity to levels that are normally acceptable to humans and this in turn reduces the growth of mold and bacteria. The filters do not capture the mold and pollen let alone the minute bacteria and diesel particles.
Please remember that the temperature you set on your a/c is the MAXIMUM so it also useful to know the minimum - maybe 18. The compressor will work until it's told 'Ey up lad it's - 28' and he will lay down shovel until it's 18 again, this goes on all night so watch out for cranky aircon workers!
I cannot imagine why anyone in Thailand would buy a 'humidifier' - it is the last thing you need 'ice-creams for Eskimos'
For people with sinus issues with a/c - get it cleaned. I spend Thb500 a quarter to get it properly cleaned and regularly check the filter- a bit like brushing your teeth, once done the grot starts again
Just like cars. A/c is not maintenance free - so I suggest clean the A/C and get an Air Purifier which removes the minute particles caused by diesel etc.
Lazada sells dehumidifiers but these are best used to boost the effect of your mainstay (well maintained) A/C.
This is such a huge part of the human existence in the 'Tropics' .

[scubascuba3]

I cleaned my hotel AC filters last trip, i then had 5 back to back colds

[jeab1980]

8 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I cleaned my hotel AC filters last trip, i then had 5 back to back colds

Thats going to extemes cleaning those filters im suprised you didnt get leprosy.

[inThailand]

Hotels cleaning a/c filters??

[steve73]

I just string up my hammock between the trees on the beach and sleep like a baby...

[lemonjelly]

9 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Very unlikely in Thailand however - here you need to remove humidity as it is often at oppressive (wet sauna) levels.

People usually close their windows and doors when using AC.... so yes, using AC can lower, beyond normal levels, the moisture content of the air in the room; causing irritation of the bronchial tracts..... even in Thailand.

Edited July 30, 2017 by lemonjelly

[Pilotman]

14 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Air con all the way for me.

Me too. I love to go into a cool if not downright cold bedroom , then I sleep well  and wake up feeling refreshed. I never have congestion issues although I know a lot of people who seem to have that problem. In the UK, I  always had a window open through the winter, so maybe its a hang over from that. My long suffering Thai wife never complains, she just puts on an extra quilt on her side.     

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

On 29/07/2017 at 8:22 PM, 4evermaat said:

 

what about putting a mesh

 

Even my fan that is used nearly 24/7 gathers dust over time of about 3-4 weeks.  rinse it off and start over.  

 

I suppose you could set the A/C on a shutoff timer after 2 hours, and then a ceiling fan will take over for the remainder of the night.

Oh for a high ceiling with a fan!

Best thing, but find me a condo with one...

Aircon units I have don't seem to have a fan only setting.

 

 

 

[jacko45k]

On 7/29/2017 at 8:15 PM, Pib said:

You can always put the A/C in Fan mode....then it's just a fan; no cooling (or high electric bill) occurs.

There's an idea, I will immediately put all my 25,000 baht ACs into fan only mode so that they can be like 900 baht fans!

[lopburi3]

1 hour ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

Oh for a high ceiling with a fan!

Best thing, but find me a condo with one...

Aircon units I have don't seem to have a fan only setting.

 

 

 

Dry mode will be mostly fan - our set for higher temperature.  For sleeping without covers find 28c works well without direct fan flow but suspect many new to tropics would find too hot.

[jeab1980]

18 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

There's an idea, I will immediately put all my 25,000 baht ACs into fan only mode so that they can be like 900 baht fans!

Why not? Thats what happens when the temp is cool enough it switches to fan. Plus there a lot quieter than normal fans. Quite often put A/c fan only mode on instead of normal during day

[opalred]

may be the best 

what they use to have in India and Singapore

a boy pulling a rope/ and large shutters moved across ceilings

back and forth good air circulation   

[electric]

Interesting snippet of useless information. Our bedroom A/C drain pipe goes into a bucket outside. 7 litres of water nearly every night. Doesn't vary much no matter what time of year.

 

I have no idea whether 7 litres of humidity is good or bad. I just know that we sleep like babies every night with the A/C on. 25 degrees on the thermostat.

 

 

[lopburi3]

Just now, electric said:

Interesting snippet of useless information. Our bedroom A/C drain pipe goes into a bucket outside. 7 litres of water nearly every night. Doesn't vary much no matter what time of year.

 

I have no idea whether 7 litres of humidity is good or bad. I just know that we sleep like babies every night with the A/C on. 25 degrees on the thermostat.

 

 

That is 7 liters less for making mold and mildew - which is good.

[jeanpierre]

I only use a / c when I play with the misses

[elgenon]

Don't need air con and rarely heat where I come from. I have tended to get a cold during 3 month Thai stays in air con. Now not as much.

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

16 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Dry mode will be mostly fan - our set for higher temperature.  For sleeping without covers find 28c works well without direct fan flow but suspect many new to tropics would find too hot.

27c with a sheet or thin blanket suits me, but the missus wants 22c under a huge duvet...

Found the settings on the remote now thanks (under the pull down cover), I'll try them out.

 

No like button...

 

 

 

 

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

17 hours ago, jacko45k said:

There's an idea, I will immediately put all my 25,000 baht ACs into fan only mode so that they can be like 900 baht fans!

It depends on the outside temperature. This time of year it can be cool, the electric bill will be a bit less too... Use them when needed.

Or is that beyond your comprehension?

[jacko45k]

23 hours ago, jeab1980 said:

Why not? Thats what happens when the temp is cool enough it switches to fan. Plus there a lot quieter than normal fans. Quite often put A/c fan only mode on instead of normal during day

Well I was of course being a little tongue in cheek, but there is no benefit to any fan action unless it blows across you. For that I have  ceiling fans. My AC was positioned and the vanes angled not to do that.My bedroom wall gets the sun all afternoon so the AC has to work hard for quite a while.

[jacko45k]

5 hours ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

It depends on the outside temperature. This time of year it can be cool, the electric bill will be a bit less too... Use them when needed.

Or is that beyond your comprehension?

My area is needing AC at night, it is 27 degC now, early morning. Perhaps you mean cool season which isn't this time of year!

I would use my ceiling fan only if it was cool enough..... no sense whatsoever even running an AC if you do not need it!

Edited July 31, 2017 by jacko45k

[lopburi3]

33 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

cool enough..... no sense whatsoever even running an AC if you do not need it!

Actually there is a very good reason to do so in this humid environment - to help prevent mold and mildew if you use closed storage as most westerners do.  There was a very valid reason Thai built open air flow homes and did not enclose shelves and closets.  

[dick dasterdly]

On 7/31/2017 at 7:18 AM, lopburi3 said:

Dry mode will be mostly fan - our set for higher temperature.  For sleeping without covers find 28c works well without direct fan flow but suspect many new to tropics would find too hot.

I agree.

 

When I first came here, air-con at night was essential.

 

Nowadays a (large!) fan is preferable as its far cheaper and easier to maintain the 'right' body temp. by moving/removing a light covering - rather than having a duvet to hide under when too cold.  Having said that - I do miss snuggling up under a duvet!

[248900_1469958220]

This is a topic that I think about a lot. We run 2 air conditioners at night, one in our room and one in our sons. The air is on most of the year. I have found that having it on a temp of 26/27 degrees WITH  a fan directly on my body is perfect. We set the temp the same in my sons room. Fans are cheap to run and having one directed on your body makes putting the air up to 26 or 27 degrees feel nice and cool. We also run 2 fridges. Our electricity bills rarely go over 1500 baht per month.....go figure!