Summer A/C Secrets for Hot Humid Climates

Ok we've reached that point on the calendar where we all are paying attention to our thermostat & our power bill. 
At least here on the Gulf Coast...
The secrets are as follows:

#1)
Do not run your A/C system with the "fan" in the "Fan ON" or "ON" position
Use the "FAN AUTO" or "AUTO" position unless you want mold growing in your ducts and in your home.  The fan in "AUTO" (setting on the thermostat) will allow the blower fan to cycle on and off with the A/C  as it runs normally thru the day; if you leave the fan in the "on"  position it will run continuously & never let the water drain off the coil.  Thus pushing the re-evaporated water into the ducts & down through the system where it will be wet enough to sustain mold growth.

This leads us to secret number 2:


 #2) If your system is sized correctly for the home & heat load, if will probably run all afternoon on the hottest days of the year... you see, design temperature is the very highest temperature your climate will see for short periods of time.   The rest of the A/C run time is usually below that design temperature so the heat load is not high enough to require a big unit that can handle all temps in all cases.  The unit need s to work a little bit on the hot days to keep up. This is proper design by size. ( for BTU's)
This  seems counter-intuitive to some people because all they think about is their power bill but if your A/C unit can cool the building down in just a few minutes, on the hottest days...IT IS OVER SIZED...!
Remember , BIGGER IS NOT BETTER when it comes to Air Conditioning
THE LEADS INTO OUR LAST SECRET
#3)
Longer run times in our hot & humid climate will allow the A/C unit to pull more moisture from the indoor "conditioned" space... In other words, if your unit runs 4-6 minutes and shuts off because it meets the temperature requirement on the thermostat, then you're not getting all the De-humidification you could from your system... let it run... you'll be cooler & have less humidity in the indoor space... now this should only happen when there is a heat-load on the house like afternoon sun or higher temps during the day, if it runs all the time on cooler days  or like, when it rains & cools things off... THAT is another problem.

Think Duct leakage or Duct Sizing. Time & time again we see spiffy new A/C equipment hooked up to a ratty 'ol duct system, you know 30 year old duct & 30 day old equipment... not a good fit and definitely not the result you want from your "home comfort system"...

The last thing is NOOO secret...
Get your duct leakage checked!  If you have all the ducts leaking if won't matter how you run the system your are Air Conditioning your attic or crawl space

For more information contact Gulf Coast Air Care