Home Air Conditioner....a love/hate relationship.

[polm]

Every summer I go through this:

I get hot....I turn on the home AC unit....the air gets dry....I get sick.

Is a humidifier the only way to logically deal with the dryness caused by the Air Conditioner ?

 

[4Lclovergirl]

Dry air shouldn't make you sick. Germs make you sick silly It actually probably the cold air and change in temps that through your body off. I have alergies, and my Dr. actually recomends me have an airconditioner b/c it filters the air, and keeps things out of the air, not lets more in.

I suggest not turning your air down as much. It probably from walking out into the heat and air full of germs after being in a more steril environment that's doing you in.

 

[TwinkleToes77]

Consider changing your filter in the A/C. They get pretty nasty. And I have a humidifier because of dryness but i only use it during the winter. Without one im very congested and get headaches.

 

[polm]

Originally posted by: 4Lclovergirl
Dry air shouldn't make you sick. Germs make you sick silly It actually probably the cold air and change in temps that through your body off. I have alergies, and my Dr. actually recomends me have an airconditioner b/c it filters the air, and keeps things out of the air, not lets more in.

I suggest not turning your air down as much. It probably from walking out into the heat and air full of germs after being in a more steril environment that's doing you in.

Whats strange is that I have been using an Ionic Breeze to clean my room's air for months, and I have actually been noticing positive effects from the fresh air. So I don't think my environment is any more stable than it used to be.

Isn't it true that AC will 'dry' up the air ? Like running Defrost in my car ?

 

[rh71]

what kind of sickness ?

 

[polm]

Originally posted by: TwinkleToes77
Consider changing your filter in the A/C. They get pretty nasty. And I have a humidifier because of dryness but i only use it during the winter. Without one im very congested and get headaches.

I changed the filter...and it didn't help.

Do you run your AC regularly in the summer ?

 

[polm]

Originally posted by: rh71
what kind of sickness ?

I get a dry scratchy throat...followed by a cough....and a little congestion.

These symptoms will decrease drastically throughout the day as I am exposed to less AC'd weather conditions.

They will usually return by the morning after a long night of sleeping in the house with the AC on.

 

[TwinkleToes77]

Originally posted by: polm

Originally posted by: TwinkleToes77
Consider changing your filter in the A/C. They get pretty nasty. And I have a humidifier because of dryness but i only use it during the winter. Without one im very congested and get headaches.

I changed the filter...and it didn't help.

Do you run your AC regularly in the summer ?

Yes, but we have Central Air. And its on constantly.. But it gets super humid here during the summer

 

[TwinkleToes77]

Originally posted by: polm

Originally posted by: rh71
what kind of sickness ?

I get a dry scratchy throat...followed by a cough....and a little congestion.

These symptoms will decrease drastically throughout the day as I am exposed to less AC'd weather conditions.

They will usually return by the morning after a long night of sleeping in the house with the AC on.

Have you considered allergies? I wake up like that in the morning too. Takes a few hours to disappear.

 

[polm]

Originally posted by: TwinkleToes77

Originally posted by: polm

Originally posted by: TwinkleToes77
Consider changing your filter in the A/C. They get pretty nasty. And I have a humidifier because of dryness but i only use it during the winter. Without one im very congested and get headaches.

I changed the filter...and it didn't help.

Do you run your AC regularly in the summer ?

Yes, but we have Central Air. And its on constantly.. But it gets super humid here during the summer

I live in Memphis Tennessee....it gets pretty darn humid here

 

[CraigRT]

you get sick eh? that sucks... i've never heard of anyone getting sick cause of this...

 

[CPA]

Originally posted by: polm

Originally posted by: TwinkleToes77
Consider changing your filter in the A/C. They get pretty nasty. And I have a humidifier because of dryness but i only use it during the winter. Without one im very congested and get headaches.

I changed the filter...and it didn't help.

Do you run your AC regularly in the summer ?

In Houston, it's on practically 24/7.

 

[flot]

You could have crap that is making you sick in your AC ductwork... You can pay an A/C shop (although I'd ask for local recommendations from people, so you don't get ripped off) to come in and clean the ducts out.

The test for this? Put your a/c in "on" mode but not "cool". (so that the fan runs but the compressor doesn't) If your symptoms return, then it sounds like you're reacting to whatever is coming OUT of the air vents, not just the decreased moisture. If that happens, definitely call an A/C shop. I've never seen it done but my understanding is that it works reasonably well.

If that DOESN'T make you sick, then yes I guess the decreased humidity is doing it - so buy a humidifier.. they're cheap and not very bulky, just keep one in the room(s) you're in most.

 

[m2kewl]

reminds me that i gotta clean my a/c