How to Beat Kansas City Humidity
Humidity goes hand in hand with living in Kansas City. And even though your air conditioner occasionally runs nonstop in the summer, it just can’t keep all of that moisture out of your home.
Older ACs Can’t Keep Up with High Humidity
When humidity is high, your heating and cooling unit has to work extra hard to control the moisture level in your home. Sometimes older heating and cooling units, or units that may have been incorrectly sized from the beginning, can’t keep up with the level of moisture in the air. Replace your system with a dual stage air conditioning unit and furnace with a variable speed fan motor. This works wonders for humidity removal.
What Is a Dual Stage Air Conditioner?
The main difference between a single and a dual stage air conditioner is the compressor unit. A single-stage air conditioner’s compressor only has one level of cooling – full blast. A two-stage air conditioner’s compressor works on two different levels – high for hot summer days (basically the same as full blast for single stage ACs) and low for milder days when you don’t need as much cooling.
Advantages of Dual Stage ACs
The two main advantages of dual stage air conditioners are better energy efficiency and greater comfort. Below we explain both in more detail:
Greater Energy Efficiency
A dual stage AC means lower utility bills because the unit isn’t running at full blast all of the time. On cooler days, it will run at the lower setting, but will automatically kick up to the higher level when needed. A single-stage air conditioner turns on and off more often because it can only cool at one speed, then turn off once it reaches your thermostat setting. Every time your AC starts up, it takes a lot of energy, which raises your utility bill. But the two-stage air conditioner can meet your cooling needs about 80% of the time with its low setting, meaning it will run more often without as many starts and stops.
Greater Comfort
Because the two-stage air conditioner runs more continually, it will provide more even cooling. Your temperature won’t fluctuate up and down with the ons and offs of a single stage system.
But an even bigger advantage to the dual stage system is moisture removal. A dual stage system can remove twice as much moisture/humidity from your air. And in Kansas City, that’s important to comfort as well.
Dehumidifiers Remove Excess Moisture
Besides dual stage air conditioners, another option for removing moisture from your home is installing a dehumidifier. With proper installation, a dehumidifier can work in conjunction with your heating and cooling system to remove excess moisture, and help prevent unwanted bacterial growth. We recommend the Lennox whole-home dehumidification system.
Tips for Keeping Humidity Out of Your Home
Here are some other ways to keep additional moisture and humidity from building up in your home:
- Make sure clothes dryers are vented to the outside
- Use vent fans in kitchen when cooking
- Use vent fans in bathrooms when showering
- Seal doors and windows
- Seal cracks or holes in ducts
- Run a dehumidifier
- Keep air conditioning drip pans and drain lines clean and unobstructed
- Cover dirt floors in crawl spaces with a plastic vapor barrier
Let Lancaster Help with Repairs or Replacement
Having issues with an older AC? Let us look and either repair or replace the unit so you and your family stay cool and comfortable. Lancaster Brothers is proud to install Lennox air conditioners, so if your air conditioner is on its last leg, we will be happy to provide a free estimate. There are also rebates and financing available for qualifying systems, and our comfort specialist will let you know about available programs.