Does a window AC unit dehumidify the living space?

Question

I was wondering if the water that drips out of a window AC unit is condensation that's coming out of the living space? Or is that condensation from the outdoors air? Personally, I think those things pull more moisture out of the air than one of those little standalone dehumidifiers.

Answer 1

Yes it's from the inside air, and you're correct-an A/C unit will remove alot more humidity than a dehumidifier.

Answer 2

Although many of them have an option for opening a vent to allow inside air to come in the home basically the air systems for cooling on the inside and exhausting the heat on the outside are completely separate. The inside air goes in across the coils and out the vent and doesn't mix with the outside air if the "fresh air" vent is closed.

So all that moisture is from the inside air.

As to the effectiveness of dehumidifiers, the dehumidifiers are probably more efficient for the energy used. But even a window unit of 12k-15btu is probably 10 times the size or more.

Since condensing water releases heat, if you are producing a lot of water it lowers your efficiency for cooling. The a/c unit would cool better if you ran both a dehumidifier and the a/c.

For cooling you want to minimize the humidity in the room by making sure you run a fan when boiling water or taking a shower. Limit the plants in the house too.

Just saying..

Answer 3

Yes, as the A/C cools the rooms air, moisture from the air condenses on the coils and is routed out to a drain.