Does keeping the vent on an ac closed make the already cold air colder?

Question

I live in a one bedroom apartment and the wall mounted A/c has the vent closed/open option. i've always been told that if i want the air colder and faster that i should always have the vent shut because it will recycle the inside air and make it cooler just like in the car where you have the same option. is this true?

Answer 1

yes, but you dont get the proper ventilation you need to get rid of all of the off gassing and VOCs.

Answer 2

Yes & it keeps the hot air from outside coming in.   I use the vent open only if your using the fan option to circulate the air, but it's fairly cool outside.  Also, make sure it's closed in the winter cause the cold air comes in & the warm air seeps out.

Answer 3

Yes and no.  It depends on the air temperature inside and the air  temperature outside.  If you leave your unit off all day and turn it on when you get home at night, it may actually be warmer inside than out.  In this condition, your room will cool down quicker with the vent open.  If it is warmer outside, then keep the vent closed.  Most homes with window units tend to have more air leakage than homes designed with central ac units and there is usually a fair amount of leakage in the window the ac unit is installed in, so ventilation should not be a problem.  Nobody can tell you whether you need ventilation or not without running specific test to estimate how often the air changes in one hour, but common sense will generally give you the right answer.

Answer 4

yes

Answer 5

Yes, it works. If you shut the vent in another room, the air will force it's way our of your vent and will come out with more strength.

However, your electric bill may be higher, because your air will not be able to circulate throughout your apartment, causing the system to stay on longer.

But if it's worth it, it's worth it!

Also if you're too hot at night consider getting a fan that you can plug in, or a pillow designed to stay cold.

Answer 6

Generally these are very small openings in window units. In cars I've seen a slightly larger proportional opening.

The general effect would be that if closed, fresh and usually humid air will NOT be injected into the air stream, allowing the room to cool a bit faster.

I checked with a thermometer in the center of a 10'x10' room with my 5K BTU Sun Beam, and I couldn't read a difference whether it was open or closed. (I submit this was not a scientific study.)

Maybe you should look at it like this... If your house is old, it has lots of places for air to get in anyway - close the little damper vent. If you have a newer and tighter sealed home, open it to introduce some fresh air.

Answer 7

close the vent !!