Question:
Is it possible to use a window air conditioner to dehumidify only?
Pardon my ignorance, but we just moved from a land of swamp coolers
(evaporative coolers) to a very very humid climate.
It seems to me that there must be a way to at least convert an A/C to
do this, if it's not already offered by some manufacturer(s).
Answer:
It however will not dehumidify as well because in a air conditioner
the moisture recovered is just a byproduct of the refrigeration
process and not its main purpose. It will likely be noisier and blow A
LOT more air around. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near it while
operating that way.
careful if you attempt to drill any drain hole in an
A/C's base pan to drain the water out. If you hit on of the
refrigerant lines, it will be basically scrap after that. Plus without
that water it will also work less efficiently as an A/C. IMO. If you
need a dehumidifier, buy one.
There are portable models which can be used as either an dehumidifier
or A/C (and some a heater as well).
I remenber seeing a few Portable air conditioners that offer both
functions, but are quite pricey for what they deliver. Several offer
heating as well, for a slight additional charge.
MobilAir Portable Air Conditioner-Heater-Dehumidifier: 75 pint/day, 4
liter collection tank, 9000 BTU/Hr of cooling power.
I was hoping for a less expensive (cheap) alternative to portable
dehumidifiers. It's not as if some mfgr. couldn't offer one, since, as
has been said, both functions use similar methods, hardware, and freon.
