Hello
I am in a 1br condo apt in NY with two (2) Islandaire EZ Series NY PTAC units that provide heat and A/C, one in the bedroom (~350 sq ft) and one in the living room (~350 sq ft).
There is only one (1) exhaust vent in the apartment, in the bathroom. The PTAC units are intended to dehumidify the apt.
The issue I am having is that when the PTAC A/C is "ON", the fan is always on, so the PTAC does not have a chance to remove the condensation from the air. The warm, moist air is cooled and immediately blown out as cold but humid air. This regularly results in relative humidity readings of 65%+ despite a pleasant temperature of 72F.
The PTAC is much more efficient at removing moisture when it is in AUTO (rather than ON) mode because the fan comes on only when it needs to cool the air. So when the A/C is not cooling, the fan turns off, so moisture is allowed to drain away. However, when the unit is in AUTO mode, it seems that the thermostat does not get an accurate reading of the room temperature because the temperature sensor, according to the manufacturer, is clipped onto the coil. For example, if I have the PTAC set to 72F, it will usually read something significantly cooler, like 62F, presumably because the temperature sensor is close to the cool coil. This is not an issue when the fan is ON, I think because the fan always being "on" means that warm moist air passes over the temperature sensor so that it can get a more accurate reading.
This means that when the PTAC A/C is "ON", it cools well but never dehumidifies, but when the A/C is on AUTO, it never gets a good reading of the room air, so it can get very warm AND humid in the apartment.
What I have been doing is running a separate portable dehumidifier in addition to the A/C running in ON mode: the PTAC cools well, and the dehumidifier removes moisture from the apt (since the A/C doesn't dehumidify when the the fan is always ON). However, this is an inefficient solution because the dehumidifier blows out slightly warm air, counteracting the A/C, and I have to empty the bucket about twice a day- not to mention the increased electricity usage.
I am looking for solutions to this problem... is it possible to have an HVAC technician install a (hopefully wireless) remote thermostat/temperature sensor that can sense the room temperature for the PTAC in a better location? This would enable the unit to run in AUTO mode more effectively. Why do they put the temperature sensor so close to the cool coil anyway?
Thanks very much in advance for any tips...
I am in a 1br condo apt in NY with two (2) Islandaire EZ Series NY PTAC units that provide heat and A/C, one in the bedroom (~350 sq ft) and one in the living room (~350 sq ft).
There is only one (1) exhaust vent in the apartment, in the bathroom. The PTAC units are intended to dehumidify the apt.
The issue I am having is that when the PTAC A/C is "ON", the fan is always on, so the PTAC does not have a chance to remove the condensation from the air. The warm, moist air is cooled and immediately blown out as cold but humid air. This regularly results in relative humidity readings of 65%+ despite a pleasant temperature of 72F.
The PTAC is much more efficient at removing moisture when it is in AUTO (rather than ON) mode because the fan comes on only when it needs to cool the air. So when the A/C is not cooling, the fan turns off, so moisture is allowed to drain away. However, when the unit is in AUTO mode, it seems that the thermostat does not get an accurate reading of the room temperature because the temperature sensor, according to the manufacturer, is clipped onto the coil. For example, if I have the PTAC set to 72F, it will usually read something significantly cooler, like 62F, presumably because the temperature sensor is close to the cool coil. This is not an issue when the fan is ON, I think because the fan always being "on" means that warm moist air passes over the temperature sensor so that it can get a more accurate reading.
This means that when the PTAC A/C is "ON", it cools well but never dehumidifies, but when the A/C is on AUTO, it never gets a good reading of the room air, so it can get very warm AND humid in the apartment.
What I have been doing is running a separate portable dehumidifier in addition to the A/C running in ON mode: the PTAC cools well, and the dehumidifier removes moisture from the apt (since the A/C doesn't dehumidify when the the fan is always ON). However, this is an inefficient solution because the dehumidifier blows out slightly warm air, counteracting the A/C, and I have to empty the bucket about twice a day- not to mention the increased electricity usage.
I am looking for solutions to this problem... is it possible to have an HVAC technician install a (hopefully wireless) remote thermostat/temperature sensor that can sense the room temperature for the PTAC in a better location? This would enable the unit to run in AUTO mode more effectively. Why do they put the temperature sensor so close to the cool coil anyway?
Thanks very much in advance for any tips...
