25.12.2018
Opening windows while air conditioning equipment is operating is one of the most common mistakes made by its owners. Answering the question whether it is possible to turn on the air conditioner with the window open, we will describe all the possible risks and consequences. They are deplorable for both technology and people.
You can often hear the following phrase in offices: “The air conditioner only cools the air, but does not attract fresh air.” After this, a window opens. But since in summer the air outside the window is warmer than indoors, problems arise.
By the way, not every air conditioner moves only internal air back and forth. Such a model, unable to take air from outside, is called recirculation. There are supply models that take air from outside, and recovery models that can work either way. However, regardless of the operating principle, no air conditioner will benefit from an open window.
Dispelling myths
- Ventilation is very beneficial for human health, but only if the air conditioner is turned off. When the split system is turned on and operating, the window and doors must be tightly closed. Then you will be able to avoid drafts, and as a result, colds, sore throats and runny nose. After all, when the air conditioner and the window are open at the same time, cold air flows across the floor, and this can contribute to hypothermia of the lower extremities.
- An open window is also very dangerous for an air conditioner. If you want it to last longer, you should not subject the installation to excessive and unnecessary stress. When the window is open, the air temperature in the room rises, which makes the air conditioner work more efficiently. To lower the temperature to the set value, the compressor works faster and without stopping; high performance increases wear on the components of the entire system. When the air conditioner operates at high power, the filters become clogged, which will require urgent cleaning or a complete replacement very, very soon. After all, with huge air flows, dust and sand enter the room from the street.
- If the air conditioner was operated daily with the window open and a breakdown occurred, the warranty is not valid. That is why you will need to spend money on repairs. After all, the manufacturers of many modern split systems clearly indicate in the instructions that the installation should not operate with open windows, and drafts should not be allowed.
If I open the windows, I'll get sick!
There is such a myth - supposedly cold air from the cabin mixes with hot air from the environment and all at once a disease.
Is this not clear to me at all? For example, outside + 30 degrees, inside + 22, +23 degrees, even if you open the glass, mixing will occur - cold air will come out and warm air will come in, nothing bad will happen. What will make you sick? YES and the difference is only + 7 degrees, this is not critical.
The risk of catching a cold doubles
Almost everyone knows that you can easily catch a cold under an air conditioner, which is why they try to stay away from the device while it is operating.
Also, when the windows are open, they try not to sit in a draft, as this can cause harm to health unnoticed. When the windows are open and the air conditioner is turned on at the same time, the risk of catching a cold from drafts doubles, so those who practice simultaneous ventilation and cooling often suffer from colds and complications caused by respiratory diseases. Experts recommend cooling the room using air conditioners only when necessary, since, in addition to colds, you can also develop allergic complications. Date: 07/06/2015.
Photo: pixabay.com
Why can't you open the windows when the air conditioner is on?
On the Internet you can read outright nonsense that when the windows are open, the volume of air in the room increases. It is unclear who came up with such a thesis, but it wanders from article to article.
If you open a window, the volume of air in the room or office will remain the same. It just mixes more actively with the outside. Because of this, there will be a constant outflow of cold air and an influx of warm air. But there is one caveat.
As you know, cold air is heavier than warm air, so it tends to sink down into the room. That is, at a height of up to half a meter from the floor there will be a cold layer, and above that there will be a warm layer, which leads to negative consequences. Now let's talk about them in more detail.
Consequences for human health
Air conditioning running with the windows open has a negative impact on human health. According to the laws of physics, warm air weighs less than cold air. Using technology under such conditions, the following results: cold air falls down, and warm air rushes up. At the same time, the human body is warm, and the feet are cold.
As a result of such exploitation, a person catches a cold and symptoms of colds appear.
Multi-split system: purpose, types, installation
How to properly ventilate an air-conditioned room
Any room where people are located must be ventilated periodically, even if an air conditioner is installed there. And so that ventilation does not have negative consequences for humans and climate control equipment, it must be done correctly.
Expert advice:
- The room should be ventilated before starting the air conditioner.
- If the device operates throughout the day, turn it off periodically, after which you can open the windows for ventilation.
These simple tips for the proper operation of climate control systems will help create a pleasant coolness in your home and office, eliminating rapid wear of air conditioner parts and colds among people staying indoors.
Work hard - look for a master
When there is a constant flow of warm air in a room, the overall temperature rises. The air conditioner tries to bring it to the desired level and works with greater efficiency. This affects it - all parts wear out faster.
The air conditioning compressor experiences the greatest load. In normal mode, it turns on and off periodically, and most of the time it is idle. If a lot of air enters the room, the load on the compressor will increase.
If ventilation is abused, the life of the compressor can be reduced significantly. And it is the heart of the air conditioner and its most expensive part.
Shall we breathe in the dust?
The air outside the house is not clean. There is a lot of dust and dirt in it. And most of it will settle on the air conditioner filters. Of course, this is not critical; you can clean the air conditioner yourself. But a considerable part of the dust will pass through the filters, fly around the room, and you will breathe it.
You can say that when the windows are closed, the air conditioner drives dust around the room in the same way. But keep in mind one fact - with each pass through the filter the air becomes cleaner. And with constant access to warm air, it can pass through the filter only once, and even then not in full.
This is what a dirty air conditioner filter looks like.
How an air conditioner works - why it can break down when the windows are open
I hope it’s no longer a secret that Most air conditioners do not take air from the street
. During the installation process, a hole in the wall is made not to “capture” air from the street, but to connect two units with copper pipes. Through these tubes, the two blocks exchange not street air, but temperature (or rather, freon at a certain temperature).
How do we get cold air:
1. During the cooling process, the indoor unit “sucks” air from above and passes it through cold tubes (with freon), then blows the cooled air into the room.
2. After the freon has released cold air into the room, it moves outside, where it gives off heat to the surrounding air (through the radiator of the external unit).
Within the framework of today’s article, such a simplified version of how “split” works will be suitable for us to understand. In fact, this process looks a little more complicated. If you are interested, you can read in more detail the operating principle of the air conditioner refrigeration circuit.
Now we understand the principle of cooling, but how does it maintain the desired temperature in the room? It's simple! A temperature sensor is installed in the indoor unit. As soon as the electronics of the “conder” understand that the temperature has been reached, the compressor turns off (the freon stops moving through the tubes). When the temperature in the room rises, the compressor turns on again. Maintaining the desired temperature, the motor turns on and off.
Now let's return to the topic of our article. If the windows are open, then the cold air from the room constantly goes outside! And since the electronics “understands” that the required temperature has not been reached, the Compressor does not turn off
AT ALL!
Because of this, energy consumption increases
.
Also, the disadvantages of such operation include increased clogging of
“split” filters.
Air conditioning or open windows
Air conditioning or open windows? Which is more economical, efficient and safer? Why is an air conditioner harmful and does it really consume a lot of power? How to use a car air conditioner correctly and why can’t you open the windows if it’s on? Read about all this in our article.
So, air conditioning is an integral part of most modern cars. Especially expensive brands. However, even when buying budget models, many willingly choose the option with air conditioning. Even if it costs 50 – 140 thousand rubles more. But there are also those who prefer not to overpay, and in the heat simply roll down the windows in the cabin.
When can you open the windows with the air conditioner on?
You cannot do without access to fresh air, especially if there are several people in the room (for example, in an office). What can you advise in this case?
- Open the window for summer ventilation, do not swing it open;
- Do not be in a straight line between the window and the air conditioner (the air follows the shortest path - in a straight line);
- If you are an office worker, ask your boss to arrange fresh ventilation;
- It is better to open several windows slightly than to keep one wide open (the flow of cold air will be evenly distributed throughout the room);
- If the room is stuffy, ventilate it as needed by opening the window for 2-3 minutes.
What is a comfortable temperature for a person?
For the human body, comfortable temperature ranges range from 18 to 25 degrees above zero. If the air is cooler, we begin to feel chilly and freeze; if it is higher, the person quickly overheats, performance decreases, and if the air is too high and the room is poorly ventilated, even heat stroke is possible.
In hot weather, to avoid uncomfortable conditions, using an air conditioner is an excellent solution to the problem.
Operating principle of the air conditioner
In domestic conditions, three types of air conditioners operating on different principles can be used.
Supply type air conditioners operate using air from outside the room.
The recirculation type uses air masses only inside the building for its operation.
Recuperative types of air conditioners can operate on both the first and second principles.
But all three types of devices work on the principle of cooling the air passing through the system with a cooler, which is freon gas. This is where the answer to the question of whether to open a window or not when the air conditioning system is running comes from.
Several reasons why you should not turn on the air conditioner with the window open.
Don't confuse ventilation with ventilation!
Ventilation involves the flow of fresh air from the street. But with traditional air conditioners, air does not come from the street!
The air is taken directly from the room. At the same time, the room temperature remains the same. This “FAN” VENTILATION mode is found in almost all modern air conditioners.
The most “advanced” models have special devices capable of taking air from the street, i.e., performing VENTILATION. The outside air in them undergoes thorough filtration, after which it enters the room. Such devices are very expensive and extremely rare.
How to turn on ventilation mode
Ventilation in air conditioners is activated using the remote control. The inclusion algorithm is quite simple:
Since the ventilation mode in traditional air conditioners does not supply fresh air from the street, the use of this function does not exclude the banal ventilation of the room. Now you understand what ventilation means in air conditioners. I wish everyone good luck! Leave comments if the article was helpful!
A conventional air conditioner cools the air in a room. But at the same time, it does not provide an influx of fresh air; only powerful and functional duct air conditioners and air handling units can cope with this. As a result, an unfavorable stuffy microclimate is formed in a room without a sufficient amount of oxygen. In this case, the question arises: what will happen if you turn on the split system and at the same time open the window? However, experts strongly do not recommend doing this.
You don't know why you can't open a window when the air conditioner is running. Today we will tell you more about this. If it is very stuffy and hot outside in the summer months, then keeping the doors ajar while the device is running is pointless and even in some cases dangerous, because:
- equipment does not function efficiently under such conditions, and the room will still be very hot;
- in such a situation, the device works constantly, as a result of which all internal components wear out and break faster;
- Such an enhanced operating mode can also lead to maximum electricity consumption and significant financial costs.
If you want your home to feel fresh and cool, then you should know why you should not open the window when the air conditioner is running. In a room, when the window and door openings are closed, the air becomes dry and cold, but if they are opened, the operation of the device will be reduced to zero.
Experts say that when the windows are open, the volume of air in an apartment or house increases significantly and is regularly updated. As a result, if an air conditioner is installed in this room, it will be forced to work hard and spend a large amount of electricity to reduce its temperature. In this case, the newly cooled air mass will exit the window opening onto the street. Thus, a vicious cyclical circle is obtained.
As a result, the equipment will constantly work, which will lead to frequent breakdowns and wear. Such air exchange is not optimal, since it negatively affects the functioning of the equipment. In this case, the amount of electricity used to operate the device will lead to large financial costs.
The most common reason why windows should not be opened when the air conditioner is on is the possibility that the filters installed inside the device can quickly become clogged. When the window opening is open, a large amount of dust, pollen and small particles of debris enter the room. In this case, a dirty filter leads to ineffective operation of the device, indoor air pollution and possible breakdown of the device.
A sharp increase in air volumes.
When the windows are open, the amount of air in the room increases sharply and in significant volumes. An air conditioner operating on the recirculation principle for cooling has temperature sensors, and the arrival of more heated air forces it to work harder to cool the increased volume of air masses. To do this, more energy and resource of the device are spent, and cooled air will go out through open windows, and lighter heated air will enter the room. This will have a very negative impact on the operation of the air conditioner, since the device will constantly increase its operating power. And of course, the electricity consumption for increased operation of the air conditioning system will increase significantly.
How to deal with stuffiness?
To make the room pleasant, it must be regularly ventilated. Here's what experts recommend for rooms with air conditioning:
- Ventilate according to a specific schedule. Open the window for ventilation for 5 minutes every 1–2 hours. Turn off the air conditioning system while ventilating. Restarting is only permitted with the window tightly closed.
By following these recommendations, it is easy to maintain comfortable conditions in the room. In this case, the air conditioning system will not experience excessive loads, and its users will not risk catching a cold or receiving a huge electricity bill.
Catch a cold in the summer? Easily!
Research shows that the most common illness among office workers is the common cold. And most often they get sick in the summer! The reason for this is drafts, which provoke a sharp temperature change.
If you have an open window and someone opens the door to a room or office, even for a few seconds, most of the air will be “blown” out of the room. The temperature rises sharply by several degrees. The air conditioner immediately turns on the compressor and begins to bring it to normal.
Such drafts and temperature fluctuations will not harm if they occur a couple of times a day. They are even useful, as they give the body a shake-up and are somewhat similar to hardening. But if this happens all the time, you’re in trouble, call a doctor.
The main reason why you want to open a window when the air conditioner is running is the flow of fresh air into the room. Simple air conditioners do not provide this, but this is possible with air conditioning systems with supply and exhaust ventilation. The supply system supplies fresh air to the room, and the exhaust system removes polluted air from it. But these solutions have an appropriate price.
Feet are cold, but head is warm
An open window with the air conditioner on is a source of drafts. Cold air constantly moves along the lower part of the room to the open window, and warm air constantly moves along the upper part in the opposite direction (see figure).
Even without a big draft, such “air currents” are enough to put you in bed with a fever for several days. Of course, there is an alternative - you can wear cotton pants and felt boots. But it is better to use the conditioner correctly.
Flows of cold and warm air between the air conditioner and the window.
Prepare your wallet - utility workers make money
When a regular, non-inverter air conditioner operates in a room with the windows closed, most of the time it simply circulates air. The compressor turns on when the temperature rises above the set temperature. In “idle” mode, energy consumption is minimal.
When you open a window, the room temperature will constantly rise. Therefore, the compressor will turn on more often. Electricity consumption will increase accordingly. The actual power consumption of an air conditioner can increase by 2 or more times. Therefore, do not be surprised that you will have to pay extra for fresh air.
