How Your Attic's Ventilation Affects Your AC's Efficiency
You probably know half a dozen things that may affect your air conditioner's performance, but did you know that your attic's insulation (or lack of it) is also one of these things? An uninsulated attic can affect can overwork your AC in more ways than one. Here are three examples of how this happens
It Radiates Warmth into Your Rooms
You are probably used to the idea that heat needs a medium to move from one place to another. For example, heat can be transferred via convection (movement of gas or fluid) and conduction (movement of heat through a solid), but these are just two forms of heat transfer. There is also radiation, which many people don't know about. Radiation is the movement of heat in the absence of a medium or fluid/gas movement, which also means heat can be radiated downwards.
Therefore, if your attic is poorly ventilated, it will allow warm air from outside to heat it up. The heated air won't just be trapped up in the attic; it will also be radiated into your rooms. Of course, this will make your AC work harder than it should to work cool your house.
It Allows Heat to Escape from Below
During the cold season, an uninsulated attic may also make it hard to keep your rooms warm. This is because warm air rising in your rooms will escape into your uninsulated attics, which means your AC will need to work harder to heat up fresh, cold air. Insulating the attic will reduce convection and conduction heat movements, which are the major forms of heat transfer.
It Will Increase Humidity in Your House
Your air conditioner keeps your house cool by removing both heat and moisture from the air. This means anything that increases the level of moisture (humidity) in your house also makes your AC work harder than it should.
Unfortunately, an uninsulated attic is one of those things that can increase humidity in your home. If your attic is improperly vented and insulated, it will trap warm, moisture-laden air from different sources such as bathroom exhausts. The trapped air will shed its moisture when the temperature drops, thereby affecting your house and your AC's performance.
As you can see, you need to keep your attic properly insulated if you don't want to overwork your AC. Don't forget that an overworked AC is likely to face more problems, such as frequent breakdowns, than an AC running under its optimal conditions. For more information, contact a company like Kassel Appliance & AC Repair.