condensate from the A/C

[cptcannabis]

I have a 12,000 BTU A/C that I'm running in my basement, and it's been sweating condensate like crazy. Today I went down and saw a 5 gallon bucket almost totally full from just the condensate coming off the A/C. Anyone know if this is just due to increased humidity or if it's a problem with the A/C? It's only 40% humidity down there, so I don't think that's the problem, but it gives me a bucket of water everyday almost.

[Dementednotion]

12k BTU is a lot. Is the space large enough for an AC that size? I've heard of cases of condensation building up enough from a large AC like that and made it from inside electronics. My girlfriend's mom worked in the appliance section at Sears, I could always ask her tomorrow for more info.

[GaGrown]

Put a pan under the unit and run a drain line to the outside.. 12000 BTU is designed for a larger space like a 20x20 room. If it still produces alot of water then you should seal the area better. If you have had alot of rain the it is pulling outside air into the room.


Ga Grown!

[Mississippi Steve]

I have a 12,000 BTU A/C that I'm running in my basement, and it's been sweating condensate like crazy. Today I went down and saw a 5 gallon bucket almost totally full from just the condensate coming off the A/C. Anyone know if this is just due to increased humidity or if it's a problem with the A/C? It's only 40% humidity down there, so I don't think that's the problem, but it gives me a bucket of water everyday almost.

Its just doing its job.... 90% or air conditioning is humidity control.

[cptcannabis]

Well, to clarify, it is a big room. It's about 12' W x 24' L x 8' H. So I don't think the A/C is oversized. It was barely keeping the room cool enough for two 1000w HPS lights before things got too hot. Maybe it's just humid in there b/c it's underground.

[Mississippi Steve]

Well, to clarify, it is a big room. It's about 12' W x 24' L x 8' H. So I don't think the A/C is oversized. It was barely keeping the room cool enough for two 1000w HPS lights before things got too hot. Maybe it's just humid in there b/c it's underground.

Maybe its water evaporating from the plants, soil, etc.

[rdchambs]

I used to be a Meteorology major, and the answer to this is quite simple. Relative humidity is dependent on temperature to measure water saturation. Let's say that one gallon of water vapor is in your basement. If it is near saturation (100%) humidity, that is the lowest temp that can support that water in a vapor form. So if that one gallon of water is in a room at 34 degrees, the air can't support as much water as it could at 80 degrees, hence the relative humidity being around 40% at your temperature. What does this mean? That means that there is a higher capacity for water vapor if there are higher temperatures. A desert in Arizona that has 20% relative humidity in 110 degree heat, has more water in the air than Anchorage Alaska does in 20 degree weather at 80% humidity. The air is colder and can't hold as much water. The south has extremely high amounts of water in the air this time of year, so you are going to see a massive amount of condensation, no matter what your room temps are. The gulf stream is a dominant force this time of year on the east coast, and blasts all of that water vapor from the gulf into the deep south. That air that the AC unit is cooling, can no longer support the amount of water it contains at the current outdoor temps, and that water is squeezed out by the condenser, which is what you're seeing in that bucket. You'll see those condensates decrease as we approach september and october, considering that the flow doesn't continue into hurricane season. Best wishes!

[perpetr8r]

Wow. Hows that for an educated answer :thumbsup:

[cptcannabis]

Wow, I'm having wet bulb/dry bulb flashbacks....