My wife insists on setting the whole house AC thermostat at 70-72 at night. I've told her that if the outside temperature is 67, the AC won't work correctly. That the outside temperature has to be higher than the temperature you're trying to cool the house to. Can someone state this in an explanation that she will understand?
Also, during the night the circuit breaker that the AC is on has been tripping lately. Could this be because the unit is running for hours without shutting down? Putting a load on it and thus causing the circuit breaker to to trip?
She understands everything she needs to, she knows you and knows you are crazy. :-)
Many times the outside temperature is less than the set temperature. One of two things happen. If the inside temperture is less than the set temperture, nothing happens since the thermostate will be happy. If the inside temperature is higher than the set temperature then the AC will start running and dump the excess heat outside. Since it is pumping the heat downhill, it will work less hard and save you money.
If anything running at night when it is cool would be less load on the AC (there are unusual circumstances that this may not be true, but it does not sound like it here). There are a number of possible problems that could cause the breaker to trip, but it sounds more likely that the breaker is going bad and needs to be replaced. Do you run the AC during the day? Does the breaker trip then?
When the outside temperature gets below 70 the more indoor heat load you get on the evaporator coil the better. This is because when the system heatload becomes too low the pressures drop below freezing on the evaporator coil which results in coil blockage. Which results in possible liquid flooding back to the compressor which can ruin it in no time flat. In lower temperature environments a control is needed to control the condenser blower motor so the condensing temperatures stays within tolerable specifications. The colder it gets in the conditioned space the more dangerous it is for the compressor. They used to have suction line accumulators and low pressure switches to help protect the compressor, which many units don't have these days. These days accumulators are rare on A/C units, --but they are critical for protecting Heat Pumps and therefore are installed on them. Where nights get cold strap on crankcase heaters are essential to keep refrigerant from condensing into the compressor's oil which leads to slugging and oil where it shouldn't be in the sealed system. Along with premature compressor failures.
She seems to understand . Your house warms up, and gets humid, at night she wants it kept comfortable. Besides cooling the house you are keeping the humidity under control ,which usually rises outside at night. Im not sure of the actual low temp it is damaging to run your ac, but I beleive for some units it is 55 or lower, you wont hurt your ac running it at 65 outside. And it will work fine. If Its hot and humid in the house run your AC . Your breaker problem is different, have a Pro check it out , it could be something serious is happening and should be repaired before more damage occurs
First, however, you explain to me how the outside temperature has anything to do with the air conditioner.
The air conditioner is controlled by the thermostat. The thermostat measures the inside temperature.
It does not matter of the outside temperature is 100 degrees or zero degrees. If the inside temperature is higher than what the thermostat is set for, the air conditioner turns on. The thermostat has no contact with the outside temperature. It cannot know what the outside temperature is. What's more, it doesn't care. It is only concerned with the inside temperature. That's its job. It's very single-minded about it, very focused. It has no imagination.
Perhaps your air conditioner has something on it that measures the outside temperature for some reason. This is not impossible. I have just never seen one nor could I fantom why it would. If it does, I want to go out and find one just like yours so that I can learn something new. Look in the manual that came with the air conditioner. I'm sure it would tell you all about how the air conditioner can sense the outside temperature. Quote me what it says.
Alot of portable home dehumidifiers start to freeze up below 60f its their design. Regular home refrigerators have a low temp operating range also. They are designed for use in a heated area .
If it is 67 outside, absent AC, it will be above 67 inside, since you have heat loads indoors. And depending on your locale, you also need to lower humidity, the 67 outdoors may be very humid and uncomfortable.
Just set it where you're comfortable. If she is most comfortable at 70-72, then fine.
There's no arguing with taste, or in this case, psychrometrics.
Again...the cooling device...in this case, the refrigerator...doesn't care about the outside environment. It measures the INSIDE temperature...and cycles when the INSIDE temperature fluctuates.
But there is always infiltration. No refrigerator can be 100% insulated. So, if the outside temperature is very cold, the cold air will infiltrate (actually, in the other direction...depending on the temperature) into the refrigerator...which helps to cool the inside air and contents.
What does it matter? Do you think the average person has any concept of the fundamental laws of thermodynamics and conservation of energy? Leave the guy alone. Anyone can make anyone else look stupid on the right subject.
A fridge runs until the temp in the refrig section gets to 40 (or whatever you've set it for). So, if the garage is 40, then the refrig stays at 40. Now, as it happens, without the compressor running, the freezer section warms up to 40 after a while, but that's not the refrigerator's fault!
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