Why Do Air Conditioning Vents Sweat?
Back in the summer of 2005, I got a call to figure out a moisture problem in a new house. The homeowners took me into the master suite, where the first thing to catch my eye was the towel folded…
air conditioning
Do UV Lamps Really Improve Indoor Air Quality?
I used to be a smart-ass who would say things I thought were clever but really were just annoying. When I learned the basics of quantum physics, for example, I had a clever/annoying answer for anyone who asked me, What's…
Skin Flakes in Your Air Conditioner
I never read Robert Fulghum's book, All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, but I have a clear memory of learning about one thing in the book: Most of the dust floating around our homes is actually…
A Birthday, a Report, and a Prize
Happy birthday to Willis Carrier! He invented modern air conditioning and changed the world. In his quest for a device to control humidity in the Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing & Publishing Company in Brooklyn, New York, he invented a device that changed…
Simple Steps to Improve Air Conditioner Performance
It's getting hot out there. Here in the Southeast, we love our air conditioning. In fact, without air conditioning, far fewer people would live in places like Houston, Hattiesburg, and Sopchoppy. And that's true for the hot, dry places, too,…
What’s Causing the Moisture Problem in This Trendy Restaurant?
I've got the curse, you know. I can't walk into a building and not check out what's going on with ductwork, windows, and anything else that lets me apply what I know about building science. Yesterday, I went to lunch…