Re: [A/S] Results from Service.

["Dick Kenan" <as5368@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

     That's basically correct - the air cools down to the dew point 
and, since air has a low heat capacity, it doesn't take a lot of work 
to do that.  Then, the AC must pump in the "heat of sublimation" (I 
think that's what it's called) to condense the moisture.  That 
reduces the dew point, and you cool down to that new temp, and have 
to remove more moisture.  Of course, this does not happen in jerks 
like I've described - it's a continuous process.  But, the net result 
is that condensing the moisture in the air causes an effective 
increase in the heat capacity, i.e., in the work the AC has to do to 
cool your air.
     But, that's not the end of the story.  In some ACs, the cooled 
condensate is sprayed back onto the rooftop heat exchanger, making it 
look like a the high-temperature end of the refrigeration heat cycle 
has become a lower one.  This makes for more efficient use of the 
energy your AC is expending (think of getting a garden hose and 
spraying the rooftop heat exchanger.  That will definitely cool the 
HT reservoir, and your water bill will go up a bit.
     I was not aware that our ACs were rated for only 15 or 20 degree 
differential, but it's not surprising.  Hunter's solution - move 
somewhere where it's more comfortable - is the only way around the 
thermodynamics.

- Dick
(5368)