Family Now that summer is here, many families are planning to go on vacation. If you’re going on vacation soon, chances are you’re preparing your home for the time you’ll be away. A common question that many homeowners have is whether they should turn off their air conditioner when on vacation. Here is some information that will help you decide if you should turn off your AC before you leave for that cruise.

Don’t Turn Off Your AC

Many homeowners are surprised to hear that they shouldn’t turn off the air conditioner while they’re on vacation. To understand why you shouldn’t turn off the AC, it is important to understand how an air conditioner functions.

An air conditioner doesn’t just cool your home. It also removes humidity from the air. If you live in an area with a hot and humid climate, the removal of humidity from the air is a vital function.

To maintain the comfort and health of your home, the humidity in the house should be no greater than 50 percent. If the humidity is higher than 50 percent, you will run into issues like mold, peeling paint, musty odors and smells, and warped floors and furniture.

Not only will turning off your air conditioner increase the humidity in your home, but it will also increase the temperature. This could cause your refrigerator and freezer to work hard to keep your food cold. It could also cause the food in your pantry to spoil and potentially harm some of the electronics in your home.

What Should You Set the Thermostat To?

Even though it is recommended that you keep your AC on while you’re on vacation, that doesn’t mean you need to keep your thermostat on the same setting. You can turn your thermostat up before you go on vacation. There is little need to cool your home to the same extent as you do when the home is occupied. Therefore, you can turn your thermostat up to about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature is still low enough to keep your home relatively cool and free of humidity.

Keep in mind that some programmable thermostats have a “vacation” setting. If your thermostat has this setting, you should use it to keep the thermostat from cooling your home normally.

We Care About Your Whole-Home Comfort

For more information about whether you should turn your AC off when on vacation, don’t hesitate to contact David White Services, Inc. You can also reach out to us to learn more about the AC repair, AC maintenance, and AC installation here at David White Services, Inc.

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