What's Better?......Heat or Air Flow??

I've always told customers it's better to leave windows open for drying, even on "cold" days, but cold around here is usually in the 50's, not -0 like some of you guys.

So I wonder what's better, open windows, or closed up with the heater on??

I've always thought, it's good to have windows open so moisture can escape from the house, but I'm I wrong?

depends on the humidity outside, if its high humidity outside then windows only cracked with heat on

if its low humidity outside then windows open

wet is attracted to dry

higher air temps also hold more moisture, you dont want cold but you dont want hot

68-70 indoor is good

Around here where the humidity can be 100%, if you leave the windows open it will take forever to dry. I was experimenting with an area rug in my garage and even with fans running it took 3 days to dry because of the humidity. For here, windows closed and ac set around 68 seems to work well.

Yeah it does depend on the humidity. Here its open the windows and during the monsoon when the humidity rises its air conditioning on

Pro Touch wrote:Around here where the humidity can be 100%, if you leave the windows open it will take forever to dry. I was experimenting with an area rug in my garage and even with fans running it took 3 days to dry because of the humidity. For here, windows closed and ac set around 68 seems to work well.

Damn, 3 days ?? Wow !! What season was that ??
I've never been to NC, how far are you from Orlando ? I know it's very humid in Orlando in Spring and summer.

That was in August dp. Orlando is about 550 miles from here. The humidity from May thru November can average over 90%. Some days I wish I had gills.

You guys nailed it....humidity outside is the key. It was near freezing here this morning and not much better now.

A tip, if you want to move some moisture without opening windows is to run all the home's exhaust systems. That means the central air circulation fan, bathroom fans, and especially the range hood fan....that sucker can empty a house in a hurry.

not many homes here have AC,     if you do then actually you can set it to lower temps and get faster dry times

condensers pull moisture from the air,    actually an air conditioner has the same effect as a dehumidifier which is why they need a drain line

its like having a dehuey in the whole house, I would set it to 55-60 if the customer doesnt mind...

Yup, A/C works like a dehue.......that's why I always tell my commercial jobs to leave it on, since open windows aren't usually an option.

And like you AC, a lot of the homes I work in here close to the ocean, don't have or even really need A/C.

So thanks for all the responses, but what do you guys think about a customer leaving it all closed up with the heater on?........since that's what most ask about and think will dry the carpet?

I always tell my customers if they want to turn the heat on, they certainly can BUT they have to wait until I'm done, lol.

dp1 wrote:I always tell my customers if they want to turn the heat on, they certainly can BUT they have to wait until I'm done, lol.

Always love it when the cust. has every window in the house open and it's like 40-50 degrees. I'm freezing my ass off and closing every window as I work.

I don't like when they turn on fans when you need dwell time

should leave the windows at least cracked open, if you shut them all and turn the heat up it should take longer to dry because the moisture has to go somewhere

Davey Cracker wrote:So thanks for all the responses, but what do you guys think about a customer leaving it all closed up with the heater on?........since that's what most ask about and think will dry the carpet?

Several things have to be considered regarding drying, not only the temperature.

As the moisture evaporates and leaves the carpet surface, where does it go?

It is absorbed by air in the home like a sponge, but only if there is still "room" for more more moisture in the air mass. (Dry sponge vs. wet sponge)

The higher the humidity inside, the less moisture the air will be able to absorb, and it will be absorbed at a slower rate, so if the point is reached when there is no more room for the absorption of any additional moisture (saturation), drying will stop, so besides ambient temperature, one must consider how to get rid of the moisture.

The only two ways are by either exchanging the inside air with dryer outside air at a high enough exchange rate, or actively removing the moisture by dehumidifying the air, which can be done by an AC condenser.

Heat on and windows closed is probably the worst option because although the higher temp will accelerate evaporation, the moisture is trapped and has no way to escape, and the air will reach it's saturation point faster.

I have noticed that buy placing a fan that points out of a bedroom blowing at me and opening a window in that room so it draws fresh air in seems to pull the moist air out of the room and helps dry faster.
Or placing my fans straight down in center of room and turning on ac also helps if it is to humid out side.
Also Redding gets hella hot here but we have a pretty dry heat and because of that a lot of people still use a swap type cooler, this can really mess with the dry times because it pumps a lot of moisture into the air and the air can't absorb any more, so fans and open windows helps a lot.

Give that range vent a try one of these times...you will be surprised how much air is pulled out of the house on the main floor. Straight up and hopefully out the attic wall if installed correctly.

Same goes for a fireplace, one of the best ways to vent out the first floor in a hurry since it goes straight up and out. I normally use either one when available and just aim an air mover in the living room aimed towards the range vent.