Turning on the air conditioner in midsummer, does it save lives or kill them?

It's not even the beginning of the dog days yet, but the hot and humid days have already made many people sigh: air conditioning is really a life-saving device! However, some people have even been admitted to the intensive care unit because of using air conditioning! It turns out that this is all caused by excessive mold on the air conditioning heat exchanger. In addition, many people have suffered from "air conditioning disease" due to improper use of air conditioning. Is it life-saving or fatal? It seems that if you want to use air conditioning well, it is not as simple as simply turning on the switch.

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01

Choose the right one

Air conditioning disease can be completely avoided

Everyone must have heard of the term "air conditioning disease", but in fact it does not refer to a specific disease, but refers to the symptoms of dizziness, headache, loss of appetite, upper respiratory tract infection, joint pain, etc. that people who work and live in an air-conditioned environment for a long time will experience. It is also called air conditioning syndrome. The main causes of air conditioning disease are as follows:

1. The air conditioner temperature is set too low. Staying in an environment with low air conditioning temperature for a long time will cause the joints, waist and abdomen to get cold. It is recommended that the temperature setting should not be lower than 26℃ when using the air conditioner.

2. Direct cold air. In addition to setting the temperature appropriately, if you face the air outlet of the air conditioner directly and let the cold air blow directly on your body, it will cause joint pain, rhinitis and other diseases over time.

3. Blowing dirty air conditioners. After using the air conditioner for a period of time, it will not only accumulate a lot of dust, but also breed bacteria. An air conditioner that has not been cleaned for 3 years is 60 times dirtier than a toilet. Blowing the "dirty air" from a dirty air conditioner for half an hour is equivalent to walking in heavy smog for 16 hours, which can cause respiratory diseases such as rhinitis and cough.

4. Staying in an air-conditioned room for a long time. Compared with central air conditioners that can provide outdoor fresh air, most household air conditioners do not have a fresh air function. Staying in an air-conditioned room for a long time will cause discomfort to the human body due to the lack of fresh air.

Does this mean that we can only choose between "enduring high temperatures" and "the threat of air-conditioning disease"? In fact, air-conditioning disease is not unavoidable. With the development of technology, the above problems have been solved by many mainstream air-conditioning companies in China. Many air conditioners currently sold on the market already have a series of self-cleaning functions such as self-cleaning and sterilization, 56°C high-temperature sterilization, bipolar ion sterilization or deep ultraviolet sterilization. As long as we adopt the correct "posture" when using them, we can keep air-conditioning disease away.

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02

Clean the heat exchanger twice a year

Need professional operation

Some friends may say that the air conditioner at home was purchased a few years ago and is an old-fashioned basic model without self-cleaning function. Is it only possible to dismantle it and replace it with a new one? In fact, if you are worried that the air blown out by the air conditioner is not clean, you only need to clean the heat exchanger to solve this problem to a large extent.

The heat exchanger of an air conditioner is an important component of air conditioning cooling and heating. The heat exchanger is indispensable inside all air conditioners. It uses the principle of "refrigerant condensation and liquefaction to release heat, and evaporation and gasification to absorb heat" to exchange heat with the outdoor heat exchanger, thereby achieving the purpose of cooling and heating. Since there is often condensed water attached to the heat exchanger, a humid environment is prone to a large amount of dust, bacteria, and mold. When the air conditioner is running, bacteria will spread rapidly with the wind and spread throughout the room, especially to mothers, children, the elderly and other people with low immunity and low resistance.

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For air conditioners that do not have a self-cleaning function, if you can clean them once before using them in summer and winter, or at least do a deep cleaning before using them in summer, you can remove the dirt attached to the heat exchanger and ensure the cleanliness of the air from the source. However, this work requires a certain understanding of the structure and operating principles of the air conditioner, so it is not recommended that you do it yourself at home. You should still ask professional service personnel to use professional equipment to complete the cleaning work.

03

When the room temperature drops, turn off the heat and then turn it back on.

Does this save electricity or waste it?

In addition to avoiding the threat of air-conditioning disease, there is another problem with turning on the air conditioner - it wastes electricity. Many frugal people will turn off the air conditioner when the room temperature drops, and turn it back on when it is too hot, thinking that this can save some electricity. However, the truth is: turning on the air conditioner 24 hours a day saves more electricity than turning it on and off from time to time!

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Why do I say that? First of all, since the instantaneous current of the air conditioner is often large when it is started, if it is started repeatedly, the power consumption will increase accordingly, which is not conducive to the maintenance of the air conditioner, causing damage to the air conditioner and affecting the life of the air conditioner. Moreover, the air conditioners used in general households now are basically variable frequency air conditioners. The temperature is maintained at the set temperature, and the compressor rotates very slowly. On the contrary, it is more energy-saving to keep it turned on for a long time, and the human body feels more comfortable.

04

What is the best air conditioning temperature in summer?

You need to pay attention to these issues when staying in an air-conditioned room!

From a health perspective, the recommended setting temperature for air conditioning in summer is 26°C, which is not only less likely to cause physical discomfort, but also more energy-efficient. You should also note that when you enter the room from a very hot outdoor environment, don't rush to turn on the air conditioner immediately to "cool down". Instead, you should wait for a while to allow your body functions to stabilize before turning on the air conditioner.

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In addition, if you stay in an air-conditioned room for a long time, the following points should not be ignored:

1. To avoid direct cold air blowing, it is recommended to adjust the air outlet to upward or horizontal blowing, because the cold air will sink naturally, making the air conditioning more comfortable.

2. Open windows more often for ventilation. It is recommended to ventilate the room every 2-3 hours, each time for 10-15 minutes, to keep the indoor air circulating.

3. Clean the evaporator inside the air conditioner regularly. It is recommended to clean the air conditioner 2 to 3 times a year to ensure clean air.

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In the hot summer, air conditioners are an indispensable good partner to improve our quality of life. As long as you pay attention to the correct use method and choose the right product, you can avoid the occurrence of air conditioning disease. Finally, I would like to remind everyone that if the air conditioner in your home is already an over-serviced product, it is recommended to replace it in time.

Author: Yao He, Director of Consumer Guidance Department of China Household Electrical Appliances Association

Review | Qin Zongmin Member of the Chinese Society of Refrigeration Senior Engineer

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