Lanai, Heat and Mildew Question

[TarotJames]

What options do we have to prevent mildew on any furniture on our lanai that has windows?
1. Can you leave the patio doors open and let the air conditioning cool the lanai?
2. Do we leave the ceiling fan on 24 hours a day?
3. Do we have to consider adding heat/air conditioning vents to our lanai?
4. Is there a certain type of window we should have installed? I think ours are acrylic put in by the previous owner.

Any solutions?:kiss:

[mulligan]

If you intend to circulate conditioned air onto the lanai, check with your A/C service people to be sure your unit has enough capacity. If not, you can add a unit. The only way to prevent mildew is dry air, and no dust/pollen for it to get started in. If you have acrylic windows, you may need to remove them in case of a hurricane warning. Many of the acrylic systems are not engineered for high wind resistance.

[oxfordnative]

This was our exact situation. We tried the "leaving the doors open" while running the AC option. It was a no-go. It caused our unit to"overwork" and freeze up. We tried running just ceiling fans, still too hot, for us at least. It did help the hot air to circulate, but was very little relief. Our neighbors had just put in a mini unit- not a window unit but a small AC for just a patio! We called the AC contractor and got some quotes and were nice and comfy the rest of the summer. We used, as I have said before, Sumter Air and Heat. They were fabulous and had put in many of these style units. We love it.

[TarotJames]

Can you leave the sliding doors open with the small air conditioner
operating?

[tv2016]

This was our exact situation. We tried the "leaving the doors open" while running the AC option. It was a no-go. It caused our unit to"overwork" and freeze up. We tried running just ceiling fans, still too hot, for us at least. It did help the hot air to circulate, but was very little relief. Our neighbors had just put in a mini unit- not a window unit but a small AC for just a patio! We called the AC contractor and got some quotes and were nice and comfy the rest of the summer. We used, as I have said before, Sumter Air and Heat. They were fabulous and had put in many of these style units. We love it.

Did you find a way to heat it in the winter?

[graciegirl]

Can you leave the sliding doors open with the small air conditioner
operating?

If mildew is growing it is because there is too much water suspended in the air and you have furnishings that lend themselves to mold growth. Outdoor furniture is more mold resistant.

Mold grows due to lack of direct sunlight, a warm damp place and can be cured by cleaning the mildew with some kind of bleachy substance and closing up the porch and running the air conditioner that removes humidity from the air or opening it up totally and only having out door mildew resistant furniture. Indoor furniture will soon be ruined..Running the air with the windows open is counter productive. You can't dehumidify the whole outdoors.

[gomoho]

Did you find a way to heat it in the winter?

Our enclosed lanai is heated by the morning sun. It gets so warm we usually have to crack a window.

We are planning on having Munds run air/heat and a return to the lanai to help with the cooling in the summer. Have installed solar shades to block the sun when needed. Thought about tinting the windows, but wanted to take advantage of the warm sun in winter.

We literally live on our lanai and have a combo of indoor and outdoor furniture out there.

[TarotJames]

:smiley:We do not have mold or mildew. Just being proactive to figure out what items we can put on our lanai and what air conditioning solutions there are to hot weather on a lanai with acrylic windows. I still would like to know if you can leave the patio doors open the the lanai with the house and supplemental air on. Of course the lanai windows will remain closed when the air conditoner is on. (Not worried about the cold winter months unless I should have heat with funiture on lanai.) Still looking for responses on leaving the patio doors open on a courtyard villa when the air is on in both the house and on the lania (with supplemental air on lanai.:smiley:

[gomoho]

:smiley:We do not have mold or mildew. Just being proactive to fugure our what we can put on our lanai and what air conditioning solutions there are to hot weather on a lanai with acrylic windows. I still would like to know if you can leave the patio doors open the the lanai with the house and supplemental air on. Of course the lanai windows will remain closed when the air conditoner is on. Still looking for responses on leaving the patio doors open on a courtyard villa when the air is on in both the house and on the lania (with supplemental air on lanai.:smiley:

Last summer we did leave the sliding glass door open to the lanai with the windows closed - also had the ceiling fan running. It certainly wasn't cool, but better than having the windows open. Did not have a problem with the compressor freezing as someone else mentioned and didn't notice a big jump in my electric bill. However since we spend so much time out there we have decided to spend the money to have the heat and air run out there.

[TarotJames]

With air and heat vents installed is the lanai taxed as an extra room and additional square footage to your home?

[784caroline]

With air and heat vents installed is the lanai taxed as an extra room and additional square footage to your home?

Do not know the answer to your question BUT even if it is taxed, its a small price for more room space that provides total comfort by eliminating supressing heat, mildew, and dirt from the outside.

The added tax, if there is any, should be the last consideration.

[TarotJames]

I called the county assessor and found out the tax difference is $30 to $40 if you add heat and air conditioning vents that run from your furnace.
If it is a portable or window air conditioner there is no tax difference because the lanai is not considered a residential room.:024:

[gomoho]

Do not know the answer to your question BUT even if it is taxed, its a small price for more room space that provides total comfort by eliminating supressing heat, mildew, and dirt from the outside.

The added tax, if there is any, should be the last consideration.

Couldn't agree with you more - and I can't tell you how many people have said the same thing - won't your taxes go up. My response was probably, but how much could it possible be??? And with that tax increase I am also increasing the value of my property because I am now adding bonafide square footage and enjoying my home to its fullest.:$:

[tommy steam]

Do not know the answer to your question BUT even if it is taxed, its a small price for more room space that provides total comfort by eliminating supressing heat, mildew, and dirt from the outside.

The added tax, if there is any, should be the last consideration.

I would think that the ac system that is in your house was designed to just do the house. By adding heat and ac vents you might be pushing your heat pump/ac to an early failure . That can be a very big expense to replace. A better solution would to put in a system called a mini split. It's a additional small unit that is designed for these kinds of situations.

[gomoho]

I understand what you are saying, Tommy Steam, but Mund's installed the original system in the house and they say it can handle the additional load. Since that is their business I will go with their recommendation and hopefully it will all work out.

[784caroline]

You may want to get another AC recommendation. Wey=ther your existing ac unit can handle the additional space is very important for comfort. Check the size of your unit it should read something like 30XXX, 36XXX or 42XXXX and then compare it to your neighbors house of the same size.

Then you have to consider in terms of what you are doing, ie what type of glas will you be using (low e insulated or plain), direction of total sun exposure with emphasis on western sun, and sq footage addded. The county made my contractor do what they called a heating and ac SURVEY, Mums did it ($150). Also make certain the new AC/heat ducts are connected direcly to the furnace not simply an extension of the closest duct outlet.

We added 400 SF and did not have to change out or add to our heat/AC system but we had 1/2 ton more capacity than our neigbors when built for we had a slight (new build) expansion.

[batman911]

Another thing to consider is that if you get a lot of sun in the added space (with lots of windows) you should compute the total heat load you are adding, not just the SF.

[TarotJames]

I found several solutions to my questions about cooling our lanai. I joined Angies List and then searched for an A rated air conditioning company from the Angies List web site. Sunshine Air Condititoning sent a salesperson to our home and he gave us several solutions to heat and humidty on our lanai. Very reputable company and did not try to sell us high priced work we don't need. Thank you Villagers for all of the comments and experiences we found in the quick reply section. It looks like we will be purchasing a portable air conditioner to help cool our lanai.