AC temp while on vacation

Closed Thread
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 05-05-2019, 08:09 AM
frostola frostola is offline
Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: The Villages, Florida
Posts: 79
Thanks: 7
Thanked 14 Times in 11 Posts
Default AC temp while on vacation

What is a good temp to set the thermostat at while on vacation during the summer months?
  #2  
Old 05-05-2019, 08:19 AM
dewilson58's Avatar
dewilson58 dewilson58 is offline
Sage
Join Date: May 2013
Location: South of 466a, if you don't like me.......I live in Orlando.
Posts: 11,502
Thanks: 834
Thanked 9,687 Times in 3,600 Posts
Default

82.
  #3  
Old 05-05-2019, 09:00 AM
OpusX1's Avatar
OpusX1 OpusX1 is offline
Veteran member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: The Villages
Posts: 793
Thanks: 5
Thanked 99 Times in 35 Posts
Default

When I was a snowbird I would set mine at 87 during the day and 84 at night, that way the ac would always come. On once a day to circulate the air. Never had a mold or mildew problem. This only works if you have a programmable thermostat.
  #4  
Old 05-05-2019, 09:15 AM
retiredguy123 retiredguy123 is offline
Sage
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 13,947
Thanks: 2,274
Thanked 13,416 Times in 5,107 Posts
Default

There is a de-humidify setting that will over-cool the temperature setting by about 3 degrees when the humidity is high. So, if you set the temperature to 82, it will cool the house down to 79 only when the humidity goes above the humidity setting.
  #5  
Old 05-05-2019, 09:16 AM
anothersteve's Avatar
anothersteve anothersteve is offline
Gold member
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,197
Thanks: 382
Thanked 1,668 Times in 529 Posts
Default

And keep the ceiling fans on low just to keep the air circulating
Steve
  #6  
Old 05-05-2019, 09:40 AM
Toymeister's Avatar
Toymeister Toymeister is offline
Platinum member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,680
Thanks: 343
Thanked 2,335 Times in 729 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by anothersteve View Post
And keep the ceiling fans on low just to keep the air circulating
Steve
I advise against this. First the enemy of a vacant home is mold. Ceiling fans do not inhibit mold, dry air does.

Your goal is 60% or less.

I have a humidity monitor, anything above 84 routinely trips the alarm.

Second point on the ceiling fans: if you run four at low you will consume 57.6 KwH of electricity. This is a 80% increase in your vampire electricity load. It is simply a waste of money. Use that money to run your ac an extra 23.5 hours in a month.

How do I know this? I have a electricity monitor which checks the draw 10,000 times a second. It has been helpful to discuss or decide the benefits of electricity usage, as well as identify problems.
  #7  
Old 05-05-2019, 09:57 AM
anothersteve's Avatar
anothersteve anothersteve is offline
Gold member
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,197
Thanks: 382
Thanked 1,668 Times in 529 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Toymeister View Post
I advise against this. First the enemy of a vacant home is mold. Ceiling fans do not inhibit mold, dry air does.

Your goal is 60% or less.

I have a humidity monitor, anything above 84 routinely trips the alarm.

Second point on the ceiling fans: if you run four at low you will consume 57.6 KwH of electricity. This is a 80% increase in your vampire electricity load. It is simply a waste of money. Use that money to run your ac an extra 23.5 hours in a month.

How do I know this? I have a electricity monitor which checks the draw 10,000 times a second. It has been helpful to discuss or decide the benefits of electricity usage, as well as identify problems.
I had my AC set on 81, with the ceiling fans (3), on low for six months at minimal expense. To each his own.
Steve
  #8  
Old 05-05-2019, 10:29 AM
Arctic Fox's Avatar
Arctic Fox Arctic Fox is offline
Soaring Eagle member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,073
Thanks: 10
Thanked 962 Times in 370 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by frostola View Post
What is a good temp to set the thermostat at while on vacation during the summer months?
Install a humidistat. That way you can set your a/c to 80F and it will only kick in when the humidity is high (which is what causes mold). Leave the fans off.
  #9  
Old 05-05-2019, 10:35 AM
HiHoSteveO HiHoSteveO is offline
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 333
Thanks: 48
Thanked 75 Times in 37 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by frostola View Post
What is a good temp to set the thermostat at while on vacation during the summer months?
Cool "Hold" temp at 82

Humidity 58-60%

No ceiling fans
  #10  
Old 05-05-2019, 10:51 AM
rjm1cc's Avatar
rjm1cc rjm1cc is offline
Soaring Eagle member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 2,366
Thanks: 237
Thanked 521 Times in 241 Posts
Default

Low 80's should work. The point of the AC being on is to reduce the humidity in the air and thus reduce the possibility of mold. I have read a few articles on setting the AC to the low 70's from say midnight to 6 am to dehumidify the air. Thus dehumidifying the air once a day.
  #11  
Old 05-05-2019, 10:53 AM
Peterriess Peterriess is offline
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 18
Thanks: 0
Thanked 5 Times in 4 Posts
Default

I installed a Nest thermostat. It has a setting called "Cool to Dry". It controls both temp and humidity. So far it has worked like a charm. No mold, mildew or musty odors. Munns did the installation. programed the thermostat and my iPhone for remote setting.
  #12  
Old 05-05-2019, 10:57 AM
Aloha1's Avatar
Aloha1 Aloha1 is offline
Gold member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 1,485
Thanks: 2,597
Thanked 1,298 Times in 491 Posts
Default

Temp set at 80 and ceiling fans on low. Fans help to spread the air and humidity around the room, balancing the temp which means the a/c won't come on as often. We have 2 ceiling fans on our lanai which is enclosed with glass sliders. Temps and humidity can get up pretty high in the summer so those fans stay on 24/7.
__________________
Roseville, MI, East Lansing, MI, Okemos, MI, Kapalua, HI, Village of Pine Ridge
  #13  
Old 05-05-2019, 11:25 AM
dewilson58's Avatar
dewilson58 dewilson58 is offline
Sage
Join Date: May 2013
Location: South of 466a, if you don't like me.......I live in Orlando.
Posts: 11,502
Thanks: 834
Thanked 9,687 Times in 3,600 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aloha1 View Post
Temp set at 80 and ceiling fans on low. Fans help to spread the air and humidity around the room, balancing the temp which means the a/c won't come on as often. We have 2 ceiling fans on our lanai which is enclosed with glass sliders. Temps and humidity can get up pretty high in the summer so those fans stay on 24/7.



I've never left fans on when on Vaca........(the OP question)......do you leave them on for weeks at a time when away??
  #14  
Old 05-05-2019, 11:29 AM
ColdNoMore ColdNoMore is offline
Sage
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Between 466 & 466A
Posts: 10,509
Thanks: 82
Thanked 1,507 Times in 677 Posts
Default

I leave my thermostat at 83 in summer and the heater at 67 in winter, so that it will hopefully come on at least a few times when I'm gone for more than a few days...but never run the fans.

The way I look at it, there is a finite number of hours on any fan...so why accelerate their demise?
  #15  
Old 05-05-2019, 11:36 AM
Toymeister's Avatar
Toymeister Toymeister is offline
Platinum member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,680
Thanks: 343
Thanked 2,335 Times in 729 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aloha1 View Post
Temp set at 80 and ceiling fans on low. Fans help to spread the air and humidity around the room, balancing the temp which means the a/c won't come on as often..
With three temp monitors in the home I can assure you that the fans do not balance the temp. From one room to another the temp stays within one degree. I have been observing this remotely for three years. Day after day month after month season after season, one degree.

I can turn on the fans remotely, one degree diff, fans off same results.
Closed Thread

Tags
vacation, temp, thermostat, summer, months

Thread Tools

You are viewing a new design of the TOTV site. Click here to revert to the old version.

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:37 PM.