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Dry Mouth

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Ed_70
Ed_70 Member Posts: 4
in THE MAIN WALL
My wife and I are experiencing dry mouth after we turn on our newly installed hvac. We first thought this was a heating issue (because of hot forced air), but we realized that the issue occurs when we turn on the a/c unit. The symptoms usally start after an hour of leaving the unit on. Thinking that this is a humidification issue we turned on the fan (no heat & no a/c) and we still have the dry mouth. We have a Luxaire 95% furnace model # TG9S040 and an Aprilaire model 5000 air cleaner.



We're either thinking that its something in the duct work (but realize that this is a fairly new install) or somethings wrong with the units. Has anyone else experienced something like this? Any ideas what this could be?



Thanks for your help

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  • Mark Eatherton
    Mark Eatherton Member Posts: 5,853
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    Sounds like...

    leaky duct work to me.



    If you are in an area that has low relative humidity outside, when the air moving system is on, if it is leaky, or the house is leaky and the duct system is not balanced, then the air delivery system is forcing the humid air out of the home, and replacing it with dry outside air.



    If this is not the case, then you might need to have your duct work cleaned. Even brand new system have a lot of trash in them from the construction process.



    Hopefully you are aware that when your AC is running, that it is also de-humidifying the air. It is a critical part of air conditioning.



    ME
    It's not so much a case of "You got what you paid for", as it is a matter of "You DIDN'T get what you DIDN'T pay for, and you're NOT going to get what you thought you were in the way of comfort". Borrowed from Heatboy.
  • Paul Fredricks_3
    Paul Fredricks_3 Member Posts: 1,557
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    .

    Might be a good idea to get an inexpensive humidity gauge just so you know what the humidity is.
  • Ed_70
    Ed_70 Member Posts: 4
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    thanks

    Thanks for your replies. Regarding the leaky duct, we did have a blow test on the duct work. The guy basically hooked up a fan it, taped up all the ducts, and ran diagnostics and said there was no leaks on the ducts... Maybe his diagnositcs were wrong... who knows.



    We also live in the NY area where we have high humidity outside (yeah summers arent really fun here)



    I have a humdifier that has a humidity guage on it.. i'll give that a try.
  • Ed_70
    Ed_70 Member Posts: 4
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    air cleaner

    I've been thinking about the electronic air cleaner that we have... I read somewhere on the manual that it says that it may produce ozone. I also read that ozone can cause discomfort for certain people (dry mouth). I know its a long shot theory, but has anyone had any issues with the electronic air cleaner causing these types of symptoms? How much ozone can an eac produce?



    Maybe i should try turning it off.
  • LarryC
    LarryC Member Posts: 331
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    Perhaps not related to A/C but instead related to climate.

    Ed,

    Another long shot.  Perhaps the drymouth occurs because of something changes when it is hot. 





    Do you stop eating or drinking certain foods when it gets hot outside? 

     

    Do you change any medications when it gets hot? 

     

    Do you start drinking or eating substances when it gets hot?

     

    Do you use a pool or hot tub when it gets hot?

     

    Do you use a specific room that you normally don't use when it is cooler?

     

    Do you run the car A/C only when it is hot.

     

    What things are common to both of you, that can cause dry mouth?





    I am not saying  the symptoms are not A/C system related, I am just suggesting that there may be another cause.  Good luck in tracing it down and fixing it.
  • Tombig_8
    Tombig_8 Member Posts: 15
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    EAC's, Ozone, and...

    Ed,

    You are your own best investigator. Google ionizing air filters and EAC's and their ozone producing capabilities as well as how they affect folks with respiratory problems. The EPA is on top of this. I looked into this when a good friend who is severely athsmatic was advised by her doctor to avoid ionizing air cleaners due to the ozone production. Interesting!



    I hope this helps
  • Tombig_8
    Tombig_8 Member Posts: 15
    edited June 2011
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    EAC's, Ozone, and...

  • Ed_70
    Ed_70 Member Posts: 4
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    Thanks

    I'll test it out once the weather gets hot again.



    Do you think I can test it by just unplugging the EAC? I won't know where to begin if I had to uninstall it.
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