Installation took 30 or 40 minutes, after which we closed the windows and started the air conditioning. We could tell from the sound that the fan was running much slower than usual. We went about our business and didn't think too much more about it until a half hour had gone by. At that time I noticed to my surprise that my clothes were dry. My wife's clothes were also dry. I checked the thermometer and saw that the temperature had dropped only a degree or two, but we both felt comfortable. That's when I looked outside to check the a/c drain line.
There was a steady stream of water as thick as a pen pouring from the drain line. It took me a minute to understand what had happened. The FanHandler had tackled the latent load (humidity) first. That's why we had become comfortable so quickly, because relative humidity has a much greater impact on comfort than temperature does. How many times have you heard "It's not the heat, it's the humidity"? It's true.
Over the next little bit of time the house dried out, the fan ran faster and the temperature dropped to match our thermostat setting. I could hardly wait until Monday so I could contact FanHandler, Inc. to beg for a distributorship.
Since then we have discovered many benefits. Summertime relative humidity in our house now averages 48-51%, compared to 65-70% before the FanHandler. When we run our electric heat (not often, but at least a few days each year) we now have hot air blowing gently from the registers, rather than barely lukewarm air blasting out. Our master bedroom is no longer hotter than the rest of the house, because the FanHandler keeps the air mixed up and the temperature even from room to room.
Our UV light and charged-media filter work as never before, because the air is moving past them 24/7, usually at a very slow speed, allowing them more time to do their work. We notice this especially in the area of odors. We both smoke. The charged-media filter and the UV device are both effective at combating the smoking odors, but they work at least 100% better with the FanHandler installed. We now run our system fan 365 days a year, even when the windows are open, because of this benefit.
The greatest benefit in terms of indoor air quality is also the greatest comfort benefit: the reduction in relative humidity. If you can reduce your indoor relative humidity to 55% or less, many air quality problems are alleviated. Dust mites don't breed and mold doesn't flourish. In many Florida homes, 55% cannot be achieved. Unless you have a FanHandler.
True story: A local air conditioning contractor was working with a family whose wife and mom had a large number of respiratory problems and allergies. She couldn't leave the house without a breathing mask. The contractor was trying to help make her home into a "safe haven" where she could breathe normally. They did everything they could think of, installing HEPA filtration and UV devices, cleaning the ducts, sealing the ducts against leakage etc., but it wasn't enough. Then the contractor started wondering about humidity in the home. He installed a FanHandler, and the "safe haven" was achieved.
Thanks for the terrific product, and for the distributorship, and for your support over the past three years. Every home should have a FanHandler, and my goal is to make that happen, at least in Florida.
Sincerely,
Mike Bancroft
IAQ Direct
1615 Cypress Dr. - Suite 2 Jupiter, FL 33469
Phone (800) 921-9312 - Fax (561) 748-8281