Excessive condensation from A/C set too low - Inspection News

Hey guys, got something I never ran into before and having a hard time trying to figure out how to verbilize, or explain the result. I've already had a list of questions from the buyer before the inspection, and he was not there so I know when he gets the report I will be asking to explain this in great detail. I already mentioned this to someone in idle conversation, and they could not understand this phenomenon, the more I tried to explain it, the more I started getting confused.

Anyway, this is South Florida, still hot mid 80s, and still humid. Got to this inspection at 1:00 PM, I noticed while walking around outside all the windows had condensation on them (inside). When the Realtor got there, we went inside, and I immediately noticed it was cold....It was 68 inside, thats cold here as far as keeping your house at that temp via A/C.

House is 2004, 4000 sq ft. 2 story, both air handlers on second floor in closet, in conditioned space. Both A/C units operating as intended. The condensation was only on the windows,the air handlers, and a few A/C grills, all smooth surfaces except the air handler room ceiling which was saturated.

I think it just came to me, I will put my new thought at the end.

The air handler closet had no return air flow (louvered doors), the returns were nearby, but now that I think about it there was no real air flow in the closet, it was not sealed, but the return air was pulled from elsewhere.

The part im struggling with, and have already been asked is......if the A/C is excessively running, the humidity should be lower, so why the condensation? I can understand the windows, single pane, with the outside heat load.

So, when the lightbulb just came on, my theory is that if some of the return air was being pulled through the air handler room, there would have been air movement, and the air handler would not have been sweating, thus the ceiling would not be soaked.

I have heard of something similar a few years ago. Brand new house, vacant, A/C guys came to start A/C, either wired T stat wrong or whatever, but the A/C never shut off. Weeks later a salesman went to show the house to someone, opened the door and about fell over. The whole house was covered in mold, drywall was so wet it was falling off the studs. I heard all the windows had consensation also. The ended up gutting the house and redoing it.

Any thoughts? Can having a house too cold via A/C be harmful to the house?

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Paul Kondzich
Ft. Myers, FL.

Source: http://www.inspectionnews.net/home_inspection/heating-ventilation-air-conditioning-hvac-home-inspection-commercial-inspection/32643-excessive-condensation-c-set-too-low.html

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