Korean Job Discussion Forums

[DanseurVertical]

When for the first time in a season you turn on a heater + blower, it can do well to open the windows for a bit, as the air blown out of the system smells of burnt dust.

At my school I have been informed of the practice of opening the windows for the first 10 minutes of running the air conditioner, for each time it is run.

I inquired as to why but could not understand the explanations. Of course air cooling / heating in Korea uses rather different hardware than in North America, but I still cannot understand the practice.

Might this be a case of bad science, like with fan death? Or is there some thermo / fluids basis for the practice?

[Sticks]

Might be something to do with forcing the hot air out as the cool air comes in? I do that in cars regularly, blast the air-con on for a few minutes with the windows down a good 10-20 cm then roll them up. Not sure if it actually helps but it makes sense in theory...

[Squire]

What is the reason for keeping the window closed? I come from the UK, so not much experience with air conditioning

[coralreefer_1]

The explanation I have always heard (note that I dont buy into it) is that the air from an air conditioner is somehow harmful and there needs to be some sort of fresh air available.

[Chokse]

An air conditioner works by removing hot air (and humidity) from a room, building, or car, and then cycling back (replacing) cool air into the room, building, or car. This is why the air conditioner's compressor, located outside, blows out hot air. That is the hot air that was removed from the room, building, or car. Meanwhile, the compressor is drawing in fresh air, cooling that air, and then moving it into the room, building, or car. This is the cold air you feel blowing out of the air conditioner.

If you leave the windows open (in a room, building, or car) you are not allowing the air conditioner to work efficiently and are essentially wasting money (or gasoline if it is a car). By opening the windows you are allowing more warm air to come into the air conditioned space, thus forcing the air conditioner to remove even more hot air. If you leave the windows closed from the moment you turn the AC on (even in a car) it will cool the space faster than if you leave the windows open.

[Chokse]

By the way, all air conditioners bring in fresh air (cooled air) from outside. However, cars have the option to switch from fresh air to recycled air for people who are stuck in traffic jams. This way, they don't have to breathe in all the pollution around them. However, when you are not stuck in traffic, your car's AC should be set to bring in fresh air.

[Died By Bear]

The explanation I always heard and bought into is that Koreans have money to burn.

[DanseurVertical]

Thanks Chokse, I read what you wrote, and it makes sense.

The primary thrust of the argument (in my school's context) seemed to be that it was made by a headteacher. Then, in response to my confusion explanations were made to justify it scientifically. I wasn't sure if my trouble in understanding them resulted from my co-teacher's difficulty at English communication on an unusual subject, or if because I have a background in physics (albeit from years ago) I couldn't understand contrary principles of reasoning, or if there might be something important I didn't understand about the Korean air conditioning systems.

One tendency I have noticed among many native Koreans is to form freely hypotheses about how things work or why certain effects happen. Back in North America, when confronted with a question beyond our ken, we usually just say, 'I don't know', and then maybe investigate it.

[PigeonFart]

The reason is ---> the Air Conditioner was new technology to most Koreans back in the late 80's and 90's. Therefore the adjuma, used to opening windows to stay cool, kept that tradition going because they didn't understand the new technology.

So a generation of young koreans grew up listening to their mother's B.S. (due to profound scientific ignorance). So even today relatively young koreans in their 30's still open the window when using Air Con. What a bunch of twats.

They also do the inverse, open the window in winter when the heater is too hot. Energy wasting ingoramuses.

[DanseurVertical]

Personally, I don't even like AC, except for on especially hot nights or unusually hot days. I prefer a simple fan.

But to my students it's like food or water. And I don't regret that; makes a convenient device for maintaining order :P

[crescent]

[northway]

Fan death.

[nathanrutledge]

Cheokse, you're a bit off on your explanation.

An AC unit does NOT take air out of the room. It uses a heat exchange. Hot air goes in, cooling cool removes the heat and pumps it outside. Outside, the fan works just like the fan on the radiator in your car - it just blows the hot air off of the radiator.

Moisture is removed from the air by the principal of dew points. Cooling the air, the moisture drops out, it's dryer.

They open the window because of bad science/preference. My co teacher said that we had to get the bad air out, but couldn't explain what "bad air" meant. There is no legitimate reason to open the windows - just like there is no legitimate reason to do half the stuff people do here.

[Bibbitybop]

Someone once told it like this:

Koreans are weary about saving energy.
However, they open the windows when the heater or air con is on.
Conclusion: Korea is the place where logic goes to die.

[ontheway]