The handbook for my wife?s 1996 Fabia 1.2 petrol recommends that to maintain the air conditioning it should be used once a week for 5 minutes on AC with the fan speed on the highest setting.
Does it make any difference if it is set on hot or cold for this purpose?.
wemyss
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 30/12/2007 at 21:14
|
Wouldn't have thought so although hot will possibly sort out any damp baceteria lurking in the pipes.
I keep my A/C on all year round - it keeps the system lubricated plus has a dehumidifying effect in winter.
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 30/12/2007 at 21:15
|
|
IIRC HJ recommends weekly usage, ending with a 5 minute blast on hot to kill the bugs.
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 30/12/2007 at 21:15
|
do I recall that the ac on the Fabia doesn't work below five degrees?
Never really could see how to run once a week in the winter up at the top of the Pennines!
|
do I recall that the ac on the Fabia doesn't work below five degrees?
Is that not due to a basic law of thermodynamics, and why freezers are not supposed to work in ambient temperatures below 4C?
|
why freezers are not supposed to work in ambient temperatures below 4C?
It seems I was generous.
www.siemensappliances.co.uk/?sitemapID=1063
In a cold location the freezer may begin to defrost or even completely defrost. Most fridge freezers will only operate satisfactorily in an ambient temperature down to plus 10 degrees C although some need a minimum of plus 18 degrees
www.beko.co.uk/Faq.aspx
3. Will my fridge/freezer work in a garage?
The recommended minimum ambient temperature must not drop below 10c(50F) otherwise the product will not operate correctly.
|
I'm not sure anyone has really answered your question jbif.
The system should be run on cold for at least 10 minutes a fortnight - weekly is best but not always possible if the ambient temp is too low.
The gases inside that reduce the air temp circulate in the system and lubricate the rubber seals.
They can dry out if not used and then crack and you get refrigerant leakage and less effective cooling.
Once run on cold then put in fully hot to dry the system and kill any bacteria.
|
>>They can dry out if not used and then crack and you get refrigerant leakage and less effective cooling.
This is the accepted view, and HJ's advice goes along with it.
But, another contributor, Dave N, who has a serious knowledge, experience and understanding of car AC systems says that it isn't true, and he hasn't seen any evidence to support the seals drying theory.
I think it's likely that Dave N is right, and the accepted view is urban myth.
Number_Cruncher
|
|
|
jbif - fridge freezers won't work in sub zero temps but freezers will. Reason for this is that most fridge freezers are single compressor units operated by a thermostat in the fridge compartment. If the temp falls to a certain level the thermostat tells the compressor to stop running and the whole thing shuts down - resulting in your frozen stuff thawing out. A freezer (chest or upright) is designed to keep on running at even lower temps.
I had this issue with a Siemens fridge freezer in my garage that was useless every winter. I now have a Zanussi chest freezer - no problems so far.
|
I was told to stay clear of the auto defrost type upright freezers if it was going in the garage (motoring related link). Only the standard type would work satisfactorily.
|
|
|
|
|
|
"my wife?s 1996 Fabia 1.2 petrol... "
Apologies for being a nerdy plonker, but I didn't think the Fabia came in till 2000(W)....
I've no technical knowledge, but we keep our A/C on all the time, all year, in both cars and we've (touch wood) never had a problem since we first had a car with A/C in about 1994. In winter it helps demist the windows and you can get hot and cold air no less efficiently with it on.
One car we had - I can't remember which - had A/C on as a default, and a button to press specifically for 'A/C Off'.
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 30/12/2007 at 21:15
|
No...Its me being the plonker Avant...I should have said 2006. Only 10 years out.
From the manual.
The Ac operates when AC is pressed and the following conditions are met.
Engine running.
Outside temperature above +5c
Blower switched on (positions 1 to 4)
The air conditioning system is a combined cooling and heating system. It makes it possible to optimally control the air temperature at any season of the year.
Many pages in the manual on the system but was interested in the five minute question mainly due to the recent freezing cold weather and whether the system requirements allowed this task to be done with the AC set to hot mode.
wemyss
Subject line model year changed to reflect the error !
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 30/12/2007 at 21:16
|
|
|
|
|
Er, why not just use it - you paid for it - unless you need to save the 19.5 pence extra p.w. it costs to run.
Edited by woodbines on 31/12/2007 at 00:04
|
yes but think of the children woodbines
only 200 years of fossil fuels left ...see
|
|
...or about 5 rollies a week, or a packet of Weights, ...maybe even Woodbines
Edited by woodbines on 31/12/2007 at 00:16
|
My first car with air-con was a Citroen Picasso Hdi. Left it on permanently for a month, then went for a month with it off. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN FUEL CONSUMPTION.
Same story now with my 05 Mondeo TDCI. So I just leave it on. Makes for a more comfortable in-car environment, plus no worries about the effects on the compressor of it not being used.
|
|
For what it's worth, my experience with a Mondeo TDCI - Climate on 47 mpg average - Climate off 47 mpg average.
|
On the Fabia, the compressor is a clutchless one, ie. it runs all the time anyway. Turning the a/c on simply increases the stroke of the compressor to give you colder air.
So if you're one of those that likes to run it occasionally, then you don't have to do anything. And if you think it's a waste of time, then you don't have to do anything!
They run at something like 3% of max displacement when the a/c is off, so negligeable power is consumed, something like 300watts. Plus, if you hit defrost when it's very cold out, it will run the compressor even though it's below the usual threshold of 4 or 5 deg. The main problem they've had with these systems (and they've had a few) has been compressor seizures, which breaks the rubber coupling on the front of the compressor, which funnily enough is what the rubber coupling is for.
|
See:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/faq.htm?id=14
|
|
Owned my last Fabia for 6 years/82k miles - only ever used the aircon when I needed it which was mainly in the summer and had no problems whatsoever - the aircon worked just as well when I sold it as when I bought it - urban myth perhaps?
|
My mother had a Focus for 6 years before I found out that she didn't know what air con was. When I asked her if she used it every so often, she would say yes, because she would use the fan, thinking that was the air con! I tried it and it worked OK!
My mother packed up driving 6 months ago at the age of 91 because her eyesight was getting very bad. She had driven for 74 years without taking a test or having an accident. She hates having to rely on others to get her to the shops or the golf course.
I started my combine this morning to give it a run, it only gets used in July and august, and when I switched the air con on there wasn't a click when the clutch should engage. I hope it hasn't gone wrong, I had it gassed and a new condenser this year.
When people on this site worry about leaving their vehicles for a few months, I think of the many farmers who put the combine in a shed in September and then fire it up the next July without too many problems.
Happy new year to all.
|
My mother had a Focus for 6 years before I found out that she didn't know what air con was. When I asked her if she used it every so often she would say yes because she would use the fan thinking that was the air con! I tried it and it worked OK!
Probably used more than you think because when the blower setting is pointed to the windscreen, the AC automatically comes on. Or at least it does with the 54 plate pool cars we have kicking around at work.
|
|
Dave your post was very informative and interesting. In over 50 years of motoring I've never had a car with it fitted. The only time I recall using one being on a holiday hire car in the far east some 25 years ago. It was a Mazda and while it worked well it had to be switched off temporarily if you needed any engine power at all.
Your explanation of how little power is used by the AC on the Fabia explains why when switching it on going up a very steep hill in my area and expecting a power drop I couldnt detect any whatsoever.
Thanks for the info.
wemyss
|
|
|
|
|
My first car with air-con was a Citroen Picasso Hdi. Left it on permanently for a month, then went for a month with it off. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN FUEL CONSUMPTION>>
When I picked up my new Mazda 323 TD from the franchised dealer the salesman gave me the customary tour behind the wheel recommending I avoid using the a/c at all as fuel consumption would rocket; I get 49mpg with the a/c off and 49mpg with it on.............
|
>>They run at something like 3% of max displacement when the a/c is off, so negligeable power is consumed, something like 300watts.
That's getting on for half a horse.
|
|
|
you only get 49 mpg from a 323TD?
|
tinyurl.com/2vagt5
may prove relevant.
|
|
|
>>you only get 49 mpg from a 323TD? >>
It's mostly used for stop-start urban commuting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
