Fridges run all the time and are a totally sealed mechanism whereas car aircon systems
Where does this nonsense come from? Domestic fridges DON'T run all the time, at least mine never have. They may be plugged into a mains supply all the time but the compressor does not run all the time as it is controlled by a variable thermomstat. At worst, I think that I timed mine running about 50% of the time but then the weather and hence, the ambient temperature was high and the door had been opened many times - or have I misunderstand that original statement?
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Where does this nonsense come from? Domestic fridges DON'T run all the time at least mine never have.
Okay so we're splitting hairs, friges run at least once an hour then, as opposed to once in a blue moon for some car aircon systems. I am well aware that they have a thermostat and switch on and off as the temp chages etc.
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I agree with Roly on this one. A sealed domestic unit will retain its charge and shaft seals are relatively unimportant. When I had to replace the compressor unit in my Nissan, I was instructed to make sure that it was run at least fortnightly to keep the mechanical seal faces lubricated. Not a problem for me, as I usually have it on anyway, certainly during the winter. Where Roly and I do diverge is that, in my view, air conditioning is second to seatbelts as a safety device because of its ability to keep the inside of all glass clear of mist. In my 1992 Australian Ford, the aircon came on automatically whenever I put the ventilation system to "demist". { Factory design setting, not a fiddle by me .}
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See:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/faq.htm?id=14
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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TIC
Air conditioning flaps on my 12 year old Defender have proved incredibly reliable. Have not tried to regas them yet!
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Re- Aprilia's comment about Japanese aircon units, mine, on a '92 import Prelude (15yrs old) has never been re-gassed or even serviced, but it still goes from Phew!----->Brrrr in under 5 mins.
Compared to a "friends" aircon unit on a "British Spec" prelude, mine is a lot heavier, robust unit, and unlike his, you can hear the engine note change when you turn it on with the engine idleing.
Although his seems to have the same Brrr factor as mine, i somehow dont seem to think that will be the case when his is 15 yrs old.
Billy
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How do you quantify "brrr factor"? The climate control in my octavia seem to struggle on warmish days. Does anyone know the minimum temperature of cold air (in any make/model) available from the vents on a a1 working system?
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Min temp can be no lower than about 3 deg at the vent.
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Thanks, must be me then as the climatronic dianostic is telling me 3 to 4 deg at the vents and the fan blows ok.
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To be honest 3-4 degrees is very good, on most aircon systems if you can get 5 degrees at the vents you have a result.
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I don't think they should be allowed to call it air conditioning. It's just air cooling. True air conditioners regulate the humidity as well as the temperature.
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L\'escargot.
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I don't think they should be allowed to call it air conditioning. It's just air cooling. True air conditioners regulate the humidity as well as the temperature. -- L\'escargot.
Sorry, but that is NOT correct is it? Part of the process of the appplication of aircon in cars IS the removal of moisture in the atmosphere on the condenser, hence the trail of water left by cars drainpipe, when it is on.
The removal of moisture, from the incoming air, is part of the reason, aside from the cooling effect, that aircon makes driving more comfortable in hot humid weather. The lower humidity, inside the car, allows the human body to function properly and hence feel better because of lower humidity levels in the air-conditioned environment!
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Sorry but that is NOT correct is it?
Sorry, oldgit, but I stand by what I said. The reason I know about such things is that part of my degree thesis at university was to calculate the design parameters for an air conditioning unit for a room containing a very high accuracy lapping machine. In my post I specifically said true air condiitioning. The units they have in cars are only coolers because they don't regulate the humidity. Moisture is incidentally removed during the cooling process but that is not the same as regulating it. Regulating the humidity can sometimes require the addition of moisture to the air after it has been cooled to replace some, or all, of the moisture removed by the cooling phase. Units which only cool (as in cars) are exactly that ~ coolers ~ not air conditioners. Air conditioners regulate humidity as well as temperature. The "condition" of air embraces humidity as well as temperature.
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L\'escargot.
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>> Sorry but that is NOT correct is it? Sorry oldgit but I stand by what I said. The reason I know about such things is that part of my degree thesis at university was to calculate the design
>> L\'escargot.
Well I also have a BSc, admittedly obtained in the sixties, when they mean't something but I clearly, then, don't know much about air conditioning and therefore bow to your superior knowledge on this matter.
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How do you quantify "brrr factor"? The climate control in my octavia seem to struggle on warmish days. Does anyone know the minimum temperature of cold air (in any make/model) available from the vents on a a1 working system?
I bought a nice digital thermometer, with probe, from www.tomsgadgets.com (no connection etc.) for 11.99p + pp and placed the probe in my central air vents where a minumum temp. of 3.9 Celcius was recorded after a few miles and on one of the recent 'hot' days.
My sister's Fiesta got down to 2.9 degrees, however! The trouble is, all these cheaper thermometers, with thermistor probes, only have an accuracy of+/- 1 degree celcius.
However, everything else being equal, I'm quite happy with my car's aircon efficiency - at least I can keep a check on it from time to time.
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I bought a nice digital thermometer with probe from www.tomsgadgets.com (no connection etc.) for 11.99p + pp and placed the probe in my central air vents .........
That would be a handy device to check the rate of warm-up of the heater. Some years ago I borrowed one from work and carried out a test at idle (the worst condition) of the defrost air warm-up rate from cold of a 1.9 diesel ZX and a 1.8 petrol ZX at our local dealer. The 1.8 petrol (as I was sure it would) won hands down, and that is what I chose. The dealer said it was the first time he'd seen anyone do such a test.
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L\'escargot.
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In my 1992 Australian Ford the aircon came on automatically whenever I put the ventilation system to "demist". { Factory design setting not a fiddle by me .}
As does my mk2 Mondeo's. Works very well.
Mine's still going strong after 7 years, although I've only had the car 2 years so don't know what's original and what's not. Never had it charged either.
Cheers
DP
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My cars both seem to have poor air con. On is a corolla, which 3 years ago took the car to icy cold on hot days but now struggles to compete with an open window. The car is about 9 yrs old now. The other is a 5 yr old focus, but we've only had that since the end of summer last year so I dont know how good it ever was.
Is it worthwhile getting them 'refilled', or whatever it is they do?
I think we were quoted about £60 or so when we enquired last year. But, I have read somewhere about people getting refridgeration engineers to do it instead at a cheaper rate...is that right? Is the machinery the same, should they be able to do it?
Ta!
Ruth
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My Focus is 1998 and the Aircon is brilliant - I think this is a lot to do with Fan speed - EG my Wifes CLio has just been regassed and today to feel the benefit it had to be on fan speed 4 for a good 5 minutes but on the Focus I have only ever used Fan speed 3
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My 1998 Civic's air con still works ok, it's not that powerfull but it has been checked and the pressure is right.
I think alot of problems that people have with air con is that they don't use it. When I first sat in my car 5 years ago I turned the ac on and it has been left on ever since.
Why do they say a new compressor is £1,500 when the entire system was only a £750 option?
My company vehicle (farm tractor) has the mutha of all air con systems, miles better than the car and has never been touched in 5200 hours and 7 years work. Combine harvesters have miles of AC pipes (the engine is a long way from the cab), they work when it's hot in a cloud of dust, the machine generates tonnes of heat of it's own as it burn 450 litres of fuel a day. These machines will sit in the shed for 10 months and the air con will still be cold when it get's fired up in july.
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Incidentally while having my ac regassed a month or so ago, I enquired why some cars have low pressure ac (mine) and others have low and high (my wifes car for example). The engineer admitted he didn't know. Does anyone here know the difference and why?
Thanks
Jonathan
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It's cheaper.
In their infinite wisdom, Renaults only have one service port, and it's a high pressure side fitting on the low pressure side of the system. These fittings are standard world wide, but the french decide decide to swap them around.
Fiats also use an a/c low side fitting on the fuel rail. More than a few recovery machines have been ruined recovering petrol.
fully quoted post removed to tidy up the post ! - PU
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