Air Con clean

[Hadrian1]

20 hours ago, bathtub tom said:

"Considering the car is barely 18months old, the filter was filthy"

I find that surprising, how many miles has it done?

About 5,500 miles

[Old Fart]

I never switch my air con off, just leave it on all the time, no problems at all, the car is serviced every 10,000 miles or once a year.

I ran a Rav4 for six years and left the air con on all the time I had it, no problems at all.

[Max_Headroom]

People used to turn it off because it used more fuel I am not sure if modern AC uses as much as the old systems but I only use it when it's needed usually hot weather or condensation,  I do run it for a few minutes every few days when I am not using it for the above reasons. 

[TonyHSD]

7 minutes ago, Max_Headroom said:

People used to turn it off because it used more fuel I am not sure if modern AC uses as much as the old systems but I only use it when it's needed usually hot weather or condensation,  I do run it for a few minutes every few days when I am not using it for the above reasons. 

Yes even in hybrids ac uses more fuel because ac is run by the hybrid Battery which is topped up by the engine which equals more fuel. If you don’t need ac for cooling the cabin or as dehumidifier then you can keep it off and only use when necessary. This is what I do., sometimes off for months 

[Hybrid21]

My air con is always on, remember reading something years ago that the worst thing you can do is not use it 🙂

[Eddiefh]

I’d be interested to see the piece of equipment they use to test for this bacteria as I’ve never heard of one and I sell most garage equipment 

[Max_Headroom]

2 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

This is what I do., sometimes off for months 

I use mine every few days even if it's not really needed in winter the reason being the refrigerant has a lubricant in it which stops the seals drying out most leaks tend to be from these seals when people turn it off all winter.

[Max_Headroom]

1 hour ago, Eddiefh said:

I’d be interested to see the piece of equipment they use to test for this bacteria as I’ve never heard of one and I sell most garage equipment 

Don't commercial AC systems have to be cleaned regularly to stop legionaries?

Legionnaires' disease is a lung infection you can get from inhaling droplets of water from things like air conditioning or hot tubs. It's uncommon but it can be very serious

 

 

 

A good read about car AC 

 https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/why-does-my-car-ac-smell-bad/

[Stivino]

1 hour ago, Max_Headroom said:

I use mine every few days even if it's not really needed in winter the reason being the refrigerant has a lubricant in it which stops the seals drying out most leaks tend to be from these seals when people turn it off all winter.

I have repaired many air con systems and the cause of the leak has never been a seal, it has always been from a pipe or a condensor, usually, if not always, caused by corrosion.

[TonyHSD]

Exactly, agreed with Stivino 100% 👌👍

AC no need to be used just to keep lubricated seals, it’s simply a myth. 
Seals will not dry more than how dry they are , the oil  inside the gas it’s not for them. , this is a closed system under high pressure and filled with gas. Seals can age and crack but that’s will happen with or without use of the ac eventually with the time.
For bacteria accumulation and health risk , can happen but this is outside the  closed system and as long as you keep your hvac fan spinning all the time and temperature set at 20-22C° constant stream of air will pass through and will vent away all moisture and bacteria. Here is important to keep air sucking from outside more often than from inside, no recirculating mode!
Also I highly recommend not to use any spray cleaners or treatments like the ones shown in earlier posts, these may not help but they definitely will add extra moisture and will rise the risk of fungi formation, bad smell and bacteria. To prevent this from happening or get rid of it if it’s already smelly most effective and simple tip is to use heat to warm up the cabin. 

[corradovr6]

I use a handheld steam cleaner in the ducts every 6 months or so. I check and (if necessary) change the pollen filter at the same time. Change the direction control to get to the screen and floor vents

 

By the way, i just got a Blue Print pollen filter which is hopeless, and actually stinks - like cheese 🤢. Getting a proper one now..

After steaming, just run the fan for a few minutes in all directions to remove any residual moisture. If you get a proper heavy duty steamer, it'll be much drier steam (higher temp)

[Max_Headroom]

3 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

AC no need to be used just to keep lubricated seals, it’s simply a myth. 

Its a very widespread myth  😉

It wouldn't happen to mine as i said i use it regularly, use on hot setting is a very good tip.

 

Watch this video if you missed it in my earlier post.

 https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/why-does-my-car-ac-smell-bad/

[bathtub tom]

"Legionnaires' disease is a lung infection you can get from inhaling droplets of water from things like air conditioning or hot tubs."

AIUI, Legionella bacteria is always in the environment and is most prolific in higher water temperatures and mostly caught from showers. It's only problematic when it's in higher concentrations. As a car a/c doesn't contain warm water (other than within an enclosed system), it shouldn't be a problem.

The smell from a/c systems is from bacteria at much lower temperatures.

 

[Cyker]

Now that I have a car with climate control, I tend to follow frosty's lead and leave it on all the time. I find people that use the aircon system more are less likely to have problems than people that use it very occasionally.

The only time I turn it off is if I'm stuck in traffic, as I find in that situation the Battery charge lasts much longer when it's not running!

 

[TonyHSD]

When Toyota hybrids are running AC the car control unit ask the engine to work more often not only to recharge the traction Battery but also to preserve it. Sometimes you may notice with ac on and you have almost full Battery but when you are moving off the car still starts the engine to help, a lot earlier if you had ac off. Driving hybrid  in town with ac on is similar to driving a full ev, Battery is affected and power (fuel) consumption is slightly higher. In summer days ac is must have but in colder weather not necessary unless you need to control humidity. I don’t use ac in winter because I drive the car for long each time I am in and there is plenty of time for the hvac system to warm up and dry the air. , using ac actually promote more moisture in my case than any help. For people who drive on short trips only in winter ac maybe helpful indeed. 👍

[TonyHSD]

Forgot to mention about the event described above. 

The ice kicks in early when AC is ON because the AC is running on power from the traction Battery. This is happening in hot days but also in cold days almost equally. Also can happen after a long downhill drive and fully charged Battery. This is happening because of this hybrid Battery preserve function and thermo management. When hybrid battery gets too hot or it’s too cold the engine kicks in to unload the hybrid battery and take away some harmful stress of the chemistry. The battery likes temperature between 15-30C° anything outside this numbers and the system will try to take of some load of the battery.