Minimizing A/C use

[Rusty Marina]

It's hot and very humid where Im at now , we had a heat factor of 124 deg.

Air conditioning is a MUST !!!!

Ive been to Florida plenty of times, and a/c in the summer seems like a must have down there as well.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by slowmover

With my Vibe, the AC doesn't really hurt my MPG, but I still don't like the jets of air spraying on me.

Don't ever aim them at yourself. Aim the "center" highest so that they point towards the rear of the interior. And the "outer" vents also high, but along the glass towards the rear also.

On really hot days (over here at least) I've had some good results using the window defogger setting, and blowing all the cold air onto the windshield, with the sunblocks down.
This also takes away the sun's heat radiating through the windshield.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by bwilson4web

Perhaps it is time to look at a lithium-bromide, absorption, cooler that uses the exhaust waste heat to drive the boiler

The general trend is towards getting Bromium out of the environment, by not putting it into products any longer.

[bwilson4web]

Hi,

Originally Posted by euromodder

The general trend is towards getting Bromium out of the environment, by not putting it into products any longer.

I didn't find much in North America about this. Is there an EU group pushing against bromium?

Thanks,
Bob Wilson

[99LeCouch]

One of these makes the A/C much more effective. It keeps one's backside off of the seat, so air can flow in behind. It's much more effective on bench seats than the sculpted buckets of more modern cars. Aim one of the vents so it hits the seatback, and enjoy the airflow.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by bwilson4web

I didn't find much in North America about this. Is there an EU group pushing against bromium?

It's already banned (as a volatile organo-bromine) from use as a pesticide as in addition to pests, it also attacks the ozone layer.

The RoHS directive keeps it out of or reduces the bromine content in plastics and electronics etc. where it was used as a flame-retardant.
But when burned - accidental or as energy recuperation - it sets of toxic gases.
When these get in the atmosphere, they in turn attack the ozone layer.

This regulation is only going to become more stringent over time.

[Exalta-STA]

Maybe you are losing refrigerant or the evaporator/blower/condenser needs maintenance on the Jetta.

Also does your rental Malibu have window film? adding window film does wonders for the efficiency of your A/C.

[California98Civic]

Ever noticed how cool the steel under the carpets stays even on a hot day? I have a lot of exposed steel floor in the former backseat/trunk area. I keep noticing how cool it feels all day. I wonder about some sort of thermal exchanger in the car.

[graydonengineering]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Ever noticed how cool the steel under the carpets stays even on a hot day? I have a lot of exposed steel floor in the former backseat/trunk area. I keep noticing how cool it feels all day. I wonder about some sort of thermal exchanger in the car.

Never really thought about it, but it makes sense that the underside of the car would say cool. No sun from above or below and steel is a poor heat conductor so the heat from the top and sides will not soak into the bottom. You could take advantage of that with a heat sink of copper or aluminum and fan mounted to it to radiate that into the air (think processor heat sink) or even passive (no fan like a stereo reciver) but it would take some serious number cruntching and/or trials to fingure out if you could cool enough to make a noticeable difference. You could disengage it durring cold weather so you have an air gap in the cool weather so the car does not get cold. You got me thinking on that one. It would work, I am sure, just don't know if it would work to the point that it would be practical.

[ZOMGVTEK]

I can tell you why the A/C remained cold for 30 minutes.... It never turned off.

Traditionally you can easily hear the compressor engaging, and the associated bog at idle and fans turning on. Some GM vehicles only turn one fan on with the A/C, or turn both on at half power, which is harder to notice.

However, when you switch the A/C off, and hit recirculate, the A/C Auctually remains on, with the little light on the snowflake off. I know for a fact my friends Silverado does this, there is no way A/C in a passenger vehicle will remain cold, even for a few minutes past the compressor disengaging.

It never turned off. It's not special or amazing, it's just poor programing resulting in the system not allowing you to turn it off, on top of it not indicating that it's on.