DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

By Brian Klaubert and Brian Warbington

Well, the summer heat is in full gear and our automobile air conditioners are hard at work keeping us cool. To understand how to get the most out of your system, let’s talk first about the different settings available on most vehicles.

“Max AC” (also called “Recirculate”) and “Normal AC” (also called “Fresh”) are often misunderstood and are important to the cooling process of the vehicle. The “Normal” (or “Fresh”) setting is taking the outside air and cooling it down before it enters the cabin of the vehicle. On the other hand, the “Max” (or “Re-circulate”) setting is using cabin air to cool the vehicle. When you first get in your vehicle during the hot summer months, the outside air is usually cooler than the interior temperature of the vehicle. Because of this, it would be best to start on “Normal” (or “Fresh”) to begin the cooling process of the vehicle cabin air. Once the cabin air has begun to cool, then it is time to change the setting to “Max” (or “Recirculate”). This setting will continually use interior air, and since our AC systems are only capable of dropping air temperature 40 degrees, it would make sense that the cooler the starting air, the cooler the air will be coming out of the vents. By utilizing this simple technique, you can drop your vent temperatures an additional 20 to 25 degrees on average. Another important reason to use re-circulated air is to minimize the introduction of outdoor pollutants such as exhaust and smog into your vehicle.

Many people may also notice a musty odor when they turn on their AC. This is caused by mildew build-up inside the AC system. A simple way to help minimize this is to turn off the AC, but leave the fan itself running for approximately 30 seconds before turning off your vehicle. You can also have your AC system sanitized at most full service AC repair facilities.  There is a simple method using an aerosol can of sanitizing agent. There is also a more lengthy process that injects a sanitizing foam in front of the cooling coil in your dashboard. The foam completely strips any mildew from the coil.

There are many different reasons why an AC system may not perform up to par in extreme heat, but by understanding and utilizing these simple methods, your AC system will not have to work as hard to keep you from being hot under the collar.

Do you have a question about your car? Send it to service@cbahm.com.

Brian Klaubert and Brian Warbington are with Christian Brothers Automotive – Hamilton Mill, in Dacula.