“Baby, it’s cold outside.” Well, yes, it is – and these dark winter months mean that the car’s plenty cold enough for most people without the use of the air conditioning. But using air conditioning in the winter isn’t just about keeping cool. Many experts recommend it, in fact, among them our very own agony uncle Honest John. So what benefits does it have? Yes, you absolutely should. Even if you don’t want your car to be any cooler than it is, you should run your air conditioning system at least every couple of weeks for a short spell on full-cold (10 minutes should be fine), which will allow the coolant to circulate through the system. This is because the coolant actually contains a lubricant that helps to keep all the rubber seals and pipework in good condition. Failing to use your air conditioning for a long period means the coolant won’t move around, and the lubricant won’t act on the rubber parts. That can lead to leaky seals, which can cause your coolant to ebb away, resulting in more frequent re-gasses or, in particularly bad instances, systems which won’t hold gas at all and need to have their seals changed.

Without frequent use, moisture can build up within the air vent ducts that the system uses to pipe cold air to the air vents. This moisture can cause mould and bacteria to form, which are then blown into the car when you start the system again after weeks or months of inactivity. Air conditioning is also an important tool to help you maintain your visibility through the winter months. It doesn’t just cool the air in your car – it dries it too. That means using the air conditioning removes moisture in the air, which is particularly useful in the winter. It helps to keep your windscreen and windows clear – so if you’re steaming up, turning the air conditioning on will help enormously, and it can help clear mist from the glass sooner, enabling you to set off with clear screens earlier than you otherwise would. Not if you leave it on and turn the heater to warm. Doing this means the air conditioning system still runs, so you can keep it lubricated and benefit from the drying effect it gives, but you get warm air into the car.

If you’ve had your air conditioning turned off for a while, the moisture that’s collected in the ducts will be blown out into the car at first, which is why you always get a misting effect if you turn on a system that’s been off for a period of time. This is why, if you’re running your air conditioning intermittently, it’s always sensible to do so while the car is stopped. If the mist persists for longer than a minute or so, it could be for one of two reasons. If you’re using your air conditioning in conjunction with the “recirculate” feature – the one that closes off the outside air to prevent fumes from entering the car – your windows will still steam up, because air moist with your breath is being recirculated faster than it can be dried by the system. Turning the “recirculate” function off again will usually solve the problem. If it doesn’t, you could have a problem with your air conditioning or cooling system, so you should get your garage checked over at a garage.

It’s true that your air conditioning system uses more fuel when it’s turned on. But then, if you don’t have it turned on, you might need to crack a window open to help clear the mist from your screen – and the damaging effect this has on your car’s aerodynamics will cause you to use up around the same amount of fuel. And if you want to avoid using your air conditioning altogether for the whole of the winter, remember that not keeping it good condition by running it every couple of weeks could lead to a bigger bill for a re-gas or repair later on, making it a false economy.commercial through wall ac units Remember that that an air conditioning system contains moving parts, so you might find that those parts wear out sooner with constant use than if you turn the system on and off as and when it’s needed. new ac unit for condo

But if you’re prepared to live with that, and the extra cost of the fuel, there’s no reason you can’t simply leave the switch in the “on” position.The requested URL /forums/showthread.php?t=203961 was not found on this server.So your vehicle’s air conditioning is blowing hot air. It is likely low on refrigerant. You can easily fix it yourself by simply adding refrigerant, but how much should you add? window air conditioning units costIt’s not a hard question to answer, but it is an important one to get right. That’s because having too much refrigerant in your A/C system is just as bad as not having enough. This isn’t a case of “too hot” versus “too cold.” If you have too much refrigerant in your A/C system, it will actually blow hot air (the same as having too little refrigerant). To get the coldest air possible, the amount of refrigerant in the system has to be “just right.”

If you want to know why having too much refrigerant results in hot air, you have to understand a little bit about how an air conditioner works. The R-134a refrigerant used in car air conditioners would normally be a gas (it boils at a frigid 15 degrees below zero). If you compress it and pressurize it enough, though, it turns into a liquid. The compressor in your vehicle’s A/C does exactly that, so you have liquid R-134a pumping through part of the A/C system. When that liquid reaches the in-dash cooling unit (called an evaporator coil), it passes through a valve that lowers the pressure. The lower pressure allows the liquid to boil and evaporate back into a gas. It absorbs heat from the air in order to boil. With the heat removed, the air becomes cold. If you don’t have enough refrigerant, it won’t be able to cool the air. If you have too much, though, the pressure will be too high for the refrigerant to boil or for the compressor to work. Which means the system won’t cool at all, and you’ll still be left with hot air.

Getting It “Just Right” Sometimes people wind up with too much refrigerant because they try to add a certain number of ounces or cans to the system without checking the pressure. Your goal isn’t to add the right number of ounces; it’s to have the correct pressure. Putting the correct amount of R-134a in your car’s A/C system is simple when you use A/C Pro. Each can of A/C Pro comes with a pressure gauge built in to the charging hose, allowing you to check the pressure as you add refrigerant. The gauge shows the proper pressure range, and has an easy-to-use temperature dial to adjust the target pressure based on the current ambient (outside) temperature. (Higher temperatures cause the same amount of refrigerant to register a higher pressure; the dial provides a way to take this into account.) Simply add A/C Pro until the pressure is in the correct range, periodically checking the vent temperature (should be 20-30 degrees below the ambient temperature), and stop before it reaches the clearly-marked overcharge zone.