Cooling the Oven in Your Car

You’ve probably seen the Internet picture of somebody baking cookies in the heat of their closed car.  It can certainly get hot in your car...not 350 degrees hot, though. Those cookies took hours and hours to cook! 

Here are some ways to keep your car from feeling like a blast furnace when you first get in. 

There are some simple tips that you probably know by now.  Park in the shade, point your car away from the sun, and leave a bit of the window open.  These things will help keep the temperature down.

When you turn the air on, look for the “recirculation” button.  It’s usually a symbol with an arrow going in a circle around itself.  When you have that on, it will “reuse” the air that is already in the car.  In other words, it will take the air that has already been cooled down, and cool it down even more.  Most air systems have that switched off by default, and that just means you are bringing more warm air in and making your system work to cool it down.

Here’s another easy thing you can do.  Keep a water bottle nearby, and spray down the steering wheel when you get in.  Just like when you sweat, the evaporation of the water on the steering wheel can help drop the temperature quickly and keep your hands on the wheel. 

As always, if yousmell something unusual coming from the vents, or you just aren’t cooling offlike you did last summer - - come visit US Automotive, or your own personalmechanic for help.  

Too Hot for Air Conditioning?

When traveling through the impossible heat of Death Valley in Nevada, you may see a sign telling you to turn OFF your air conditioning.  Could that be right?  Switch off the sweet cool air while traveling through the place with the hottest recorded temperature in the world?  Who would do such a thing?

Well, it turns out it’s a pretty reasonable bit of advice.  While our area almost never sees such extreme temperatures, it’s good to know what is happening when you use your air conditioning.

While you are nice and cool inside, your air conditioning is working hard.  Real hard.  It takes quite a bit of energy (heat) to keep you cool.  Thus, when traveling through Death Valley, the park rangers recommend turning the air conditioning off so the engine doesn’t overheat. 

This is good to remember, because if you are ever pulling a boat, camper, or trailer you may glance down and notice the engine really starting to heat up.  A good way to back that temperature down is to turn off your A/C.  You may sweat a little bit, but you can save some major damage to your engine.

As always, before you go on any long trip, make sure the cooling fluid is at the proper levels, the tires and brakes are in good shape, and the belts and hoses are not getting oldand cracked.  Got any questions?  Stop by and we can help!

The Sour Smells of Spring... from Your Air Conditioner?

Every time the weather changes from cold to warm or back again, we usually wake up some dust that has settled in the heating or cooling systems, and that's why you get that temporary aroma when the heat or the air conditioning has been turned on for the first time each season.  No big deal, and it usually works its way out after the A/C has been on for a couple minutes. 

 

But, if your air conditioning has a foul odor coming from the vents that just won't give up, you might want to investigate further.

AHHH, what is that smell?

 

Your ventilation system brings in air from the outside, then cools it or heats it.  You've got some filters in there that try to make sure it's just air going through, but it's not perfect.  If you get a smell that seems to be more like gentle aroma of the space between the toes of a marathon runner, you've probably got some bacteria in your system.  Yuck.

Spraying some disinfectant in the evaporator will usually do the trick.  That is, if you can get to the evaporator.  It's usually right behind your glove compartment, so you may need to take some stuff apart.  If you don't feel like doing that (and who could blame you), you can first try to blast the disinfectant right into the vents, then blast the air conditioning for 10 or 15 minutes.  Many times that can solve the problem. 

If you are smelling oil or gas when you turn on your a/c, you've got some bigger issues and it might be time to bring it to us here at US Automotive.

Enjoy the fresh air when you can...!  But, if it's not so fresh in your car, we hope we were able to help!

Spring into Summer with an Air Conditioner Repair or Tune-Up

We know, we know. Spring has only just begun, and here we are already talking about summer. But now really is the time to get your air conditioner tuned up or repaired. Yes, now.

Get your Air Conditioner checked now!

We promise we haven’t been hitting the bottle. We’re not a few trucks short of a convoy. We just see every year how common it is for people to wait until summer to discover there’s trouble afoot with their A/C.  Most really wish they’d taken the smaller expense and less time to get a quick diagnostic checkup or minor repair before the proverbial you-know-what hit the fan.

We’ll admit that rolling down your window will help in case of emergency and buy you some time. Is the windswept look still in these days? Even for that big meeting or big date? How about the sweaty-faced, ring-around-your-armpits look? If you can pull it off, more power to you. But to save you on time, money, and antiperspirant, we’d like to gently suggest you take a moment today to see how your AC is faring. Here are some of the common signs of trouble:

·         Blowing hot or warm air instead of cold air

·         Oil on the air conditioner’s components

·         Paint damage, rust, or off-center drive hub on the compressor

·         Squealing or slipping drive belt when A/C is on maximum

·         Temperature or blowing power fluctuates or rapidly cycles on and off

·         Can’t generate or maintain the minimum temperature setting or a temperature 40 degrees below the outside air

Usually A/C trouble is related to a low level of refrigerant. We can identify the reason for the diminished level or for anyother problems with your air conditioner’s performance. And we can get it back to being the reliable workhorse it’s meant to be. Then? Well, then you can go for the windswept look only when you really feel like it. Just remember we’re here for you when you need us, hopefully before you’ve broken a sweat.