Aircon "smoke"

[Juhan Palm]

Hi,

It has been a hot & moisty day here... The AC in the car was working full time... By the end of the day I noticed something peculiar...

Suddenly, intermediate "breaths" of condensation came through the vents in the fascia panel... Looked kind of like when you breath slowly in cold winter air... Seems to be water condensation since the drops that accumulated on the vents dried up when the aircon was switched off... No oily stuff...

Could it be something due to the moist outside heat, or would it indicate that there might be some kind of expensive repair of the AC coming along.... ?

It's a P605 - '95, with a rather low level of aircon gas due to a small leak in the condenser.... Have to fill up on the gas every 2nd year...

Any comments ?

Best Regards
Juhan Palm

 

[Gunther Jordan]

Hi,

don´t panic, it´s only moist and it´s common:
AC works full power, the glass is cooled down much below outside temp. By evening you switch off the AC the air now blowes undried against the glass and the moist condensates until the window is warmed up. Same as comin into rain, -no need for cooling- and about seconds after switching off the window is damped.

Cold air can´t hold as much moist as warm air, so the aircon dries out the air as long as it runs. (parking the car you will find remarkable amounts of water under the car, where the AC´s drain outlet is.

HTH,
Gunther

 

[Andy (archive)]

Not unusual, had this happen too.

"Gunther Jordan" wrote:

Hi,

don't panic, it's only moist and it's common:
AC works full power, the glass is cooled down much below outside temp. By evening you switch off the AC the air now blowes undried against the glass and the moist condensates until the window is warmed up. Same as comin into rain, -no need for cooling- and about seconds after switching off the window is damped.

Cold air can't hold as much moist as warm air, so the aircon dries out the air as long as it runs. (parking the car you will find remarkable amounts of water under the car, where the AC's drain outlet is.
...

peculiar...

>
> Suddenly, intermediate "breaths" of condensation came through
> the vents in the fascia panel... Looked kind of like when you
> breath slowly in cold winter air... Seems to be water condensation
> since the drops that accumulated on the vents dried up when the
> aircon was switched off... No oily stuff...
>
> Could it be something due to the moist outside heat, or would it
> indicate that there might be some kind of expensive repair of the
> AC coming along.... ?
>
> It's a P605 - '95, with a rather low level of aircon gas due to a small ...

 

[Mindwipe (3)]

although i would check the pollen filter
"Andy" wrote:

Not unusual, had this happen too.

"Gunther Jordan" wrote:

> Hi,
>
> don't panic, it's only moist and it's common:
> AC works full power, the glass is cooled down much below outside temp.
> By evening you switch off the AC the air now blowes undried against the
> glass and the moist condensates until the window is warmed up.
> Same as comin into rain, -no need for cooling- and about seconds after
> switching off the window is damped.
...

small

> > leak in the condenser.... Have to fill up on the gas every 2nd year...
> >
> > Any comments ?
> >
> > Best Regards
> > Juhan Palm