Care of your air conditioning sytem

"Air today gone tomorrow"

We all take air conditioning for granted but this is a fairly complex system. The compressor will compress the gas then as this gas is pumped into the heat exchanger matrix and is allowed to expand it will take heat from the air running though the matrix. The gas though will often escape, albeit gradually over time, so you should have your air conditioning system checked and re-gassed at regular intervals. A typical air conditioning service will involve replacement of the pollen filters and a re-gas. Old gas needs to be disposed of in accordance with regulations so this is certainly a job for a specialist.

There are two main types: air conditioning and climate control. The first filters and cools the air at a fixed amount in a similar way to a hairdrier heats the air at a set temperature, the other filters and cools the air sufficiently to maintain a preset temperature. Climate control is therefore far more advanced and this will take into account the interior and exterior air temperature and calculate the optimum amount of cooling to apply at any set time.

The best way of killing your air conditioning compressor is by not using it. Even in winter Torquecars recommend that you should periodically turn on your air conditioning and this will keep it ticking over and in tip top condition. In winter the air conditioning will take the moisture out of the air in the car and clear windows faster and stop them from misting up.

A common mistake of air conditioning users in summer is to turn the temperature setting right down on their climate control system. This will require a great deal of effort to cool the air and when you finally get out of the car and step into the warm air you will notice the heat a great deal more and this can often be a very uncomfortable experience. Torquecars recommend that you set the air conditioning climate control to only be 1 or 2 degrees cooler than the outside air as this is more economical, will not take as much power out of the engine, will help the air conditioning system to last longer and will not make you feel like you are stepping into an oven when you get out of your car.

Round town at speeds of up to 30 mph you should rely on open windows to cool the car and when you increase speed above this use the air conditioning instead. Turning the car air conditioning into recirculate mode will also reduce the load on the engine and maintain a comfortable temperature.

If you notice a smell when your air conditioning turns on or after you have turned it off it may well indicate the presence of bacteria in the filters and you should get it serviced immediately, particularly if you suffer from a respiratory problem. When your air conditioning is struggling to cool the air in the  car during summertime you should also get the gas checked as it may have degraded or pressure may have been lost. 

Be warned :- a man got frost bite from having his air conditioning turned down too low in summer with the air flow directed at the footwells and had to get his toe amputated!