Turning off AC during the winter

[Clivefa]

uys, I really dont think you understand how climate control works. The aim is not to leave it at a set temperature all year round - that defeats the whole point.

This is how to use it correctly.
Hot day.
Get in the car. Press DOWN button thirty times until 'Lo' has been displayed for at least twenty presses.
Complain that the aircon is crap.
Wait five to ten minutes.
Complain that the car is too cold.
Open window to let heat in.
Press UP button to at least twenty five degrees.
wait five minutes.
Complain that the car is too hot
Complain that the aircon isn't working properly
Leave window open.
Press DOWN button until it says 'Lo'
Mess around with fan speeds.
Repeat above for the entire journey, with window in various states of open/closed.

Cold Day.
Get in the car. Press UP button thirty times until 'Hi' has been displayed for at least twenty presses.
Complain that the heating doesn't work properly.
Wait five to ten minutes.
Complain that the car is too hot.
Open window to let cool air in in.
Press DOWN button to at most fifteen degrees.
wait five minutes.
Complain that the car is too cold
Complain that the heating isn't working properly
Close window.
Press UP button until it says 'Hi'
Mess around with fan speeds
Repeat above for the entire journey, with window in various states of open/closed.

At least that's how Mrs Ted works it.

Ditto Mrs Clive. Oh well..

 

[Colin_b]

Sounds like my wife has been leading a secret double life as your wife.

Make that a treble life! It describes her indoors exactly. As to the central heating....

 

[markjay]

As said.... A/C needs to work from time to time in winter to circulate the lubricant and keep the rubber seals alive. And A/C is the best way to quickly demist the windscreen in winter.

 

[splitpin]

Wife taught me how AC operated (dominatrix).

Hardly use the car now, just allowed to clean & service it.

Splitpin

 

[corned]

That Mrs. Ted/Troon/Clivefa/Colin_b/corned certainly gets around a bit, the treacherous bigamist!

Is it the same for you guys with the house central heating/radiators?

 

[Merc Owner 2B]

The newer Mercs have constantly circulating systems which is why they react more quickly when switched "on". Compressors tick-over all the time.

 

[Mr E]

That Mrs. Ted/Troon/Clivefa/Colin_b/corned certainly gets around a bit, the treacherous bigamist!

Is it the same for you guys with the house central heating/radiators?

Don't get me started on the central heating...

21/22 degrees seems fine to me - I'm sitting here at my desk with a t-shirt on quite happy. At that temperature, in the summer months Mrs E is quite happy to wander around in t-shirts, shorts, etc.

As soon as we get to October, 21/22 degrees is far too cold in the house. Having stopped the tampering with the heating controls (the digital equivalent of locking them away) she now sits on the sofa in the evening resplendant in cardigan, fleece blanket and furry slippers complaining of the cold!

 

[whitenemesis]

The compressor on mine spins all the time but there is a bypass valve in circuit, so no load.

Surely if the refrigerant was constantly circulating it would still be presenting a 'load' not to mention a cooling effect on the incoming air?

 

[jaymanek]

NEVER switch the A/c off for extended periods otherwise you will regret it come spring..

The seals need lubrication and circulation of the A/C gas and oil is imperative.

 

[o2drive]

Using the air con makes winter journeys nice. All windows mist free also does the air con good stops nasty smells.

 

[DSM10000]

That Mrs. Ted/Troon/Clivefa/Colin_b/corned certainly gets around a bit, the treacherous bigamist!

Is it the same for you guys with the house central heating/radiators?

Oh yes. "It is cold" comes the cry so as she wanders past the thermostat is turned to 30deg. 30 minutes later "It is hot" so is the thermostat turned down? Oh no, a window is opened!

Or the log burner is blazing away and the sitting room (I measured the temperature at one point) is at 30 deg C so as she moves to the dining room there is a complaint of "it is cold in here" no concept of the relative difference being the reason for the perceived "coldness" so then an oil filled radiator is turned on in the dining room to"add a little heat" but it is placed directly beneath the main thermostat which reacts by........................................ fill in the rest!!!

 

[bpsorrel]

Like the taxi drivers round my way, full heat with the fan switched off. They wonder why the car stinks, is hot and stuffy and the windows mist up in 20 seconds!

Exactly what my Dad does! Grrrr!! Hate riding with him as I always feel sick! Will NEVER open a window as he "can't hear if there's a problem!" and won't use the fan as it "might wear it out" !!!!!!

 

[jonm]

uys, I really dont think you understand how climate control works. The aim is not to leave it at a set temperature all year round - that defeats the whole point.

This is how to use it correctly.
Hot day.
Get in the car. Press DOWN button thirty times until 'Lo' has been displayed for at least twenty presses.
Complain that the aircon is crap.
Wait five to ten minutes.
Complain that the car is too cold.
Open window to let heat in.
Press UP button to at least twenty five degrees.
wait five minutes.
Complain that the car is too hot
Complain that the aircon isn't working properly
Leave window open.
Press DOWN button until it says 'Lo'
Mess around with fan speeds.
Repeat above for the entire journey, with window in various states of open/closed.

Cold Day.
Get in the car. Press UP button thirty times until 'Hi' has been displayed for at least twenty presses.
Complain that the heating doesn't work properly.
Wait five to ten minutes.
Complain that the car is too hot.
Open window to let cool air in in.
Press DOWN button to at most fifteen degrees.
wait five minutes.
Complain that the car is too cold
Complain that the heating isn't working properly
Close window.
Press UP button until it says 'Hi'
Mess around with fan speeds
Repeat above for the entire journey, with window in various states of open/closed.

At least that's how Mrs Ted works it.

That would be mrs jonm as well

 

[Rory]

Not sure on MB but on all other cars I have owned, the A/C automatically disengages when the outside temperature drops below 3 degrees.


A/C however also removes moisture from the air so on a damp morning will really make a difference to your windows misting up (or not)

The problem I've seen is that if the a/c is left on then the evaporator and the rest of the system is wet and in cold weather it doesn't dry out overnight. So you get in the car the next morning and the a/c won't run as it's too cold, and the wetness in the system blows into the car and that makes demisting it doubly difficult. My wife's Honda Jazz is very bad for this - I turn the a/c off, but if she puts it on she'll never think to turn it off again.

One thing with MBs, is that pressing the a/c off (eco) button doesn't turn it off straight away - it reduces to some percentage (30%?) and then goes off 10-15 mins later. Hence you can shut it off while driving and all seems well, then 10-15 mins later the car suddenly starts misting up. So if you're hoping to shut it off to dry it out, it's got to be done some time before you arrive home.

 

[snoop51]

Don't get me started on the central heating...

21/22 degrees seems fine to me - I'm sitting here at my desk with a t-shirt on quite happy. At that temperature, in the summer months Mrs E is quite happy to wander around in t-shirts, shorts, etc.

As soon as we get to October, 21/22 degrees is far too cold in the house. Having stopped the tampering with the heating controls (the digital equivalent of locking them away) she now sits on the sofa in the evening resplendant in cardigan, fleece blanket and furry slippers complaining of the cold!

Must be a female thing with both central heating and aircon Mrs Snoop is exactly the same except she adds an electrically heated fleece blanket for good measure.

 

[Shellboie]

ww

 

[Shellboie]

The newer Mercs have constantly circulating systems which is why they react more quickly when switched "on". Compressors tick-over all the time.

How new? Mine is 2007 model c class. Also if has AC and left and right controls, is this what they mean by climate control?

 

[st4]

How new? Mine is 2007 model c class. Also if has AC and left and right controls, is this what they mean by climate control?

Yep dual zone. Its great

 

[ringway]

I remember the instructions for my VX Omega were to turn off the A/C when not in use (esp in the winter months) but to ensure the system was used (even if only briefly) once a month.
I've still got the car which will be 13yo in March and the system blows ice-cold and has never been re-gassed.

 

[steve333]

I remember the instructions for my VX Omega were to turn off the A/C when not in use (esp in the winter months) but to ensure the system was used (even if only briefly) once a month.
I've still got the car which will be 13yo in March and the system blows ice-cold and has never been re-gassed.

That blows the widely reported annual refrigerant loss of 10% out of the window then!(13years @10%+130%).