Car air conditioners are associated primarily with summer and heat. Nevertheless, the coming of cold weather is not a reason to forget about them until the next summer. On the contrary, it is necessary to prepare your air conditioner for winter and switch it on periodically during this period to take care of its reliable operation in future.
Why the winter “vacation” for a car air conditioner is not only unnecessary, but even harmful?
The matter is that units of air conditioning system need lubrication. The refrigerant, circulating through pipes of a conditioner, acts as such. If the system is idle and does not act, a thin oil film flows down and leaves the details without protection. The next time you switch on the system will work “dry” for some time, and that will threaten its parts with premature failure because of increased friction and contamination with particles of garbage.
What can be useful for conditioner in winter?
Certainly, it is not necessary to cool air in cold weather. But with the help of conditioner it is possible to solve other actual season problems: for example, sweating of glasses. In a mode of closed circulation (that is without air intake from outside) it quickly dehumidifies air in a salon and together with moisture disappears also unwanted condensate.
With what periodicity is it necessary to switch on air conditioner in winter? Experts recommend to do it not less than once a month, and it is better to do it every 2-3 weeks. It is not necessary for a long time, a few minutes are enough for renewal of greasing layer on details of air-conditioning system. But the main thing is not to forget to warm up air in a salon with a heater before switching on a conditioner, otherwise it simply will not start.
Why does air conditioner refuses to start in a frost?
Sometimes for this purpose it is enough for the temperature inside a saloon to fall a little bit lower than zero degrees. Telling the truth, it happens not because of “frost” overboard, but because of freon pressure drop in the system, which according to the laws of physics becomes apparent exactly in a cold weather and is “cured” by additional charging of a conditioner. Even a fully faultless system loses 10% of its volume during a year, on the average. If its hermeticity has been violated for some reason (the sealing gaskets cracked and cracked enough), these losses will be even more appreciable. And if in hot weather the pressure is kept at the sufficient level because of high temperature of environment, in cold weather the lack of freon level becomes obvious.
It is necessary to charge automobile conditioner with the refrigerant once in 1-2 years, and in conditions of the service station, because specialized equipment is used for this purpose. Besides small services, specialized on maintenance of air conditioners, many large car-care centers render the same services. The Bosch Auto Service network can be given as an example. Its main advantage is the possibility to provide all kinds of seasonal automobile service in one place and with the qualitative equipment from the world authoritative manufacturer.
How to prepare the conditioner for winter? It is the time that is the best for making “general cleaning” of your air conditioner. If you do not do it, the dust, pollen, particles of garbage and other unpleasant surprises, which get into radiators and filters of air-cleaning system together with the air from the street, will multiply bacteria and funghi. As a result the first spring turn on the air conditioner instead of pleasant freshness will give you absolutely other sensations.
Many motorists try to solve the problem of unpleasant odor in the cabin using special antiseptic sprays. But they are better suited as a preventive measure and rescue from not all problems. Thus, if the evaporator drain hole is clogged, it is impossible to clean it with a spray. Therefore, you should clean conditioner once or twice a year, and change cabin filters (one more barrier on a way of unpleasant smells and harmful particles in your car and your lungs).
Following these simple rules, you are not only sure that your conditioner will safely overwinter, and it will help you to meet spring and warmth with pleasure.