ebpda9 Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 since you are the electronics guru around here, is there a chance you could build a device that will run the hvac fan when temperatures inside the car will reach let's say 90 degrees ? with this heat wave it's getting kinda hot the first time you get in the car and all the plastics burn like hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyBoyShoots Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 I've been seeing an infomercial for these on TV lately... Solar Auto Vent Fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebpda9 Posted July 18, 2006 Author Share Posted July 18, 2006 that's where i got the idea, but i don't trust most neigborhoods in my area to leave windows down a bit, especially with the no frame on top of the glass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottmcphee Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 It would be interesting to find out how much the fan alone can cool the car with windows up, leaving the fresh/recirc button on "fresh". It probably won't be a big difference. I think we need to let or get the hot air out, window crack is the easiest way. But what about maybe running hvac fan in *reverse* to push the air out the ductwork? I'll check it out.. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinjockey Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 That's why I got the Limited... Cracking the sunroof helps a lot, however fan blowing in would help push the hot air out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottmcphee Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Running the fan looks like a power pig if used too long, unattended. Could kill the battery on a really hot day.. just what you need, not. I am looking at using a 5W solar cell to drive it.. possibly backwards. The fan hookup in the car is quite a bit different between auto climate control, and manual like my car. Easier in my car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottmcphee Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 UPDATE. No way can the solar panel (about 1 square foot) budge the blower fan, one direction or the other. So I took 12v fan about 5 inches across, from an old computer that only requires 0.1A power so works no problem using the solar panel. I installed this fan not in the Legacy but in my Pontiac. This car is black, has no A/C and sits all day baking in the sun while I'm at work. The fan went into the rear quarter panel through a membrane so that it blows into the body cavity. Air reaches the outside via a vent in the door jamb. I cut a hole high up in a body panel near the roof that ducts the hottest air from the top of the car down inside the panel, and gets forced out through the fan. The solar panel is secured on the rear window deck. The fan is on whenever sun hits it. Full exposure to sun moves a lot of air, but I'm not sure of the CFM rating. No batteries involved, nothing stored, no logic, and nothing is connected to the car wiring. It works only on solar power. Let's see if this makes any difference! Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axis008 Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 Wow... I look forward to the results. This could become something bigger than we expected maybe? -ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axis008 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Any updates Scott? -ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebpda9 Posted July 25, 2006 Author Share Posted July 25, 2006 yeah, i am kinda curious too. i wanted to hook up some computer fans to drive the air out. they don't take up that much energy and if they manage to keep the interior below 90 degrees all the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottmcphee Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 yeah, i am kinda curious too. i wanted to hook up some computer fans to drive the air out. they don't take up that much energy and if they manage to keep the interior below 90 degrees all the better. UPDATE. It makes a difference. It's more effective than just leaving the windows open a crack because air is being drawn out. I just leave the climate controls to an open vent position, so fresh air is being sucked in that way. But there's probably enough leaking inlets around weather seals etc.. to get what the fan needs without making a vacuum in the car. My guess is the fan is 20 CFM or so, so it probably has enough jam to be making a whole air change in the car every 5 or 6 minutes. If you don't want to do the solar panel thing, then yes, 100mA computer fan (in my case) is way more manageable on the battery than the blower fan would be. But to me, it's still too much, and I'd be hooking up a thermostat of some sort so it only kicks in when absolutely needed. All this logic is built into a module I make called "Cool+" but it's not ported to Subaru yet. The only trick is mounting these fans where they aren't in the way, can't be seen, and vent to the outside. That's why that solar window hanging thingy is on the market because it's easy to install. Butt ugly though. Was it worth it for me? Ans: Yes. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebpda9 Posted July 25, 2006 Author Share Posted July 25, 2006 yeah, well i wanted you to come up with the thermostat for it, then i will wire the rest and the computer fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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