[TRobinson6]

every time you get in you have to turn the recirc button on. what i am wondering is if there would be anything wrong (harmful) if the recirc button is forced to stay down(on) all the time since i run in that mode 100% of the time

 

[NCC1701]

Absolutely agree. But, this topic has been raised before and I don't recall reading a good answer as to how to accomplish this. As far as being harmful is concerned ... I just don't see that. You and I, and likely many others hit the recycle button as often as we click the seat belt.

I am assuming yours is a 451 like mine.

 

[Niteshooter]

every time you get in you have to turn the recirc button on. what i am wondering is if there would be anything wrong (harmful) if the recirc button is forced to stay down(on) all the time since i run in that mode 100% of the time

Yes, you keep recirculating the same stale air around the inside of the vehicle. This can be of significant danger to your passengers if you tend to eat foods that produce copious amounts of flatulence.

Also running in recirculation mode when you first get into the car is actually less effective then running outside air into the car which is typically cooler so the A/C won't have to work as hard cooling down the hotter inside air. If you live in a ridiculously hot climate this will make a difference, also try one of the cheap solar powered fans that you clip to the top of your window.

 

[NCC1701]

... also try one of the cheap solar powered fans that you clip to the top of your window.

Unless I'm mistaken, those fans require a window frame. But in any case, owner reviews (on Amazon) pan the devices as practically useless. Single stars abound.

 

[jimvw57]

If you think about it, you can only push so much air into an enclosed box (so to say) without letting some air back out Once it is full, the air simply won't go in unless there is more room like in a balloon...

I usually run the AC with the windows down until cooler air starts exiting the vents. that way you aren't circulating hot air. Once cooler air starts flowing, shut the windows and then in recirc mode you are cooling air that has already been cooled slightly

 

[smark]

If you have allergies. The recirculation feature, is great for keeping outside pollen from entering, the vehicles cabin.

When entering a vehicle, on a really hot day. Roll down the windows. Turn on the AC. Push the recirculaton button to on. Fan speed high. That will relieve a lot of the hot air in the cabin. Close the windows. Run the AC till the air recycle cold. Then turn off recirculation, after cold.

Never use the recirculation, when raining, or snowing. The vehicles windows will fog up.

 

[NCC1701]

If you have allergies. The recirculation feature, is great for keeping outside pollen from entering, the vehicles cabin.

When entering a vehicle, on a really hot day. Roll down the windows. Turn on the AC. Push the recirculaton button to on. Fan speed high. That will relieve a lot of the hot air in the cabin. Close the windows. Run the AC till the air recycle cold. Then turn off recirculation, after cold.

Never use the recirculation, when raining, or snowing. The vehicles windows will fog up.

Sounds like some sound advice. But most of my trips are of less than 15 minutes' duration ... that is, my arrival is about when the cabin has reached a pleasantly cool temperature, LOL, so I don't often get to the point of turning the recycle off.

Good point, on the fogging windows and how recycle might aggrevate that.

 

[Niteshooter]

Unless I'm mistaken, those fans require a window frame. But in any case, owner reviews (on Amazon) pan the devices as practically useless. Single stars abound.

Ones I have clip to the top of the window (edit)->glass, then sealed with a rubber gasket that came in the kit. I can see how the reviews say they are crap, in their stock configuration they need to be aimed directly at the sun for them to even spin up. I have a large solar panels I stick in the front windshields of our 'outdoor' cars in the winter to keep my batteries topped up, I modified those fans by running wires from the fans directly to a junction box that the big solar panel plugs into. The box has a rheostat to control voltage so I don't fry the fan motors.

 

[TRobinson6]

what everyone has said is the way i do it. all cars i have ever owned recirc always stays on (unless turned of manually). all i was trying to find out was if the recirc button was jammed to stay on all the time would there be any harm to any of the controllers

 

[jimvw57]

Silly boy!! you keep thinking a smart car is like every other car in the universe...And Trix are for kids...

 

[albertlastsmart]

In past discussion............

If my CRS memory works, discussions of leaving the Recirc ON caused the A/C to freeze,and cold air to STOP altogether. Had
to wait for A/C to thaw out,before cold air was available again....................

 

[smark]

Not to sure, if leaving the recirculate, on. Will freeze the evaporator. On one of our other small cars. It was so hot out. 114 degrees. Going to St. Louis. The AC was working so hard. The evaporator froze over. Very small unit. Have a good friend. Who use to own a smart car. Same issue. He was driving back to Indianapolis. Opposite direction, the sun. His AC froze over. His wife has MS, she couldn't handle, the excess heat, from the freeze over. Both case, the recirculation, weren't on. Your only off closing fresh air coming into the cabin.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

what everyone has said is the way i do it. all cars i have ever owned recirc always stays on (unless turned of manually). all i was trying to find out was if the recirc button was jammed to stay on all the time would there be any harm to any of the controllers

If the smart has an intelligently designed computer, forcing the button to be pushed down all the time won't do anything. When you shut off the car, the computer would turn off re-circ regardless if the button is perma-pressed or not.

But, there is only one way to find out, give it a try! Hold down the button, turn off the car, then turn it back on. Is re-circ on? If so, then I guess you can tape the button down or something.

 

[smark]

Just read this.....


DO YOU KNOW THE DANGER OF TURNING ON THE A/C AFTER STARTING THE ENGINE?

When we sit in our car and turn on the engine, we often, without thinking, turn on the A/C. Every time we do this, we put our health, and the health of the people around us, in danger.

This occurs because when we leave our car outside, we always close the windows. But even when we leave the car in a shade, it can accumulate 400-800 mg of benzene.

If you park the car in the sun, in a temperature higher than 16 degrees Celsius, the level of benzene can reach 2000-4000 mg, which is 40 times more than the permitted level.

By sitting in a car that had closed windows, people inhale the benzene, not knowing that this toxin affects the kidneys, the liver and the bone tissue. Furthermore, it takes a lot of time and effort for our organisms to eliminate it.

The cars’ manuals state that we should open the car’s windows before turning on the A/C, but they don’t explain why, except that it is good for the performance of the car.

The results of the research show that before it starts to cool the air, the air conditioner ejects all the heated air out, and with it – the benzene, a toxin that causes cancer.

Therefore, when you sit in your car, even if you don’t notice any smell of a heated plastic, open the windows for a few minutes and then turn on the A/C. And when you turn on the car, leave the windows open for a few more minutes.

Continue practicing this habit while you are in your car in order to protect your organism from toxins, because the consequences can be extremely tragic.

 

[jwight]

Snopes information

A 2007 German study on “Toxicity of Parked Motor Vehicle Indoor Air” which specifically tested the health effects of emissions from one new and one three-year-old vehicle exposed to “parked in sunshine” conditions found “no apparent health hazard of parked motor vehicle indoor air”

Do You Know the Danger of Turning on the A/C After Starting the Engine?

 

[10470]

Research results are routinely self-serving, disfavoring the hapless consumer. Just consider how many industries have misguided us by proclaiming their own "safe" findings. Cough, cough.

 

[jwight]

If you are saying we are all dying from toxic benzine levels in parked cars, there must be peer reviewed studies to support that. :shrug:

 

[Niteshooter]

Research results are routinely self-serving, disfavoring the hapless consumer. Just consider how many industries have misguided us by proclaiming their own "safe" findings. Cough, cough.

Like monsanto perhaps?

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/weed-whacking-herbicide-p/

Though in terms of the materials used in cars, which are high in plastic content it cannot possibly be ok to heat this material up in a closed environment and not expect it to leach toxins. So it certainly makes sense to try and clear out the 'stale' air before setting off.

https://www.blastic.eu/knowledge-bank/impacts/toxicity-plastics/

I don't drink water from plastic bottles due to the bottles leaching chemicals into the water, only use glass and we use an ozonating water treatment system for all our drinking water then store it in glass jugs in the fridge. Excessive? Maybe, but given how prevalent cancer(s) are in our society one has to wonder and take steps to minimize the risk. A while back I was watching a show discussing the hazards of BPA in plastic bottles and can liners and the possible link to obesity. My dad worked in the plastics industry way back when nobody had any idea that these materials could one day be problematic. He died in 1983 of pancreatic cancer, I wondered if that was a possible factor though after that he worked in the automotive repair industry before such things as asbestos were considered extremely hazardous granted he was more administrative then hands on.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130092108.htm

Programmed to be Fat?: Facts About Obesity

 

[Niteshooter]

If you are saying we are all dying from toxic benzine levels in parked cars, there must be peer reviewed studies to support that. :shrug:

Well this posting by the American Cancer Society does seem to support that, however keep in mind that the ACS is in the business of Cancer and if we were successful in curing cancer they would be out of work.... perhaps an overly simplistic analysis but I have had this theory mentioned in the past.....

Is your car killing you with benzene? | Expert Voices Blog

A quick google search actually did not bring up any clinical studies to support the benzine theory. Personally I feel it is plausible and likely more so in brand new vehicles that have not as yet off gassed their nice fresh plastics.

However after viewing the documentary that had clinical studies on the effects of BPA I would say that it is plausible and that perhaps at some point in the future someone might make an effort to do a clinical study. Given that it is so simple to just crank your window and expel the hot stale air from your car before setting off one has to wonder why on earth you would not do so........ are we all dying from this, who knows for sure problem is it might be too late by the time we figure it out. That slice of bacon laden pizza might have done the trick already....

 

[jwight]

Guess the ACS isn't so sure; from their link above:

Although benzene is linked to leukemia, very little research has looked at whether the interior surfaces of cars release dangerous amounts of benzene, and the information that is available does not support the e-mail’s claims.

I'm sticking with the folks at Snopes on this one; just another email forwarded without any basis in fact.