Damp Interior

[Fandango]

I wonder if anyone has experienced anything similar.
When my air-con is switched off, the windows start misting up even when there is very little or no rain outside.
I've recently changed the cabin filter which seems to have cured an old sock smell that emanated from the vents previously whenever you first turned the engine on. I don't know if this is related.
I'd like to be able to drive with the air-con switched off without it getting tangibly damp...

Any ideas anyone? Your comment would be appreciated.

 

[television]

I wonder if anyone has experienced anything similar.
When my air-con is switched off, the windows start misting up even when there is very little or no rain outside.
I've recently changed the cabin filter which seems to have cured an old sock smell that emanated from the vents previously whenever you first turned the engine on. I don't know if this is related.
I'd like to be able to drive with the air-con switched off without it getting tangibly damp...

Any ideas anyone? Your comment would be appreciated.

For a start, do you have a sun roof.

Malcolm

 

[Fandango]

For a start, do you have a sun roof.

Malcolm

Sorry, should have said, no sunroof.

 

[television]

Can you feel any damp on the carpets, anywhere, is it possible to lift them anywhere, are you loosing any coolant as heater matrix can leak.

Maybe someone with a car the same as your will come on.

malcolm

 

[Fandango]

Some good suggestions, but no, the carpets and everything else is dry to touch.

It just seems to be coming in via the vents, and only when the EC light is off.
It seems to have started since I got a new compressor and the air conditioning started working again, but I can't see the connection between the two.

cheers

 

[psmart]

There were a number of posts a few months ago regarding airconditioners, specifically with relation to debris, such as leaves, getting into the air intake and also onto the condensor, causing problems. Perhaps a search for a/c problems will help, because if youve had to get a new compressor, it could be other parts are not ship-shape as well.

In the meantime, get one of those moisture absorbing salts, it may help soak up the excess moisture.

The other thing... are you sure your fresh air vent is working and your not recirculating the air.

 

[Fandango]

There were a number of posts a few months ago regarding airconditioners, specifically with relation to debris, such as leaves, getting into the air intake and also onto the condensor, causing problems. Perhaps a search for a/c problems will help, because if youve had to get a new compressor, it could be other parts are not ship-shape as well.

In the meantime, get one of those moisture absorbing salts, it may help soak up the excess moisture.

The other thing... are you sure your fresh air vent is working and your not recirculating the air.

Excellent idea with the moisture absorbing crystals, thanks
I did do a search, but don't seem to find anything re damp.
I 'll keep looking though.

The fresh air definitely works, I use this all the time in traffic to cut out the diesel smoke from busses etc..

Regards

 

[television]

Excellent idea with the moisture absorbing crystals, thanks
I did do a search, but don't seem to find anything re damp.
I 'll keep looking though.

The fresh air definitely works, I use this all the time in traffic to cut out the diesel smoke from busses etc..

Regards

Go out and buy 50 DVD players, throw the players away but keep the crystal bags and then you have enough

malcolm

 

[Fandango]

and a very cost effective solution this would be too, thank you muchly.

 

[Rory]

Some cars seem to do this - my wife's Jazz is impossible to drive in the rain without the a/c on, and my C Class mists pretty easily too. I find that once the a/c has been on during a journey, switching it off turns the car into a sauna. I don't think it helps that there really isn't much air-flow through the Merc when the system is an Auto (and the a/c off) and the internal and external temps are similar.
It could be that the evaporator drain is blocked, or the scuttle drains (where the air intake is) or a leak in the car, or even a tiny leak in the heater matrix, but I tend to think that it's just one of those things that some cars do.

 

[jberks]

We had a discussion about this a while back.
Windows steam up when dirty. The grains of muck give the moisture something to cling to and you get more condensation. I can tell when my rear window needs cleaning as I start to have to use the rear demister. It generally looks clean but a good scrub up and it's back to normal. It always amuses me to see people with misted windows clearing the with their hands - a guaranteed way to make it worse as the grease from your hands clings to the glass giving the water molecules something even better to cling to.

The aircon dries out the air, so you get away with it to some extent until you turn the aircon off or it gets really bad. Start by giving the glass a good clean with a decent glass cleaner. You may find that's all you need.Then keep the cabin well ventilated and you should be fine.

 

[Rory]

The aircon dries out the air, so you get away with it to some extent until you turn the aircon off or it gets really bad.

That's very interesting - I only thought the other day how infrequently I have to clean our cars windows, yet I seem to remember forever doing it in the olden days! I'd put it down to pollen filters.

 

[psmart]

I dont know if its been said, I even guffawed when it was first advised to me, but newspaper makes the cleanest of windows. It sounds daft, but it really does work.

Im not a firm believer in Aircon (sorry Blobcat, I like my button firmly in the off position ), so mine is off most of the time, but I can not remember having had the car steamed up. Perhaps ML are slighlty different due to the internal volume etc, or perhaps its how the car is made up, all leather as opposed to cloth.

 

[Fandango]

Some cars seem to do this - my wife's Jazz is impossible to drive in the rain without the a/c on, and my C Class mists pretty easily too. I find that once the a/c has been on during a journey, switching it off turns the car into a sauna. I don't think it helps that there really isn't much air-flow through the Merc when the system is an Auto (and the a/c off) and the internal and external temps are similar.
It could be that the evaporator drain is blocked, or the scuttle drains (where the air intake is) or a leak in the car, or even a tiny leak in the heater matrix, but I tend to think that it's just one of those things that some cars do.

thanks for that
Thing is though, before the pump and the condenser were replaced I did not have noticable damp in the cabin.
I will check the evaporator drain and the air intake in the morning though, cheers.

 

[Fandango]

We had a discussion about this a while back.
Windows steam up when dirty. The grains of muck give the moisture something to cling to and you get more condensation. I can tell when my rear window needs cleaning as I start to have to use the rear demister. It generally looks clean but a good scrub up and it's back to normal. It always amuses me to see people with misted windows clearing the with their hands - a guaranteed way to make it worse as the grease from your hands clings to the glass giving the water molecules something even better to cling to.

The aircon dries out the air, so you get away with it to some extent until you turn the aircon off or it gets really bad. Start by giving the glass a good clean with a decent glass cleaner. You may find that's all you need.Then keep the cabin well ventilated and you should be fine.

good point, thanks.
I actually had to wipe (with a cloth, honest ) the inside of the window this morning as it was taking too long to demist even with the air conditioning on. I'll try cleaning them thoroughly.

 

[Fandango]

I dont know if its been said, I even guffawed when it was first advised to me, but newspaper makes the cleanest of windows. It sounds daft, but it really does work.

I use newspaper too, works a treat, or kitchen roll if you don't want to get ink on your hands.
The newspaper trick is something my Granny taught me, I thought it was because she was tight, but it works very well indeed, must be an German/Austrian thing...

thanks