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bushbean
06-26-2007, 02:01 PM
Do you use "Fresh" or "Rec" with A/C?

The manual says to use "Rec" sparingly. I guess you don't want too high
a level of CO2 in the cabin. I also recall reading somewhere that it is dangerous if there is an exhaust leak that goes into a cabin that doesn't have fresh air going in.

I found that my A/C can be 10 degrees colder at the vent if I use "Rec." I get sweaty by the time I get to work, if I use "Fresh". Therefore, I've been cycling the Rec and Fresh buttons because I don't want to pass out or anything since the car is so old.

2ndGenGuy
06-26-2007, 02:17 PM
I use REC when I'm running my A/C and when it's stinky out. (Like when you smell the Aroma of Tacoma). :)

alanizgod
06-26-2007, 02:44 PM
I use REC all the time. Usually I only use Fresh when it's relatively cold outside but having the air set to low makes it too hot inside, so when I drive and stop it kind of fluctuates :D Fresh does give a smelly smell sometimes though...not cool. I wouldn't know about the AC part though because my compressor is fucked up.

2ndGenGuy
06-26-2007, 03:32 PM
If you leave it on REC with no A/C, how do you keep your car from fogging up? Smelly smell sounds like something maybe crawled into your vents and died...

alanizgod
06-26-2007, 05:19 PM
Not sure...I only use the heater so I'm assuming that keeps the windows from getting foggy :D

It's not a horrible smell or anything but I can smell the difference between Rec and Fresh...

MessyHonda
06-26-2007, 05:30 PM
lol i dont have A/C so i have to use Fresh.

skycam_313
06-26-2007, 05:45 PM
heh..... a/c...... :rofl: i wish.

Pico
06-26-2007, 06:26 PM
I use fresh too, I took my A/C out when I did the rebuild

Hazwan
06-26-2007, 06:29 PM
Heh I'm stuck with REC since the mechanism is broken. I don't need it anyways, 'fresh' air sucks. It stinks.

russiankid
06-26-2007, 06:35 PM
I use REC most of the time, since it makes it colder inside. When it is 90F degrees and lower i run on Fresh. I tend to let the cold air run out before i pull anywhere if the car will be turned off for a while. I get hot sometimes too, but i just put it on the 3rd setting and i cool off. Maybe you need your system recharged.

bushbean
06-26-2007, 06:57 PM
Sounds like most people are using REC, ignoring the warning, and nobody has passed out from lack of oxygen yet.

2oodoor
06-27-2007, 07:25 AM
REC is the same as MAX AC, and yes it will be much colder

russiankid
06-27-2007, 08:45 AM
Sounds like most people are using REC, ignoring the warning, and nobody has passed out from lack of oxygen yet.
I feel perfectly fine running on REC.

HostileJava
06-27-2007, 08:46 AM
I usually leave it on fresh now in the van. I was using recycled, but I was starting to get a musty smell if I left it on that all the time. I usually only switch to recycled now if I have someone else in the car that complains it's getting to warm or if I'm driving by or behind something that is smelly or dusty. Plus I like the "fog" that rolls in through the vents when I switch back and forth.

AccordEpicenter
06-27-2007, 08:52 AM
rec gives better gas mileage because it wont have to cycle the ac on and off as often. I use it prolly 80% of the time

russiankid
06-27-2007, 08:55 AM
I usually leave it on fresh now in the van. I was using recycled, but I was starting to get a musty smell if I left it on that all the time. I usually only switch to recycled now if I have someone else in the car that complains it's getting to warm or if I'm driving by or behind something that is smelly or dusty. Plus I like the "fog" that rolls in through the vents when I switch back and forth.
I noticed that musty smell too. That is why occasionally i switch to fresh.

2oodoor
06-27-2007, 09:08 AM
put an air freshener down under the dash on passenger side :birthday:

HostileJava
06-27-2007, 09:14 AM
put an air freshener down under the dash on passenger side :birthday:

I'd rather just avoid the mold or whatever that's growing there and causing that smell :naughty:

Vanilla Sky
06-27-2007, 10:11 AM
That smell is caused by a plugged drain. You'll notice it most on very humid days. The only way to get rid of it is to unplug the drain and clean your evaporator core with a cleaning agent.

HostileJava
06-27-2007, 10:14 AM
That smell is caused by a plugged drain. You'll notice it most on very humid days. The only way to get rid of it is to unplug the drain and clean your evaporator core with a cleaning agent.

Are you sure? I always have water all over the ground when I park and the smell has gone away since I started using the fresh air or are you referring to another post?

Vanilla Sky
06-27-2007, 10:27 AM
Hmm. Your low side lines are cold and usually will condensate.

Any time you run your AC, you should run the fans for a minute or two to dry the evap core before you park your car. This is something that every AC tech has told me since I can remember. Water equals mold/mildew. If you dry it every time you put your car away for the day, it has less time to grow.

Here in Florida, smelly ACs are common. Some people just deal with it, and others take their car to an AC shop to be cleaned. It's usually a several hour job, so don't take it lightly if you do decide to tackle it yourself.

My advice is to just deal with it unless it presents a health issue. Since you have kids, you may want to think about fixing it or getting it fixed. Mold and mildew allergies are a bitch to deal with when you get older.

russiankid
06-27-2007, 10:31 AM
That smell is caused by a plugged drain. You'll notice it most on very humid days. The only way to get rid of it is to unplug the drain and clean your evaporator core with a cleaning agent.
I used to get the smell too, but my drain isn't plug, because i have tons of water under the car. I don't have the smell anymore, but i surely don't like it.

HostileJava
06-27-2007, 10:31 AM
Hmm. Your low side lines are cold and usually will condensate.
Any time you run your AC, you should run the fans for a minute or two to dry the evap core before you park your car. This is something that every AC tech has told me since I can remember. Water equals mold/mildew. If you dry it every time you put your car away for the day, it has less time to grow.
Here in Florida, smelly ACs are common. Some people just deal with it, and others take their car to an AC shop to be cleaned. It's usually a several hour job, so don't take it lightly if you do decide to tackle it yourself.
My advice is to just deal with it unless it presents a health issue. Since you have kids, you may want to think about fixing it or getting it fixed. Mold and mildew allergies are a bitch to deal with when you get older.

Well it doesn't really seem to be an issue, like I said the smell has gone away since I started using mostly the fresh air setting. I only smelled it when I had it on REC all the time. I don't smell it when I switch back over to that anymore though.

Toneloc5145
06-27-2007, 10:50 AM
I use FRESH at first just to get fresh air going through the system. Using fresh first also seems to make the system start blowing cold air faster. Then after about 5 minutes or so, I switch to REC to maintain that cold air. But I find myself turning the A/C off and on when I need power lol.

2oodoor
06-27-2007, 10:53 AM
VanillaSky is absolutley correct..
a few things that people should do but just won't: dry out the evap box once in a while, using the defroster usually makes the fresh air door open up automatically.
Secondly, turn off the AC and fan controls when you park, it is a bitch for the alternator to have to recoupe the battery and run fans etc.. all at the same time. Wait a second after the car is cranked to turn on accesories.. yep I know...in a perfect world.
In cabin air filters were designed to help this a little but still to aid in keeping the moisture from developing slime, keep the car vacuumed and clean as possible.
Even with evap drains working perfectly, you still get some funk from the sloshing around and the small amount in the drain areas, like they dont have a P trap in it.. lol too bad though.
Trust me if you were in Fla or Ga you would feel the big difference in temp inside with the recirculate on, we have smells outside the car here anyway.. :naughty: so that is not a big issue:lol:

Strugglebucket
06-27-2007, 01:53 PM
i open my windows.

MessyHonda
06-27-2007, 04:55 PM
i open my windows.



i would too but i would rather have my fan on full blast then the sun in my eyes....tinted front windows FTW

88Accord-DX
06-27-2007, 08:58 PM
If you use REC you save a few pennys on gas. I didn't read what all is said, when the car is recirculating air from the inside, it's easier on the system to cool the inside air rather than the outside. Plus you save some wear on the compressor working too hard.

bushbean
07-11-2007, 07:43 AM
Nobody addressed the issue of excessive CO2 buildup in the cabin. Too much C02 is dangerous to life. I guess if you're riding alone, C02 might not be a problem. However, if there are 5 people in the car, you may want to use fresh.

Shaggsbud
07-11-2007, 07:55 AM
As long as there is a sufficient amount of heat outside to facilitate the right amount of heat transfer, I just use fresh. While rec. will help with compressor cycling, it also causes evap. freeze up quicker. With those of you that switch between the two, thats good, keep it up. I don't much use A/C, but when I'm in my work's van, I just use fresh, still blows just as cold and keeps the air from getting stagnant and stale. It helps that its also a 134a system :Owned: non-cfc's FTW

evil88accordLX
07-11-2007, 12:22 PM
REC is the same as MAX AC, and yes it will be much colder
REC is not the same as MAX AC. REC circulates the cool air from the cabin back into the system, which is why it is able to offer better cooling. if you use REC when you first turn the car on, it takes longer to cool the car because the A/C is trying to cool the much warmer inside air. using FRESH at first cools quicker because you are bringing in the cooler outside air into the car. once it gets about as cold as it can, then switch to REC. your A/C works much more efficiently this way. its the same reason they tell you to leave your A/C at home on during the day.

russiankid
07-11-2007, 12:32 PM
REC is not the same as MAX AC. REC circulates the cool air from the cabin back into the system, which is why it is able to offer better cooling. if you use REC when you first turn the car on, it takes longer to cool the car because the A/C is trying to cool the much warmer inside air. using FRESH at first cools quicker because you are bringing in the cooler outside air into the car. once it gets about as cold as it can, then switch to REC. your A/C works much more efficiently this way. its the same reason they tell you to leave your A/C at home on during the day.
I believe it i the same as REC. I know in Fords when you turn the knob to A/C it turns the A/C on. When you put it on MAX A/C it starts to recirculate the air. I tried it before, if it stinks out and turn to MAX A/C you don't smell it anymore.

Blkblurr
07-11-2007, 12:39 PM
Cars are required to let at least 10% fresh air in when using recirc or having vents off. This is to eliminate the co2 build up. On the stinky smell thing, I spray a disinfectant spray into the fresh air inlet vent on the outside of the car while the fan is running on high. This helps to kill the foul smell that comes from mold in your evap core.

evil88accordLX
07-11-2007, 12:48 PM
I believe it i the same as REC. I know in Fords when you turn the knob to A/C it turns the A/C on. When you put it on MAX A/C it starts to recirculate the air. I tried it before, if it stinks out and turn to MAX A/C you don't smell it anymore.
well ive never owned a ford (and never will, unless its a GT40). do they have a REC button? if not and max a/c recirculates the air, then you would have to leave it on full blast all the time to get the coldest air. in the honda you can push the rec button and get the coldest air and have it blow on the lowest setting if you want. REC does in fact draw it from the cabin and FRESH from the outside. its in the manual.

Shaggsbud
07-11-2007, 12:58 PM
Did anyone even read what I said? A block of ice in your evaporator box doesn't do you or your compressor any good. Lol, everyone can do what they want, don't get me wrong, but if you want the best performance and life out of your a/c switch between norm and max or fresh and rec. as they are both the same just named differently.

88Accord-DX
07-11-2007, 06:31 PM
If you get an ice block on the evaporator, there is a problem with the TXV.

russiankid
07-11-2007, 06:36 PM
well ive never owned a ford (and never will, unless its a GT40). do they have a REC button? if not and max a/c recirculates the air, then you would have to leave it on full blast all the time to get the coldest air. in the honda you can push the rec button and get the coldest air and have it blow on the lowest setting if you want. REC does in fact draw it from the cabin and FRESH from the outside. its in the manual.
MAX A/C is just like REC in a Honda. Ford doesn't have the REC button and you can set the air to low while on MAX A/C.

blh1983
07-12-2007, 08:27 PM
I use Fresh when I need heat, and Reciruclate when I run the A/C. Also the quickest way that I have found to defrost a window in the morning is to run the A/C, put the temperature half way, and put it on Fresh. But on a hot day I start the A/C on fresh, then once most of the heat has been sucked out of the cabin I put it on Recirculate.