Leaking after air con use

#1

MK4 golf 1.6se 1999

Never owned a car with air con before, and quite a niuce extra I might add.

I was using it today for about 90 mins and when I parked up I noticed a leak
in the direction I had reversed so looked under my car form the front and to
the right side (nearest the curb) there was a constant leak a continious
drip.

Never having owned a car with air con and it only happens when air con is
used am I to guess this is something to do with that ? and is it normal or
is this a leak or something else ?

Big vague description but hopefully someone might be able to help me

#2

After serious thinking munki wrote :

Quote:

MK4 golf 1.6se 1999

Never owned a car with air con before, and quite a niuce extra I might add.

I was using it today for about 90 mins and when I parked up I noticed a leak
in the direction I had reversed so looked under my car form the front and to
the right side (nearest the curb) there was a constant leak a continious
drip.

Never having owned a car with air con and it only happens when air con is
used am I to guess this is something to do with that ? and is it normal or is
this a leak or something else ?

Big vague description but hopefully someone might be able to help me

That is perfectly normal, it is the condensate draining. The unit
chills the air and as a result condensation forms inside the unit,
which has to drain. It is this water draining which you have spotted.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

#3

"munki" <none (AT) none (DOT) com> gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

Quote:

Never having owned a car with air con and it only happens when air con
is used am I to guess this is something to do with that ? and is it
normal or is this a leak or something else ?

It's not a leak, it's condensed humidity from the air - perfectly normal.

One of the most useful benefits of aircon in the UK is that it dries the
air as it cools it - so in winter, you can get dry warm air, which'll
clear misted windows _instantly_.

Don't forget to make sure you use the aircon regularly - 10min every
couple of weeks or so minimum - to keep the seals from drying.

#4

munki wrote:

Quote:

MK4 golf 1.6se 1999

Never owned a car with air con before, and quite a niuce extra I might add.

I was using it today for about 90 mins and when I parked up I noticed a leak
in the direction I had reversed so looked under my car form the front and to
the right side (nearest the curb) there was a constant leak a continious
drip.

Never having owned a car with air con and it only happens when air con is
used am I to guess this is something to do with that ? and is it normal or
is this a leak or something else ?

Big vague description but hopefully someone might be able to help me

It's not a leak. It's moisture removed from the air by the aircon

draining, and is normal.

#5

"munki" <none (AT) none (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

MK4 golf 1.6se 1999

Never owned a car with air con before, and quite a niuce extra I might
add.

I was using it today for about 90 mins and when I parked up I noticed a
leak in the direction I had reversed so looked under my car form the front
and to the right side (nearest the curb) there was a constant leak a
continious drip.

Never having owned a car with air con and it only happens when air con is
used am I to guess this is something to do with that ? and is it normal or
is this a leak or something else ?

Big vague description but hopefully someone might be able to help me

Phew cheers fellas

I shall make sure it gets used so the seals don't dry *thumbs up* Adrian

#6

Quote:

I shall make sure it gets used so the seals don't dry *thumbs up* Adrian

IANAM (I am not a mechanic etc)

ISTR someone else mentioning that it's worth switching it off ten
minutes before you "arrive" at your destination to allow the air ducts
to dry out, otherwise they might start to pong if they leave any
stagnant puddles of condensate.

#7

Colin Wilson wrote:

Quote:

I shall make sure it gets used so the seals don't dry *thumbs up* Adrian

IANAM (I am not a mechanic etc)

ISTR someone else mentioning that it's worth switching it off ten
minutes before you "arrive" at your destination to allow the air ducts
to dry out, otherwise they might start to pong if they leave any
stagnant puddles of condensate.
The fact that you can see the "leakage" is a good sign that the aircon

is working and that the drainage tubes are not blocked.
Never had any problems with smells from my condensate.

Support previous posts that using it in winter ( heat and aircon on) is
an excellent way of demisting even tho' it mind sound counter-intuitive.

#8

Adrian wrote:

Quote:

"munki" <none (AT) none (DOT) com> gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

Never having owned a car with air con and it only happens when air
con is used am I to guess this is something to do with that ? and is
it normal or is this a leak or something else ?

It's not a leak, it's condensed humidity from the air - perfectly
normal.

One of the most useful benefits of aircon in the UK is that it dries
the air as it cools it - so in winter, you can get dry warm air,
which'll clear misted windows _instantly_.

Don't forget to make sure you use the aircon regularly - 10min every
couple of weeks or so minimum - to keep the seals from drying.

I frequently read about problems with car air conditioning units, such as
leaks and regassing, however as it's not at all uncommon for fridges and
freezers to work continuously for decades without problems, does this mean
that vehicle air conditioning has to work on a completely different
principle to that of a 'sealed for life' refrigeration unit?

#9

Anth wrote:

Quote:

Adrian wrote:
"munki" <none (AT) none (DOT) com> gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

Never having owned a car with air con and it only happens when air
con is used am I to guess this is something to do with that ? and is
it normal or is this a leak or something else ?

It's not a leak, it's condensed humidity from the air - perfectly
normal.

One of the most useful benefits of aircon in the UK is that it dries
the air as it cools it - so in winter, you can get dry warm air,
which'll clear misted windows _instantly_.

Don't forget to make sure you use the aircon regularly - 10min every
couple of weeks or so minimum - to keep the seals from drying.

I frequently read about problems with car air conditioning units,
such as leaks and regassing, however as it's not at all uncommon for
fridges and freezers to work continuously for decades without
problems, does this mean that vehicle air conditioning has to work on
a completely different principle to that of a 'sealed for life'
refrigeration unit?

the principles of the refrigeration are identical, the problems with the car
stuff is that of necessity there must be flexible pipes and connections that
may be dismantled and the pump must have a seal which can leak and in
addition the physical conditions with regard to vibration, damage and
corrosion all do not occur in a fridge. fridges use a pump inside a sealed
container, all the pipes are welded together, and it is rare to get any
physical damage or corrosion, also the condenser can be much larger on a
fridge. if it was convenient/practical to run an electric aircon on a car
then many problems can be eliminated. I believe the prius uses a peltier
block to cool when the engine is off, but it does have masses of batteries
to run it.

#10

Mrcheerful wrote:

Quote:

Anth wrote:
Adrian wrote:
"munki" <none (AT) none (DOT) com> gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying:

Never having owned a car with air con and it only happens when air
con is used am I to guess this is something to do with that ? and
is it normal or is this a leak or something else ?

It's not a leak, it's condensed humidity from the air - perfectly
normal.

One of the most useful benefits of aircon in the UK is that it dries
the air as it cools it - so in winter, you can get dry warm air,
which'll clear misted windows _instantly_.

Don't forget to make sure you use the aircon regularly - 10min every
couple of weeks or so minimum - to keep the seals from drying.

I frequently read about problems with car air conditioning units,
such as leaks and regassing, however as it's not at all uncommon for
fridges and freezers to work continuously for decades without
problems, does this mean that vehicle air conditioning has to work on
a completely different principle to that of a 'sealed for life'
refrigeration unit?

the principles of the refrigeration are identical, the problems with
the car stuff is that of necessity there must be flexible pipes and
connections that may be dismantled and the pump must have a seal
which can leak and in addition the physical conditions with regard to
vibration, damage and corrosion all do not occur in a fridge. fridges
use a pump inside a sealed container, all the pipes are welded
together, and it is rare to get any physical damage or corrosion,
also the condenser can be much larger on a fridge. if it was
convenient/practical to run an electric aircon on a car then many
problems can be eliminated. I believe the prius uses a peltier block
to cool when the engine is off, but it does have masses of batteries
to run it.

Thanks for the explanation most, interesting.. In early units the
compressor was driven by an independent electric motor, presumably little
different then to a vehicle's unit being run from the engine, IIRC they also
had a reasonably trouble free life, apart from an occasional broken drive
belt or defunct motor.