Motorists have been sharing a lesser-known tip about a button on the dashboard that can cool down your car more efficiently than air conditioning – and it’s perfect for a heatwave
The heatwave has returned this week, leaving us all sweltering and desperate for a bit of respite. This is particularly true for drivers who have to deal with the sun’s rays beaming through their windscreens, creating a stifling greenhouse effect as they sit in heavy traffic on a scorching day, inhaling hot petrol fumes.
Considering it’s not even recommended to leave bottled water in your car during a heatwave, keeping a cool temperature in the vehicle under direct sunlight can be particularly challenging. That’s why motorists are sharing a lesser-known tip about a button on the dashboard that can cool down your car more efficiently than air conditioning.
This button, marked with a small arrow and a symbol representing the interior of a car, is the ‘recirculate air’ button – an excellent method to cool down your car even when the aircon is off. In other related news, UK drivers are warned over ‘avoiding’ road instead of having to follow new rule.
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As the name suggests, it blocks all outside air and only recirculates the existing air within the car. Interestingly, this feature also benefits hayfever sufferers as it prevents fresh pollen from entering through your vents, reports the Express.
The logic behind this is that the air outside your car is warmer than inside – this is the same principle behind closing your house’s windows in a heatwave. Therefore, a quick blast of aircon will make the internal air much colder.
You can keep circulating the existing air instead of replacing it with new warm air. This means you don’t necessarily need to keep the aircon on as long as your windows are shut, saving fuel in the process.
A spokesperson for UK Car Discount explained the benefits of this handy feature in your car that could be a game-changer on those sweltering summer days: “Picture this: a blazing summer day and a parked car soaking up the sun’s rays.”
“The air recirculation button comes to the rescue, offering an effective solution to expedite the cooling process. By recirculating the cool air within the cabin, this button helps create a refreshing environment almost instantly.”
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They continued: “This becomes especially invaluable during scorching weather, allowing you to enter a chilled car free from the heat. No more waiting for the air conditioning to kick in the air recirculation button has your back, ensuring you experience a swift and soothing transition from the outside heat.”
“It works by recirculating the cool air you get from your A/C when you first turn it on. The longer it’s on for, the cooler your vehicle will get! If you don’t use it, the car will use the air from the outside that is a lot warmer, and your A/C will work harder and continuously to cool the hot air.”
The RAC supports this advice, adding: “Once the air conditioning is blowing cold, close all the windows and switch to (pre-cooled) recirculated air. You can now open the upper air vents and adjust the flow as required. More advanced ‘climate control’ air-conditioning systems allow you to set and maintain a constant temperature within the car.”