Today’s cars are equipped with all kinds of buttons and controls to make the driving experience more comfortable. With the simple movement of a finger we can access a number of functions that contribute to our well-being at the wheel, such as changing the radio station or regulating the cabin temperature.
In summer, when temperatures are very high, it is advisable to cool down the car before setting off. We can use this Japanese trick to lower the cabin temperature a few degrees in just one minute. This simple gesture will help us to more quickly obtain the comfort temperature inside the car, which the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) places in a range that goes from 21 to 23 degrees.
One of the keys that appears next to the instruments to start and regulate the air conditioning shows the silhouette of a car with a rotating arrow inside. This is the air recirculation button, a function that plays an important role in cooling the cabin temperature and is used mainly in summer.
The indicator light tells us if the air recirculation button is active. When it is working it helps to cool the cabin faster and improve air quality, as we will see below, although it also has other secondary functions.
Before, however, we will explain how the car’s cooling system works. In this way it will be much easier to see the importance of the air recirculation function and the role it plays in helping to reduce the temperature of the passenger compartment when it is very hot as it is this time of year.
Broadly speaking, the refrigeration system transforms the hot air that it captures from the outside into cold air through a closed and pressurized circuit that contains a refrigerant gas. The process is carried out when we activate the fan of the air conditioning or climate control.
However, since the process is carried out with the air that comes from outside, the higher the temperature outside the car, the more difficult it will be for the air system to cool the interior of the car.
To speed up the time it takes to cool the car’s temperature, we must press the air recirculation button. As its name suggests, this button has the function of distributing the air that is already in the passenger compartment. By pressing the button, the cooling system stops taking air from outside and reuses internal air.
After a few minutes we will notice how the temperature inside the vehicle drops faster than if the cooling system were taking air from outside. It is explained by a simple reason: the system is nourished exclusively by the air in the passenger compartment, which is already at a much lower temperature than that of the outside.
Each recirculation cycle is cooler than the previous one, so the cabin temperature drops faster. This translates into lower fuel consumption, since the compressor, which is fed by the energy provided by the engine, does not need to work at the same rate as it does when the air is warmer.
As we have seen, by activating the recirculation button we are preventing the entry of air from outside. This means that we are closing the entrance to the cabin of emissions and bad smells. Therefore, at specific times, if we go through an area where the air quality is bad or there are unpleasant or strong odors, we can activate the key to protect ourselves from these inconveniences.
Despite the advantages it represents for health and consumption, activating the air recirculation system is not recommended to always have it on. This button must be used properly -some cars have a built-in timer that disconnects it after 10 minutes- since it is necessary to regularly renew the air inside to maintain its good quality.
Otherwise, the air that we recirculate inside the passenger compartment can become rare and cause drowsiness or headaches in the occupants. A situation that is highly dangerous if it affects the driver, since it can impair his ability to concentrate as well as his reflexes.
