Should the air conditioner work in winter?

Air conditioning in the car is useful especially in summer. Studies have shown that this is important not only for comfort, but also for travel safety. In a cool cabin, the driver retains the ability to think and react longer, and his reactions faster. Fatigue also occurs more slowly.

What about the air conditioner in winter?

But should the air conditioner work even at low temperatures? The answer is yes. Together with ventilation, the air conditioner “protects the interior”. Here's what the climate system does in the winter:

1. The air conditioner drains the air and thus becomes a powerful weapon against fogged glass and mold if the car is stored in a damp garage.
2. Regular operation of the air conditioner also reduces the risk of the spread of fungi and bacteria. To reduce the risk of microbial accumulation, the cooling function must be turned off until the end of the trip, but the fan should continue to work. This removes moisture from the system.

Air conditioner operation tips

It makes sense to turn on the air conditioner due to its long downtime. Since the coolant also acts as a lubricant during system operation, moving parts and seals are lubricated and the risk of loss of refrigerant is reduced.

Turning on the air conditioner in autumn and winter is not recommended unconditionally. At temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius, the air conditioner should not be turned on. Otherwise, the water in it may freeze and the mechanism will break.

As a rule, modern cars have a built-in temperature sensor, which does not allow switching on at sub-zero temperatures. On older models, the driver must be careful not to use the air conditioner in cold weather.

Questions and answers:

How does a car air conditioner work in winter? Manufacturers do not recommend using the air conditioner in frosty conditions. But if the air temperature is positive with high humidity, the air conditioner acts as a dehumidifier in the cabin.

Why doesn't the air conditioner work in winter? In the cold, it is impossible to use the air conditioner to heat the passenger compartment, because the external heat exchanger freezes over, which makes it technically impossible to bring the air conditioner to the desired mode.

Is it possible to turn on the climate control in the car in winter? The automatics will never use the air conditioner to heat the passenger compartment - a blocking will work. There is another system for this.