Air conditioning can be harmful too.

Whether it's a hot summer day, a downpour, a frosty winter morning, grass pollen season, a big city smog or a dusty country road - everywhere the car air conditioner will not only ensure the comfort of the trip, but also increase its safety. There are two conditions: proper maintenance and proper use.

– If we want to use efficient air conditioning in the car, we must use it as often as possible. This system works the more efficiently the longer it works due to the specific lubrication system. The lubricating factor is oil, which penetrates into all the nooks and crannies of the system, lubricating them, protecting them from corrosion and seizing, explains Robert Krotoski, Category Manager Cars at Allegro.pl. – If the air conditioner is not working, the risk of breakdown increases. And that is why it should be used not only in hot weather, but also all year round. This should be remembered first of all by owners of cars with manual air conditioning, because automatic air conditioning is rarely turned off in practice.

The air conditioner not only cools, but also dries the air, so it is indispensable in the fight against the dampness of the glass - in the rain or on a cold morning, when the car windows fog up from the inside. An effective conditioner will remove moisture in just a few minutes. Of course, on cold days, you can and should use car heating, because both systems work in parallel and perfectly complement each other.

Can allergy sufferers use air conditioning?

What should allergy sufferers do? One of the myths about this device is that people with allergies should not use air conditioning, as the risk of sensitization increases. In addition, as is commonly believed, the air conditioner blows us with another "muck" - fungi, bacteria and viruses that cause all kinds of infections and infections. This is true if we allow the air conditioning system to get dirty due to lack of regular maintenance.

First, once a year, our car must be handed over to a specialist in the cooling system. As part of the inspection, the service must replace the cabin filter (regular or better - coal), clean the air ducts, remove mold from the evaporator, check the tightness of the system, the patency of the condensate drain pipe from the evaporator, clean the air intakes outside the car and add coolant.

Some of these works we can do ourselves, such as changing the cabin air filter available on Allegro for around PLN 30, depending on the car model. This is usually a very simple operation and you can also clean the ventilation ducts yourself. For this, special sprays are produced, which cost Allegro from several tens of zlotys. Place the drug behind the rear seat, with the engine running, set the air conditioner to maximum cooling and close the internal circuit. Open all doors and close windows. After you start spraying, leave the car running for about 15 minutes. After this time, open the windows and ventilate the car for 10 minutes to get rid of the chemicals from the system. Of course, these types of preparations will not be as effective as ozonation or ultrasonic disinfection carried out in a specialized workshop.

– Dryer, i.e. The filter that absorbs moisture in the cooling system must be replaced every three years. If we previously repaired a leaky air conditioner, the dehumidifier should also be replaced with a new one. Its absorption capacity is so great that within a day or two days after being removed from the vacuum package, the filter completely loses its properties and becomes unusable,” explains Robert Krotoski.

In keeping with the principle that prevention is better than cure, an air conditioning system must be serviced before it fails. If they do appear, then most often it will be window fumes and an unpleasant smell of rot from the ventilation ducts. If this happens, contact the service center immediately. An air conditioner fungus or one infected with bacteria can cause serious illness! On the other hand, when fully operational, it will protect allergy sufferers from hay fever due to the ability to purify the air from pollen and dust.

Of course, the unwise use of the air conditioner can cause a cold. Most often this happens when we get out of a quickly cooled car in the heat. Therefore, before reaching the destination, it is worth gradually raising the temperature, and a kilometer or two before the end of the journey, turn off the air conditioner completely and open the windows. As a result, the body will gradually get used to the higher temperature. The same thing works in reverse - do not get into a very cold car directly from a hot street. And if our car gets hot in a sun-drenched parking lot, let's open the door wide and let the hot air out before driving. Sometimes it is even 50-60°C! Thanks to this, our air conditioner will become simpler and will consume less fuel.