Hot/Humid Regions - Keep Climate Contol ON when Plugged In?

[Vince Cobelo]

I live in Florida. My garage is air conditioned but because of the size and lack of insulation I keep it about 85 in the summer. Just to keep the humidity down.

Got to thinking why not have the climate control in the MS always on while plugged in say to 78 degrees. Keep the humidity even lower inside the cabin. Would wear and tear on the system be a issue? I don't care about the power expense.

 

[gavine]

What's the reasoning behind doing this? I find that the AC cools and dehumidifies the cabin quite quickly, especially when the car is in the shade/garage. I would think this would be unnecessary wear and tear on the AC system for no apparent reason. If the garage is already dehumidified, then the car will presumably be low in humidity as well.

 

[Vince Cobelo]

The garage is lower humidity than outside but certainly not low humidity like inside of the house. I'm just thinking keeping the cabin fresh. Average humidity here is 88% and that's the average. 85-90ish air conditioning isn't going to pull that much humidity out of a 3 car garage.

 

[Cyclone]

I do not see the point. Precondition the car for 5 minutes before leaving and you a comfy cool and dehumidified interior. I do the same every time I visit family in South Florida and I don't even park in the garage.

 

[Vince Cobelo]

Ok...I may not be clear. Its not about getting in the car and personal comfort, it is about keeping the interior fresh over time. If you have been in a car that has been exposed over years to heat and humidity it becomes stale.

I might be overthinking this. But I have a Mercedes that has been displaced in the garage solely because I think it smells. It was a beautiful car when new and still is for a 10 year old car. But I could have taken better care to keep the interior fresh is my thought.

 

[Cyclone]

My 1997 4Runner and 2006 4Runner each spent 6+ years baking in the South Florida sun with zero ill effects. If you don't drive the car, I could understand that happening, but not on a car used regularly. The best thing already was garaging it versus leaving it in the sun. The next best function would be to then lower the temp + humidity in the garage and leave the S's windows open.

 

[jerry33]

Ok...I may not be clear. Its not about getting in the car and personal comfort, it is about keeping the interior fresh over time. If you have been in a car that has been exposed over years to heat and humidity it becomes stale.

When parked in the garage, keep the windows open. Maybe have a fan to circulate the air--that would be far more efficient than running the climate control all the time.