Dust in vehicles and recirculating airflow

[Scallops]

After watching, for the first and last time, Australian top Gear last night - I was amazed to hear the bloke driving the Toyota (Lexarse) say that he was surprised to be getting dust inside the vehicle with the airflow on recirculate.

That is how you DO get dust inside any vehicle. :bangin:

On my recent trip around Oz - I had many people ask me how I kept the dust out of our Defender. When I told them I always run the air vents on outside air, which creates a positive cabin pressure - they were amazed.

So it seems this is a little known "secret".

This phenomenon became apparent to me a few years ago when I had a window that was jammed open and we had clear plastic covering the window space. When you put the air on "outside" - it bulges out. When you put it on recirculate - it bulges in.

Our Defender was very clean inside after our trip - compared to other fourbies we saw.

And it was such a relief to see the show rightly acknowledge the superiority of the Rangie last night - talk about a mismatch. :D

[Redback]

What about following another vehicle:confused:

Baz.

[Scallops]

What about following another vehicle:confused:

Baz.

We didn't have any problem doing this either - once the air pressure has built up inside the cabin, the dust kicked up by any other vehicle seems to drop inside the tubes that connect the outside opening to the inside of the vent itself.

So we had to use pipe cleaners to clean the insides of the vents - but very little dust actually made it past that point.

[Scallops]

Did it work very well?
We blasted the vents with the air compressor, then I got into them with a bit of rag around a screw driiver...not bad but didn't get into the little corners and spaces :( Pipecleaner is a good idea :D

Yep - the pipe cleaners are the way to go for this job - Kat got really stuck into it, whilst I concentrated on getting the paintwork and chassis back to near new condition.

The entire vehicle is "as new" again now.

[solmanic]

So we had to use pipe cleaners to clean the insides of the vents -

I am sooooo glad to have finally met someone more anal than me.....
...stories of your OCD treatment of Grover are invaluable ammunition for me against Mrs Solmanic's psychological attacks on this type of behaviour.

[Scallops]

I am sooooo glad to have finally met someone more anal than me.....

Actually, as I recollect - you advised me to use pipe cleaners! :D

[Outlaw]

Well that's an interesting observation i've never heard before... cheers :D

[Bundalene]

After watching, for the first and last time, Australian top Gear last night - I was amazed to hear the bloke driving the Toyota (Lexarse) say that he was surprised to be getting dust inside the vehicle with the airflow on recirculate.

That is how you DO get dust inside any vehicle. :bangin:

On my recent trip around Oz - I had many people ask me how I kept the dust out of our Defender. When I told them I always run the air vents on outside air, which creates a positive cabin pressure - they were amazed.

So it seems this is a little known "secret".

This phenomenon became apparent to me a few years ago when I had a window that was jammed open and we had clear plastic covering the window space. When you put the air on "outside" - it bulges out. When you put it on recirculate - it bulges in.

Our Defender was very clean inside after our trip - compared to other fourbies we saw.

:D

I agree with everything you say RE the Defender front vents, pressurising the car - works very well on dusty roads. You have to have the windows closed. The only times we closed the vents was when passing a roadtrain on the dirt - nothing helps then.

With the Disco on dirt roads we had the aircond on outside air. When you look at the air intake for the Disco it is in a similar position, at the windscreen end of the bonnet. You take very little dust this way regardless of the condition of the door seals.

Erich.

[RobHay]

My mates got a pipe cleaner.....its mounted on the back of his Kenworth truck:o....how exactly would I use it to get into my air vents....:D;):p

[Corgie Carrier]

An old tip from my street machine show days, is to use a 1 inch paint brush to clean the dash and vents.

The bristles get around all the switches and into the vents, just hold the vaccy cleaner nearby to catch the dust.

You can clean your whole dash in a couple of minutes.

Neale

[abaddonxi]

So you don't just turn on the Karcher to clean out the interior?:D

Simon

[solmanic]

Actually, as I recollect - you advised me to use pipe cleaners! :D

Yes, but I did not say that such actions didn't attract derision from my domestic gestapo. Now I blame you as the source of this fastidiousness and she is none the wiser :p.

[PhilipA]

All you do with a RRC is lever them out with screwdriver and put them under the tap.
Regards Philip A

[p38arover]

Thank God it wasn't just me that thought that Charlie Cox had it all wrong.

I also use the open vents method - but I stay back a bit further form the car in front, too.

[Treads]

You're supposed to clean Land Rovers????? :o



*Note to self: clean car one day* :)

[dobbo]

Why not just place a bit of sponge into the vents, it will catchthe majority of the dust and not restrict airflow that much

[PhilipA]

But then the cats couldn't get out.LOL

I had my SWMBO on vent duty on my recent trip, but she was pretty slow at it.
The idea was to close just before a vehicle approached and reopen after the dust had cleared.
I also blocked up the flow through vents on the RRC, as I think these are made for gentler more bucolic climes. This allows the aircon to stay in the car, but of course does not apply to a Defender, where the air ( and cats) is/are free to exit through the nearest door seal.
Regards Philip A