DIY: A/C Insulation

[MadMax]

Originally Posted by b_hickman11

How many years have you had this mod?

That's the rub, no one has had this done on their cars for more than a couple of weeks; so if there are any adverse long-term effects, no one knows!

I might be crazy, but I simply never run the a/c in my Yaris even with the triple-digit temps we've been having for the past month or so. I also drive an open Jeep, so maybe I am used to it, or I've killed all the brain cells that would've told me I am nuts; but since I most drive on freeways without a lot of stops on my commute, the two windows down method keeps me comfortable enough...and it sure feels great when I walk into the air conditioned house!

Cheers! M2

[b_hickman11]

Originally Posted by MadMax

That's the rub, no one has had this done on their cars for more than a couple of weeks; so if there are any adverse long-term effects, no one knows!

I might be crazy, but I simply never run the a/c in my Yaris even with the triple-digit temps we've been having for the past month or so. I also drive an open Jeep, so maybe I am used to it, or I've killed all the brain cells that would've told me I am nuts; but since I most drive on freeways without a lot of stops on my commute, the two windows down method keeps me comfortable enough...and it sure feels great when I walk into the air conditioned house!

Cheers! M2

I already knew the answer to the question. I was just trying to figure out how he knew that there were NO longterm effects.....

[Henry G.]

Drove into town yesterday, around 100 degrees the AC is definitely colder. So I call this one a success. If the AC breaks for some reason in the future (I doubt it) I will take 5 minutes and cut the stuff off before taking it to the dealer so they don't have a (weak) reason to refuse the warranty claim.

[b_hickman11]

Originally Posted by Henry G.

Drove into town yesterday, around 100 degrees the AC is definitely colder. So I call this one a success. If the AC breaks for some reason in the future (I doubt it) I will take 5 minutes and cut the stuff off before taking it to the dealer so they don't have a (weak) reason to refuse the warranty claim.

You have the basic warranty or extended?

[Henry G.]

Got the "Gold" 100k warranty for $299. The finance guy started at $599 I said no until he got to $299. I said "I thought these Toyotas were supposed to be reliable is there something youre not telling me?"
Hard to sell one one of the most reliable cars on the market then convince you you should get the extended warranty don't you think?

[Lafiro]

So I took a digital thermometer and at a standstill in the shade the temperature goes to around 42f. And when I drive it goes to a low and steady 35f. The temperature outside was 78f. This was done with the fan on 2.

I will be wrapping the pipe today hopefully and will let everyone know what happens.

[talnlnky]

I got some large size heater core tubing (that rubber stuff that connects your radiator to your motor. Going to wrap the AC pipe with foam, then cover the foam with this rubber tubing. Its oil/fluid resistant, and also hi-temp. Should work well, and the dull black color should make it look fairly stock/stealth.

[MadMax]

Originally Posted by talnlnky

I got some large size heater core tubing (that rubber stuff that connects your radiator to your motor. Going to wrap the AC pipe with foam, then cover the foam with this rubber tubing. Its oil/fluid resistant, and also hi-temp. Should work well, and the dull black color should make it look fairly stock/stealth.

Take pics and post 'em!

Cheers! M2

[talnlnky]

Originally Posted by MadMax

Take pics and post 'em!

Cheers! M2

will do... might not be till next week... I got soccer tonight so I probably wont pick up the foam until tomorrow... and then to make sure it looks nice I want to take my time... so my work will most likely be slow.

I'll be cutting a slit down the tube (think split loom) and then either zip tie it closed... or better yet... maybe silicone sealant.

[talnlnky]

Originally Posted by talnlnky

will do... might not be till next week... I got soccer tonight so I probably wont pick up the foam until tomorrow... and then to make sure it looks nice I want to take my time... so my work will most likely be slow.

I'll be cutting a slit down the tube (think split loom) and then either zip tie it closed... or better yet... maybe silicone sealant.

ok... started working on this... The rubber heater core tube fits perfectly over the pipe.... except when the pipe bends. Going to stop by home depot or lowes on the way back to see if I can find a thin type of foam to cover the pipe. There are a few corners which which are too tight for me to get the hose to bend around, so I'll have to cut weird wedges to cover the corners. Then i'll just have to wrap black electric tape neatly around that to make it stay in place well. Even if I don't find anyfoam... I'm sure the rubber heater core tubing will insulate it fairly well. Will post pics when i'm done.

[texkid]

Originally Posted by Lafiro

So I took a digital thermometer and at a standstill in the shade the temperature goes to around 42f. And when I drive it goes to a low and steady 35f. The temperature outside was 78f. This was done with the fan on 2.

I will be wrapping the pipe today hopefully and will let everyone know what happens.

I am not sure if the mod will benefit you. If you're already getting 35-degrees then thats not too bad. Of course, NYC is around 78-degrees whereas Houston is running around high 90's. That can make a difference between A/C.

Who knows, maybe the mod will drop yours down to 33-degrees!

[Lafiro]

Ill be honest, I wrapped mine up in fiberlass(dads idea), and then aluminum tape, and it did pretty much Nothing to lower the temps.

Im about to remove it cause its a messy look. I will go the foam route though soon.

And like I said, it only drops to that temp at the lowest. Usually when the car is moving, and the compressor is active, it will drop to the upper 30's. And as soon as the compressor stops, it can go as high as 47degrees. If the car is sitting doing nothing, it will go between 40 and 47degress. This is all in farenheit.

[texkid]

Originally Posted by Lafiro

Ill be honest, I wrapped mine up in fiberlass(dads idea), and then aluminum tape, and it did pretty much Nothing to lower the temps.

Im about to remove it cause its a messy look. I will go the foam route though soon.

And like I said, it only drops to that temp at the lowest. Usually when the car is moving, and the compressor is active, it will drop to the upper 30's. And as soon as the compressor stops, it can go as high as 47degrees. If the car is sitting doing nothing, it will go between 40 and 47degress. This is all in farenheit.

Hmmm...I guess do try the foam approach. But even hi-30's with no insulation seems about fair. You tell me, what's considered hot weather in NYC? Do you do a lot of stop-and-go traffic or are you actually able to cruise a longer periods? Because if mid-80's is about average and since the our A/C systems vary according the the weather and driving conditions, you might be able to get that sucker down to 35-ish?

Heck, anyone from Arizona or New Mexico try this mod and still get colder air?

[Lafiro]

It ranges, the past couple of days have been 78-84degrees. And the temperature remains around the same levels.

Now thats a silly question about cruising, or stop and go. Where do I live? lol Its all stop and go, even the highways 80% of the time.

[texkid]

Originally Posted by Lafiro

Now thats a silly question about cruising, or stop and go. Where do I live? lol Its all stop and go, even the highways 80% of the time.

Sorry, never been to NYC. In Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas, yeah there is primarily stop-and-go traffic but once you get a bit of the ways out, you can fly at 70mph without a problem. LoL!

Let us know what are the results after the foam approach.

[talnlnky]

well, since the heater tube didn't bend as well as I had hoped for I had to use more electrical tape, and make more pieces of tube than I had wanted. So, it doesn't look as nice as I was hoping, but it still looks decent. I also ended up deciding to go without any foam.

The electrical tape is good to 220 degrees F, and the tubing i'd think would be good to at least 300 F. The tubing is fairly thick, so I don't think foam is necessary.

Yesterday I was able to finish the first lil curved pieced located near the radiator before the fiance got home. Will try and finish the rest tonight.

I won't have numbers on mine, since I only use AC about every two months when I do a 1000 mile trip. If nothing else, wrapping it in rubber tubing should help protect the pipes from corrosion or any damage from happening to them.

[supmet]

Originally Posted by talnlnky

I won't have numbers on mine, since I only use AC about every two months when I do a 1000 mile trip. If nothing else, wrapping it in rubber tubing should help protect the pipes from corrosion or any damage from happening to them.

That's an interesting point. If you wrap it in foil tape, it keeps water out. But if its just foam and zip ties like most people, I wonder if there is a chance of it actually increasing corrosion, giving the water somewhere to sit touching the pipe, rather than just hitting the pipe and evaporating or just sliding off.

[talnlnky]

Originally Posted by supmet

That's an interesting point. If you wrap it in foil tape, it keeps water out. But if its just foam and zip ties like most people, I wonder if there is a chance of it actually increasing corrosion, giving the water somewhere to sit touching the pipe, rather than just hitting the pipe and evaporating or just sliding off.

well... moisture will only foam where there is air present, so, if the foam is perfectly on the pipe with no gaps or pockets for air, there will be no moisture. That's not practical however.

Another point tho.... moisture will only form where there is a significant change in temperature.... gotta drop the temp below the dewpoint with the given humidity....so, even if there are pockets of air under the foam, if the foam is insulating well from the outside, it still shouldn't be much of an issue.

I'm not a huge fan of using the foam simply for fire/heat issues.... and covering it up with that aluminum tape.... ehhh... looks ugly I think. I'm sure foam and tape however will be a better insulator than what i'm doing. I however don't really have much of a complaint with my ac to begin with... but figure this will help some, and on long trips, this might help me keep the AC off a bit more... thus increasing mpg's. Total weight added will be less than a pound too.