So what does that little button in your car do?
There are so many features in todays cars! Buttons, screens, and even auto-pilot these days too. One button though has never changed, and that is the ‘Air Recirculation Button,’ and a surprising amount of people have no idea what it is.
With the rising temps, it’s probably quite nice to have air conditioning…which is something I am familiarizing myself with these days with the new car. If your air conditioning works in your car, here is what it does.
From the website World Class Auto Service:
Using the Recirculation button helps get your car as cool as possible when it’s hot outside and you have the A/C on. It recirculates the kind-of-cool air that you get from the A/C when you first turn it on, and the longer it’s on, the cooler you car gets until it’s as cool as the system can possibly be. (If your A/C doesn’t get very cold even with the Recirculation button pressed, get your car to the shop right away, there’s likely a problem.)
If you use Fresh Air – the air from outside that’s much warmer in the summer, the air conditioning must work continuously to cool the hot air from the outside when pulling it into the vehicle, so it’s definitely not ideal. You are also putting undue wear-and-tear on your A/C compressor and getting less fuel economy as a result.
There is a chance, however, that the Recirculation button is missing on your car. Many newer models are equipped with sensors that monitor your in-cabin air moisture levels and switch automatically between Recirculated and fresh air, so don’t stress if you don’t see Recirculation or Fresh Air buttons on your model, you’re just fancier than the rest of us.
And now you know, and knowing? Is half the battle.
