Recirculation has 3 modes to select: ON-OFF-MILD

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knightmb, if I press main AUTO mode it often switches 30% circulation on (2014 Leaf).
But it is cold here, in mild weather it might not.
 
The 2015 manual states "When in automatic mode, the indicator light will come on when inside air recirculation is active." I haven't yet seen this, but will start watching for it.
 
oz10k said:
The 2015 manual states "When in automatic mode, the indicator light will come on when inside air recirculation is active." I haven't yet seen this, but will start watching for it.

It doesn't happen that way. The light is lit steadily only when full recirculation is engaged.
 
Can anyone recommend a low-energy heater setting for winter 10 degrees F - 25 degrees F, on a model S ? I can't tell if I should do:
- heater
- recirculate : auto
- low fan (2-3 bars)

or
- heater
- main auto (push center button of right dial)

Reading the comments above, it sounds like "main auto" also uses "recirculate: auto". In my car, it seems to drive the fan at maximum RPM, or nearly so. Maybe the extra fan saves energy (by moving heat from the heater core quicker); or maybe it wastes energy (I think "fan motor load" energy consumption increases with the square of the fan RPM).
 
Maximum efficiency is when recirculation is on - no matter fan settings, no matter temperature selection.
Almost no air escapes through exit vents. But everything fogs up eventually :lol:
The slower the fan is when recirculation is off, the less "losses" there are. Loss is heat lost through exit vents.
Choose the temperature you are comfortable but keep fan slow. If you don't need heat and need maximum
range, set air direction to defrost only and set fan speed to minimum. reduce temperature setting as low as it goes
without fogging up the windshield. If you need heat, set it to floor as feet freeze first :geek:

So remember, start with cranking up the temperature, if that is not enough, crank fan speed up by one notch.
If it gets near perfect, reduce fan speed 1 notch. If that is bad again, bring it back up and reduce temperature.
Remember perfect fan speed for next trips.
 
Unfortunately when it's cold here, as it's been lately, whenever I turn off air to the windshield the windows fog up in a short period of time. Because I must have air to the windshield I cannot enable mild recirc :(
Maybe if it were warmer or less relative humidity I could get by with air directed to the floor and mild recirc but trust me I've tried and whenever I do the windows fog or ice up :(
Our Prius it the same, must have 100% fresh air and at least partial air directed to the windshield.
 
LeftieBiker said:
Have you tried floor only, partial recirculation, and a fan speed of 3 or 4?
Yes I just tried it again this evening. Fan speed 4, set to 78 and floor only partial recirc. Started fogging up within a minute. Then turned off partial recirc for 5 minutes(but kept on floor only) and windows were still fog/frost covered(mostly side windows). The only thing that would clear the side windows was some form of defrost and I generally like floor windshield so my feet don't get cold as happens with windshield only.
Note this is in a car with no standing water or wet floor mats, it hasn't really snowed this year and all roads and parking lots are free from snow or slush. I'm thinking other areas may be dryer so you can get by with less windshield air and as it's so cold you can't really run the A/C to help dehumidify the air. I know other areas of the country like CO can get cold but are dryer relative humidity, even when it's cold here I believe the humidity is quite high, well except in buildings where it's very dry due to heating.
 
My car is the same, when the high outside today was -1F and -11F right now I have to keep 100% fresh air and the same floor/defrost mode to just keep the windshield clear and partial front side windows. Tonight with 4 kids coming home from swim practice (wet hair and swim bags) at -4F I had to run straight defrost fan speed 3 to keep just the front clear and a tiny bit of the front windows. This is consistent with the last 3 winters, when it gets this cold that's all you can do, beside drive south ;) And I can say driving like this I have a range of about 40 miles on a full charge, which sucks...
 
jenniferbrownz said:
I tried it this morning on my 2015 LEAF S. The recirc button ignored the long press and didn't even turn on the recirculation. :)

You mean partial recirculation? It only works in non-defrost modes. You have to hold the button in for exactly two seconds. The light will start to flash, and that is when you must release it. It will flash twice, total, and then go into partial mode. What mode was the vent system in when you tried it?
 
Holding the button for 2 seconds makes recirculation mode enter into AUTO mode.
Sometimes, partial recirculation does not engage in AUTO.
Pushing big AUTO button does the same with recirculation mode.
 
jenniferbrownz said:
I tried it this morning on my 2015 LEAF S. The recirc button ignored the long press and didn't even turn on the recirculation. :)
I'm guessing you were either in defrost or defrost plus floor mode, as Leftie said in either of those modes you cannot engage partial recirc :(
 
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