Is cabin air flow via the vents filtered only when the A/C is on? I have asthma and love the idea that the air can be filtered but hate the idea that in order to make that happen the A/C has to be on all the time.
Keep in mind that the Prius uses the term Air Conditioner for all heating, cooling, and venting. Most people use A/C or Air Conditioner only for the A/C compressor that mechanically cools the air, so these discussions can get a bit confusing. Tom
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Jun 4 2006, 03:59 PM) [snapback]265729[/snapback]</div> Even when the air conditioner and fan are 'OFF', venting still occurs. You can control the temperature of the air flow by setting the temperature before turning off the 'Air Conditioning'. At least I think so; I am still trying to sort these controls out
ah... that explains why the dash display can still show "A/C" even though the panel climate display shows A/C as off. Thanks for all the info. I'm just glad to hear that all air flow into the cabin via the vents is filtered... regardless of what setting.
Truth be told, the air filter in the Prius, like most other vehicles is effective at larger particulates and some allergins, but not all allergins. I still find myself sneezing in the cabin on ocassion, so this system is not 100%. The only way I can see it that you could realy get a true allergin effective filtering system would be to have some sort of electronic filter in the cabin. I don't see too many car companies doing that.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jeromep @ Jun 5 2006, 09:24 PM) [snapback]266124[/snapback]</div> In The Netherlands, Toyota sell an active carbon interiour filter. Don't know what kind of particles that one can filter.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dancekat59 @ Jun 3 2006, 02:19 PM) [snapback]265199[/snapback]</div> The cabin air filter is very porous and unlikely to keep out allergens that can irritate your ‘breathing apparatusâ€. What would be nice is an aftermarket substitute that approximates a HEPA filter (capture and retain particles of micron-size or smaller) was made available. Obviously, that would present a much larger resistance to air flow and hence need for fresh air motor at all times...
I use a Canadian Tire "Supreme" furnace filter (Rated MERV 12 or near the top end of filtering efficiency for furnace filters) that I cut to fit. It does a MUCH better job at filtering the incoming air. I got the idea when I still had my house in the Burbs. My HRV core was always plugging up with bugs, dust, grass clippings, etc. I cut a chunk of window screen to fit the HRV intake hood but that only kept the bugs out, and could only be used in summer. I tried as an experiment cutting down a furnace filter to fit the HRV foam "filter" on the intake side, and noticed dramatic differences in HRV core cleanliness and indoor air quality. So I kept using better filters until I settled on the Canadian Tire "Supreme" I think the 3M Ultra Alergen is similar.
