solar deck vents for cars

[Cody Forbes]

> George Selby writes:
> > ...
> > I'm talking about the 100 degree outside air here in Eastern NC
> > today.  Leaving your windows open, sunroof open, doesn't really help
much
> > at all, only COLD AC that quickly works after you start your car will
help
> > here, otherwise no matter what you do, you will be HOT.
>
> While it may be 100F degs outside, if parked under the hot sun a
> closed interior could heat up to 140F or more.  Letting that hot
> air out is better than making it cook inside.  There is hot, and then
> there is OUCH! HOT!. :)
>
> Leaving the sunroof and windows cracked open is good, having an
> actively driven ventilation is even better.  Audi has a solar panel
> sunroof option on the higher models that power the ventilation blowers
> to keep the air circulating.

I have one of those nifty IR Raytek thermometers and have measured various
items of the interior on a mildly hot Florida day about a month ago. The tan
cloth seats were 120 deg F, the black leather shifter was 145F, the steering
wheel center was 155F, and the top of the dashboard above the gauge nacelle
was just over 200 degrees F. Metal bits such as the seat belt buckle were
also close to 200 degrees. All this is with darkly tinted (15%) windows too.
Some 100 deg air would help a 200 degree dashboard very nicely I bet.

I really like the idea somebody had about wireing in a relay and solar panel
to the stock blower, I had actually though of it moments before reading his
post, and I think I'm going to do it on my car. A while ago I had thought
about adding a moisture sensor somewhere outside the car and running a small
ECU that opens the sunroof and operates a blower based on inside temp and
actually I was planning on being able to set a programmed times for it to
operate (like 5minutes before I get out of work) the blower while monitoring
battery voltage with one of those solar power battery tenders wired in. An
added bonus could be an automatic battery shutoff if voltage gets low
(lights left on or any other unwanted draw) when theres just enough voltage
left to get the car started again. The moisture sensor (like whats used to
automatically activate the windscreen wipers on newer cars when it rains)
would be used to close the sunroof or prevent it from opening in the event
of rain. Do-able, but I never got arround to it, plus there are plenty of
flaws in the plan.

--
Cody Forbes
http://www.500tq.com
Black Forest Racing