# HVAC question



## pdp1 (Nov 8, 2018)

Is there any way to turn the fan off but still let outside air blow in? It seems the only way to turn off the fan is to turn off the HVAC completely, but when I do that, I no longer feel any air coming out of the vents.


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## BluestarE3 (Oct 12, 2017)

pdp1 said:


> Is there any way to turn the fan off but still let outside air blow in? It seems the only way to turn off the fan is to turn off the HVAC completely, but when I do that, I no longer feel any air coming out of the vents.


Yeah, turn off Climate and crack your window a tad.


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## mptpro (Sep 30, 2018)

BluestarE3 said:


> Yeah, turn off Climate and crack your window a tad.


But then the airflow is not going through the filter.


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## Bibs (Jun 9, 2018)

When the fan is on, it is taking "outside air" and blowing it in.

Just opening all vents and letting free air pressure blow in probably would not be enough to push through the filter without the fan's help.

To get airflow, turn on the fan or crack a window. To get filtered airflow, turn on the fan.


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## LUXMAN (Apr 4, 2016)

pdp1 said:


> Is there any way to turn the fan off but still let outside air blow in? It seems the only way to turn off the fan is to turn off the HVAC completely, but when I do that, I no longer feel any air coming out of the vents.


I have an OLD Jeep that I can "open the vent", but really no way to get fresh air in the Model 3 through the vents without the fan. I don't know of any new cars that work that way anymore. 
If the fan noise is bothersome, I would try manually turning it 1. It is pretty quiet when set low and you can get some fresh air through the vents


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

I never put the climate control on auto.

When it's just me in the car, I set the fan speed to 1.

When there are additional passengers (with all of their additional humid exhaling), then I'll turn it up to 2 or 3.

If you don't want to add any heat or cooling, then also lower the temperature until it says LO, and make sure the air conditioning is turned off.


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## pdp1 (Nov 8, 2018)

Thanks for the replies everyone, the answers were what I expected, I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t turning on my fan for no reason. I came from a 2002 car so I still remember the times with the option for fresh air without the fan.


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## slacker775 (May 30, 2018)

I've only used the 'auto' mode in every car I've ever owned that had it. I just adjust the temperature up and down a few degrees as necessary and I don't have to screw around with things. Some folks seem to require feeling more-or-less air movement to feel comfortable, I just don't seem to have that.


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## pdp1 (Nov 8, 2018)

slacker775 said:


> I've only used the 'auto' mode in every car I've ever owned that had it. I just adjust the temperature up and down a few degrees as necessary and I don't have to screw around with things. Some folks seem to require feeling more-or-less air movement to feel comfortable, I just don't seem to have that.


For me it's more about being in control of the when the heat and A/C turn on when in AUTO mode. In my wife's car, I leave it on AUTO all the time but find myself constantly changing the temperature to more precicely control the heat and A/C. I know I could use manual in her car, but since the fan is quieter and it's a hybrid, I'm not quite as anal about it. However, the heater has a more profound effect on range in Teslas as compared to ICE and hybrids, not to mention the fan noise, so I find myself wanting even more control. I'm just looking for all my options.


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## Magnets! (Jan 10, 2019)

When in Auto is there a way to see if the AC or the heat is on or it's just blowing outside air?


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## iChris93 (Feb 3, 2017)

AC, yes. If you touch the fan button, the controls will come up and it the AC button is blue it is on.


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## pdp1 (Nov 8, 2018)

iChris93 said:


> AC, yes. If you touch the fan button, the controls will come up and it the AC button is blue it is on.


If AUTO climate control is enabled, and A/C button is blue/on, does it mean it's always running, even if it's really cold outside?


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## iChris93 (Feb 3, 2017)

pdp1 said:


> If AUTO climate control is enabled, and A/C button is blue/on, does it mean it's always running, even if it's really cold outside?


If the AC button is blue, AC is on.


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## pdp1 (Nov 8, 2018)

iChris93 said:


> If the AC button is blue, AC is on.


So the A/C compressor will be running even if the target temperature is set to something much higher than the current inside temperature?


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## iChris93 (Feb 3, 2017)

pdp1 said:


> So the A/C compressor will be running even if the target temperature is set to something much higher than the current inside temperature?


That's my understanding. Lowers humidity.


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## Magnets! (Jan 10, 2019)

I've never seen the blue AC illuminated when in auto mode.


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## PNWmisty (Aug 19, 2017)

pdp1 said:


> If AUTO climate control is enabled, and A/C button is blue/on, does it mean it's always running, even if it's really cold outside?


ICE cars do this also to reduce window fogging on a cold day. The difference iis that the compressor of an ICE car cycles on/off at full power which is very inefficient while the Model 3's compresser is powered by a high efficiency variable speed electric motor which typically runs at very slow speeds and consumes very little energy, particularly if it's cold outside.


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## PaulK (Oct 2, 2017)

In an older version of firmware, the graphic would show blue or red air coming out of the vents, which (presumably) indicated if the heater was pulling amps. We now have no way of knowing as the airflow graphic is always white. 

It would be very nice if there was a display to help us run the climate more efficiently. Maybe even displaying the present amperage draw of the system. 

I’m also curious if on a cold, dry day, is there a large savings in turning off the A/C. Seems the cold air would be getting further chilled by the AC before having to be warmed up. And hand-in-hand with this, I wish the climate would remain in AUTO mode even with AC turned off. Many cars do this, and then still adjust floor vs dashboard vent distribution and fan speed even with AC “off”.


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## PaulK (Oct 2, 2017)

One more comment about climate control. 

I notice my feet are sometimes a bit too cold in the Model 3. It seems to really prefer to put the majority of heating out the dash vents. 

BMW used to obviously design their systems as “warm feet, cold face”. And you could even tweak the ratio with a little blue/red wheel on the dash.

I went as far as to make a bug report in the car - stating “feet are cold in auto mode while heat coming out of the dash”. If you agree, I suggest you do the same.


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