air conditioning leak

[bluely]

Hiya guys could you help me out and put my mind at rest.
i've only had my A3 1.8T for a couple of months and over the last few HOT days when i've been parked up, i've noticed fluid leaking from the bulkhead behind the engine, it's not oil but water, i was at an audi garage yesterday and i asked one of the mechanics to have a look at it and he told me that it was condensation from the air-conditioning unit due to the hot weather, and that all audi's suffered from it.
Is he telling the truth or is he taking the pi*s
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Kevint]

This can be the case.

Run the car for a while with the air con off, then check for leaking.

Kev.

 

[UpTheIron]

nope, hes not. Thats condensed water, and it perfectly normal.

 

[jojo]

Perfectly normal, air-con takes the moisture out the air before venting the cool dry air into the car, so the water is just released under the car /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerchug.gif

 

[benk]

Yeah, to say "suffered" is a bad choice of words. I would expect all cars with aircon to leave a puddle on the road on a hot day.

 

[cybrey]

[ QUOTE ]
Perfectly normal, air-con takes the moisture out the air before venting the cool dry air into the car, so the water is just released under the car /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerchug.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

As far as I'm aware air conditioning systems are closed systems and they don't vent any water. The water that you see being released on hot days is purely down to condensation.

The system has to work extra hard, consequently the pipes carrying the air get very cold ( ie frozen), this attracts moisture from the air as you drive which freezes onto the pipes. When you stop the car the air is no longer passing through the pipes and the ice melts releasing the water.

At least this is my understanding of it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[AndyMac]

So where does the water go? If you run the car for 10 minutes while parked up that's a helluva lot of condensation p*ssing out of the system.

 

[cybrey]

[ QUOTE ]

How Your Air Conditioner Dehumidifies the Air
As the warm air circulating through your ducts passes over the evaporator coil, it is quickly cooled and can no longer hold as much moisture as it did at a higher temperature. The excess moisture condenses on the outside of the coils and is carried away through a drain. The process is similar to what happens when moisture condenses on the outside of a glass of ice water on a hot, humid day.


[/ QUOTE ]

Actually just re-read JoJo's post and having read it correctly /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif it reads like mine.

 

[bluely]

Cheers for all your information guys, thats put my mind at rest

 

[UpTheIron]

[ QUOTE ]
So where does the water go? If you run the car for 10 minutes while parked up that's a helluva lot of condensation p*ssing out of the system.

[/ QUOTE ]

good question.. this condensation is only whats being formed on the external components, so is completely harmless and normal. What is worrying though are the reports of the condensation forming inside the cabin.. this then casues problems of misted windows and mould growth - not great. Because of this, some people only run the climate with the compressor on in summer, this ensures that any condensation inside the car quickly evaporates. If you do this though, remember to use the air con every once in a while during the autumn, winter and spring months, as not using it at all can create problems too...

 

[AndyMac]

Air con takes the moisture out of the air into the cabin.
If you're getting any condensation from the A/C system then it's a faulty condenser/evaporator. I never turn my climate control off (unless I'm running out of fuel) as it demists the windows brilliantly in the winter (as long as you have the recirc off).