Vent fan, solar panel & parking lot
 

Yesterday, at Wal-Mart while picking up the windshield sunscreen, I saw a product that clips onto a window. It's a venting fan that's solar powered and what it's intended to do is to lower the temperature inside of a parked car. I didn't get it because it necessarily requires a partially open window. There is a plastic "filler" piece but still....wasn't for me.
I read this thread: https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...ad.php?t=13762 and I got to thinking that there should be a way to power the cars factory fan with a solar panel. I've got wire and a soldering iron but no idea what to do. Do any of you guys have any ideas?

Re: Vent fan, solar panel & parking lot
 

Your car has a 5 year warranty. Are you sure you want to mess with the electrical system?

Re: Vent fan, solar panel & parking lot
 

The blower motor is powered by a solid state switch and by a motor blower relay. The green and white wires lead to it. ;) But, to make a safe mod you would need more than wire, a soldering iron and audacity.

Also, the blower is likely to not even move unless the solar panel is capable of producing enough current to start and sustain the blower at a speed that makes the mod worthwhile. The solar panels on that thread are unable to perform that task.

The only easy & safe mod I can think of, is to install a lower CFM exhaust fan in the trunk's IMA vent port (exiting behind the bumper) that can respond to the lower current of a solar panel. This type of mod would slowly but surely draw the hot air from the cabin though the IMA intake vent port and pump it out from behind the rear bumper.

Cheers;

MSantos

Re: Vent fan, solar panel & parking lot
 

shoot, I rewired my new $350 strobe to take a sub-mini plug. And my camera gear is way more dear to me than a car.

would the fan need to be more than a superduper computer fan?

Re: Vent fan, solar panel & parking lot
 

A mid-range CFM computer fan would be a good start, since it is likely that it would operate OK with the current those panels produce.

To be really anal, the other thing to make sure is that this fan does not obstruct the IMA exhaust airflow more than it needs to. For some, turning it off in the Winter would also be a necessity, so a switch would be needed... then you still need to ensure that cooler air can make it into the car through the normal pathways so that the warmer inside air can be effectively exhausted by this extra fan. As you can tell, this could warrant some thinking. ;)

... The again, After all this thinking perhaps one of those window mounted solar powered fans may not look so bad after all.


Cheers;

MSantos

Re: Vent fan, solar panel & parking lot
 

Interesting review here:
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?se...mer&id=4373596

Re: Vent fan, solar panel & parking lot
 

I love when news anchors go all scientific!!

Re: Vent fan, solar panel & parking lot
 

I had one a few years ago you fitteed it by lowering ther rear window and fitting its channel to the galss and fill the side gaps with the spacers provided. it looked good and the theory was great however no discernable difference. the was simply not enough air flow,

the news article should have had a thermometer with a greater temp range so they could at least come up with figures