- Joined
- Apr 16, 2005
- Location
- Sharon, SC
Never underestimate the stupidity of smart people in large groups.
Imagine this scenario..
Problem: We at ACME motor company have documented a high number of people complaining about condensation dripping down when their car A/C is running. This has caused our ACME dealers XYZ hours and $ABC dollars in diagnostic time to evaluate and determine there was no issue. We should investigate a solution.
Proposal #1: Well condensation production is a normal outcome of any air conditioning event and is a normal and expected condition. Perhaps we need to educate some consumers who have never been exposed to AC before. I guess we can stick a sticker across the AC controls on all new cars and educate our consumers. Lets ask marketing and communications to develop the sticker and run it past branding and then we will present our resolution. Problem solved. Let's go have a beer.
Proposal #2: Obviously Engineer #1 is lazy and doesn't like design. We have the simplest solution right at our fingertips. Everyone knows the solution to condensation is rapid evaporation. What causes evaporation? Heat1 Luckily we have a fantastic source of heat right at our disposal. Let's instead re-design the in cabin A/C components and change where we discharge the condensation. If we use a horizontally elongated discharge plenum instead of a simple drain hose we can mist the condensate over an extended surface area. If we then direct this mist of condensation across the top of the automatic transmission housing and the catalytic converter the condensate will evaporate from the heat, thereby never hitting the ground and thus never puddling up for folks to complain. <nods all around the table>
But wait. This discharge orifice may unintendedly allow exhaust fumes into the cabin. Lets design an air check system where air will only flow one direction and has nice check valve in place. Since the A/C should only operate when the engine is running and we have these previously mentioned heat sources lets add a thermostatically controlled electronically actuated gate system to open and close the condensate discharge orifice that we have now located in an inaccessible location above the automatic transmission housing.
BRILLIANT Old Chap. Beers on me.
So guess what happens in the real world. Drive down the road rocking the A/C get home, shut off the truck. Valve closes. Water is trapped. Trapped water in a warm climate produces?...You guesses it, mold and mildew. Now the drain tube is clogged with a bacterial bloom growth and need to be flushed. Oops the tech used too much compressed air and ruptured the drain tube. So now the transmission ahs to be removed to replace a fawking rubber hose.
ACME Motors Engineering
Imagine this scenario..
Problem: We at ACME motor company have documented a high number of people complaining about condensation dripping down when their car A/C is running. This has caused our ACME dealers XYZ hours and $ABC dollars in diagnostic time to evaluate and determine there was no issue. We should investigate a solution.
Proposal #1: Well condensation production is a normal outcome of any air conditioning event and is a normal and expected condition. Perhaps we need to educate some consumers who have never been exposed to AC before. I guess we can stick a sticker across the AC controls on all new cars and educate our consumers. Lets ask marketing and communications to develop the sticker and run it past branding and then we will present our resolution. Problem solved. Let's go have a beer.
Proposal #2: Obviously Engineer #1 is lazy and doesn't like design. We have the simplest solution right at our fingertips. Everyone knows the solution to condensation is rapid evaporation. What causes evaporation? Heat1 Luckily we have a fantastic source of heat right at our disposal. Let's instead re-design the in cabin A/C components and change where we discharge the condensation. If we use a horizontally elongated discharge plenum instead of a simple drain hose we can mist the condensate over an extended surface area. If we then direct this mist of condensation across the top of the automatic transmission housing and the catalytic converter the condensate will evaporate from the heat, thereby never hitting the ground and thus never puddling up for folks to complain. <nods all around the table>
But wait. This discharge orifice may unintendedly allow exhaust fumes into the cabin. Lets design an air check system where air will only flow one direction and has nice check valve in place. Since the A/C should only operate when the engine is running and we have these previously mentioned heat sources lets add a thermostatically controlled electronically actuated gate system to open and close the condensate discharge orifice that we have now located in an inaccessible location above the automatic transmission housing.
BRILLIANT Old Chap. Beers on me.
So guess what happens in the real world. Drive down the road rocking the A/C get home, shut off the truck. Valve closes. Water is trapped. Trapped water in a warm climate produces?...You guesses it, mold and mildew. Now the drain tube is clogged with a bacterial bloom growth and need to be flushed. Oops the tech used too much compressed air and ruptured the drain tube. So now the transmission ahs to be removed to replace a fawking rubber hose.
ACME Motors Engineering
