a/c condensation

My Miata recently became my daily driver for a while, so the first order of business was making the a/c functional again. Which is done... it blows cold, well at least as cold as a Miata can, and best if the car is moving.

However, I'm concerned that my car never leaves the tell-tale a/c condensation puddle on the ground. My wife's MDX will leave a river that runs all the way out the garage after a long drive. Miata? Nothing. The internet guided me to the passenger footwell, where I just pulled the drain line expecting water to gush out. Bone dry. I haven't heard sloshing, the footwell is dry. I'm simply concerned there is a lake collecting somewhere.

I'm not really familiar with the hvac equipment. Is it possible for condensation to build up somewhere else, not ever making it to the black drain/bottom and into the drain line?

Advice?

In the 13 years I've had my 2002 Miata it has never flooded the garage. Maybe I need to take it to the dealer. Wonder if it is still under warranty.




Most it tends to leak out in the garage is about dinner plate sized puddle when it is really humid outside. ;-)

My 1994 Miata would get really cold, but I believe it was due to the aftermarket Spal fans. They were loud, but very effective. My a/c never left any noticeable water on the garage floor either.

Ha, thanks... it's been bugging me. I'll have to think about upgrading the fans, as well.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hudsonb

My Miata recently became my daily driver for a while, so the first order of business was making the a/c functional again. Which is done... it blows cold, well at least as cold as a Miata can, and best if the car is moving.

However, I'm concerned that my car never leaves the tell-tale a/c condensation puddle on the ground. My wife's MDX will leave a river that runs all the way out the garage after a long drive. Miata? Nothing. The internet guided me to the passenger footwell, where I just pulled the drain line expecting water to gush out. Bone dry. I haven't heard sloshing, the footwell is dry. I'm simply concerned there is a lake collecting somewhere.

I'm not really familiar with the hvac equipment. Is it possible for condensation to build up somewhere else, not ever making it to the black drain/bottom and into the drain line?

Advice?

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If you run it in re circulation mode, you might not get a whole lot of moisture, if you run outside air, you should see some.
Dew point is a measure of atmospheric moisture. It is the temperature to which air must be cooled to reach saturation (assuming air pressure and moisture content are constant). A higher dew point indicates more moisture present in the air. It is sometimes referred to as dew point temperature, and sometimes written as one word (dewpoint). ^[1] Frost point is the dew point when temperatures are below freezing. ^[2]
In simpler terms: the dewpoint, or frostpoint, is the temperature at which dew or frost will form should the air temperature fall sufficiently. Other things being equal, as the temperature falls, the relative humidity rises, reaching 100% at the dewpoint, at least at ground level. So the air temperature can never go lower than the dewpoint temperature, since the relative humidity cannot exceed 100%. ^[3]
A technical definition follows: The dew point is the temperature at which the water vapor in a sample of air at constant barometric pressure condenses into liquid water at the same rate at which it evaporates. ^[4] At temperatures below the dew point, water will leave the air. The condensed water is called dew when it forms on a solid surface. The condensed water is called either fog or a cloud, depending on its altitude, when it forms in the air.

Or your condenser is not getting cold enough to make water (beer can cold)

Condensers get hot. Evaporators get cold.

Just sayin'.