3rd Gen 2012 | solar ventilation system query

My 2010 solar roof works great.
You must lock the doors for it to operate !
Let me know....Good Luck.

 

Are you closing the interior sun shade?

Any kind of shadow across the solar panel? Solar panels are odd in that any shadow across them, even if it doesn't cover much area, interrupts the power output.

Is the button actually in? There is not much of difference between button in and out, on/off.

You should be able to hear and feel fan running when you get into the car before you turn the car on.

I'd also look in the manual, and read up on the solar fan and see what can turn it off.

I can say that it does work and keeps the car's interior temp down and manageable on 90+ days with full sun. The thing I sometimes forget which kills it, is leaving the interior sun shade open. Just too much direct sunlight for the fan to overcome.

Car gets tinted tomorrow so that should help with the head load.

 

Totally makes a difference on a sunny day. The fan cannot overcome the solar heat if the shade is left open.

When there's cloud cover, typically you don't have the direct sun heating issue. Clouds of course cut down on solar energy and may be enough to not power the fan at all. But I was referring to any shadows across the solar panel. A nearby poll or wires that put a band of shadow across the panel. This can "short circuit" the solar panel.

I only hear it and feel it when I get in the vehicle before I turn it on. I don't think I've ever heard it from outside the vehicle, it's pretty much a whisper, don't know if you can hear anything outside the car.

 

I have been sitting in my car and had it turn on while parked several times. I also have come back to my car other times to find it not working . I haven't nailed down yet why, as it was in full sunlight and the button was on before I shut down the car, so I know it should have worked, but it didn't. There might be a software bug.

Mike

 

Apparently it doesn't need to be locked or even closed on entry. I open up, get in the fan is running. Maybe it needs to be locked for the fan to start up. Probably have to look at the manual. I do know it is running when I get in and it shuts off when I turn the car on.

 

You can hear it from outside the vehicle, but you have to be in a quiet location, and close to the front of the vehicle (I first heard it while cleaning the windshield when I was washing the car in the backyard). When you open the door you can put your hand over the drivers side dash vent and feel the air rushing out. You can also hear the fan from inside. I don't -think- the car has to be locked to start it, but it may have locked and unlocked when I was washing it so I can't be sure. A line shadow from an overhead wire shouldn't stop the panel from working. At least not in my experience. The shadow isn't dark enough or big enough. A shadow half way across it may stop it from putting out enough to run the fan.

It doesn't bring the interior temp down to ambient levels, but it does have an effect. The air coming out the vents feels cool on the face (I was sitting inside wiping the windows). I was surprised at how much air comes out. It's pretty powerful.

 

They way it was explained to me the sharp line shadows apparently acts like a short circuit across the panel so it disrupts the all the cells that are "cut" by the shadow line. When they were doing a study on my house for solar electric, a utility pole that cast a slender shadow over the line up of panels was a big issue for them.

It does try, pumping the ambient air into the vehicle. I just put max legal tint on my windows to help knock down 35% of the solar energy.

 

Shadowing will reduce a solar panels voltage & current potential but it will NOT cause a short or other reduction in the impedance of the panel.

Mike

 

Yeah...all that there stuff..I think when that happens on the car there's not enough to power the fan. The solar panel guys were quite exercised about the utility pole shadow, they said it basically disabled every panel it fell across even if it only shadowed part of the panel.

I did experiment and you can hear it running from outside if you lean over the windshield air inlets at the base of the wipers.

 

I can hear mine running from outside the car and in fact even see the handicapped card hanging from my rear view mirror moving from the breeze through the glass windows.

If memory serves, you have to have the switch pressed on before the car is turned off, I leave mine on all year, and the climate control system has had to be in use before you turned the car off. Of course I could be mistaken, it is a long time since I've looked at the manual in all honesty.

Roland
Thanks in advance...

 

I know for a fact I just leave the solar on and it works and that is how it is supposed to work. If you have to on-off every time there is something wrong and I'd have the dealership fix it while under warranty.

 

+1

 

Mine does not work everytime with my switch depressed always. Me thinks there may be a software bug... I'll do some testing later this month if this thread doesn't reveal anything else before then.

Mike


iPhone

 

I do not believe it works continuously and it has to do with the difference between inner and outer temps. So even one working properly will be silent at some times.

 

According to the owner's manual, the solar panel has to not only be in sunlight, but reach a particular temperature. I assume this is to keep the vents from blowing cold air in the cabin in the winter. I know that yesterday my car was parked in places where there was no shadow, but it was a partly cloudy day. When I left my house, the car was in full sun and the vents were blowing. When I left my second stop (I'd been there a couple of hours), the sun had been playing hide and seek but was currently shining, and the vents were not blowing. It wasn't all that hot in the cabin, so I assume it was working at least part of the time.

I don't turn mine off and on. I set it "on" once a couple of months ago, and I haven't touched it since.