howardbc Posted June 30, 2014 at 04:04 PM Report Share Posted June 30, 2014 at 04:04 PM This time of year it can reach 90-100 degrees inside my garage. So when I come home, I open the car's windows and turn on a floor fan aimed towards the back of the car in hopes it will help to cool off the batteries. I never plug the car in until later at night - several hours later. I leave the floor fan on until later in the night/early morning when the car is finished being charged. Am I wasting my time? I presently use an old box floor fan because it has a timer which is convenient since my car usually finishes charging around 1-3AM. I want the fan to turn off late at night once the car is charged. I've been trying to find a more substantial fan (with heavier cord) but can't seem to find any kind of a heavy-duty fan that has a built-in timer. Does anyone else use a fan in their garage and have you found one that has a built-in timer? The outlet for the fan is hard to get to, so attaching a timer would be inconvenient, especially since I need to change the number of hours for the fan to run every day. I'm not getting any kind of an error code that the batteries are over-heating. I just know that they have to be very hot after a daytime trip with temps over 100 degrees. I already had the old box fan and thought it wouldn't hurt to use it to try to cool the car a little. Wow, just thought of something. The outlet where the fan is plugged in is on the same 120v circuit as for the outlet that charges the car. So if I buy a heavy-duty fan it might trip the switch for both it and the car-charging outlet. I have investigated putting dedicated 240v outlets in the garage but it would be very expensive. They'd have to go up/over my roof to the power box on opposite side of house. (Sigh.) Anyhow, let me know what you think about using a floor fan to cool the car/batteries. Also, if you use one, what kind do you use? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meyersnole Posted June 30, 2014 at 09:27 PM Report Share Posted June 30, 2014 at 09:27 PM Moving air does not cool the air, and if the car is not charging (I would not think) it would not be heating the battery. When the car is charging, the cars own fans will kick in and move air over the battery. If you are concerned on the issues that the hot garage would do to the battery, you might think about installing some type of ventilation system in your garage. This would be especially affective at night when the temperatures drop, moving the hotter air out of your garage and replacing it with the cooler air outside. These system can also be quite pricey though. howardbc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howardbc Posted July 1, 2014 at 12:50 AM Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2014 at 12:50 AM Thanks, meyersnole. I guess I just thought I should be doing something but what you say certainly makes sense. I knew the car has fans but thought more couldn't hurt. I have talked to a couple of handymen about installing a vent fan but they didn't seem enthusiastic about it. I was thinking of one of those solar roof vent fans, but in the Summer that would just draw in even hotter air. There is a side of my garage that gets some shade. But I live in an HOA and so I'll have to ask if that would be acceptable. I haven't noticed any other wall vents in other houses so I am not optimistic but I'll ask anyway. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meyersnole Posted July 1, 2014 at 01:59 AM Report Share Posted July 1, 2014 at 01:59 AM Thanks, meyersnole. I guess I just thought I should be doing something but what you say certainly makes sense. I knew the car has fans but thought more couldn't hurt. I have talked to a couple of handymen about installing a vent fan but they didn't seem enthusiastic about it. I was thinking of one of those solar roof vent fans, but in the Summer that would just draw in even hotter air. There is a side of my garage that gets some shade. But I live in an HOA and so I'll have to ask if that would be acceptable. I haven't noticed any other wall vents in other houses so I am not optimistic but I'll ask anyway. Thanks again.You have to put in a system that vents from the top (hot air rises) and pulls in air from vents cut down low (cooler air). Most commonly you will see vents at the bottom of your garage door. You could even open your door and turn on the fan that exhausts the hotter air trapped at the top of your garage. I would also recommend against a solar fan, as that will only run during the day. You will get your best results at night where you live when the temperatures drop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveEnergi Posted July 1, 2014 at 11:12 AM Report Share Posted July 1, 2014 at 11:12 AM Plug the car in and let it do its thing. The Ford engineers are pretty smart and I'm sure they took into account the cars charging/cooling in hot climates. You're not going to outsmart the computers that are monitoring the battery and charge. howardbc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howardbc Posted July 1, 2014 at 04:57 PM Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2014 at 04:57 PM Thanks, everyone. I've unplugged the old box fan and put it away. It's going up to 111 degrees today, so my garage will probably go over 100. My Lifetime MPGs have plummeted to 102. I hope they go back up when it cools off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffPrice Posted July 3, 2014 at 03:33 PM Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 at 03:33 PM I live in Arizona and my garage gets up to 125 in the afternoon. I have my Energi plugged in everyday and it has worked just fine. Yes the fans in the car do run. I did insulate my garage door and that helped a little but it is still darn toastie in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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