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Solar "fan" very noisy?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Bruno_S, Jun 20, 2009.

  1. Bruno_S

    Bruno_S New Member

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    Whenever I go into the car and the fan powered by the Solar panel is working it sound very noisy and not "healthy". Electric fans usually have a high-pitched sound from blowing the air, this one makes a tack-tack-tack noise. The amount of air comming out from the vents is not much. Has anybody noticed this? or do I have a dead Japanese mouse in my vent system?
     
    #1 Bruno_S, Jun 20, 2009
  2. minime

    minime New Member

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    So far, mine is very quiet. No noises. I've only had it 2 weeks.
     
    #2 minime, Jun 20, 2009
  3. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    Solar runs the blower at about 1/2 speed - not too noisy. See my YouTube video here w/ the remote A/C demo (first part is solar fan running):

     
    #3 HTMLSpinnr, Jun 21, 2009
    1 person likes this.
  4. Bruno_S

    Bruno_S New Member

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    Mine doesn't sound like that at all. Usually I hear it once I enter the car. I will do an experiment and stay inside the car to hear it running. If it is broken, will I be the first to take a 2010 Prius for warranty repairs?
     
    #4 Bruno_S, Jun 21, 2009
  5. MaggieMay

    MaggieMay Active Member

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    Rick - How far away are you from the car when the remote AC will work? I usually crack the sunroof in my cars to let heat escape - is that still a good idea with the vent running?
    Thanks!
     
    #5 MaggieMay, Jun 21, 2009
  6. hptsang

    hptsang Member

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    Why would you care about the noise of the fan from the Solar Roof? Aren't you suppose to be out of the car when it is running? Maybe they didn't concern ppl will be still in the car when it is on, that is why they didn't work on the noise of it?
     
    #6 hptsang, Jun 21, 2009
  7. Bruno_S

    Bruno_S New Member

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    I am not concern about the noise. I am concern that the fan is not working properly because it makes a noise unlike any fan I've heard before. Also, the air coming out of the vents is not much. Another indication that something could be wrong.
     
    #7 Bruno_S, Jun 21, 2009
  8. hptsang

    hptsang Member

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    oh, ok. Now I got the reason why you care about it. Is it because ur area is hotter than other people's, so they car need to turn on the fan on higher speed?
     
    #8 hptsang, Jun 22, 2009
  9. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    I leave all windows closed with the vent. This allows the air to be exhausted through the rear built-in vents in the wheel wells (all cars have these to vent air when HVAC is in fresh mode). Opening the sunroof would allow the air to escape early and thus would keep the rear of the car hotter.

    I tried 100ft away w/ obstructions and didn't get it to activate. I may need to work on the distance, but it's not effective unless you walk slow.
     
    #9 HTMLSpinnr, Jun 23, 2009
  10. dsviv

    dsviv Member

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    I parked mine in the driveway all afternoon in FULL sunlight and never heard the fan come on at all! Before you assume I didn't turn it on, I did. With the car still running, I pressed the vent system button to the left of the steering wheel, then turned off the car. I went out several times (w/o the fob in my pocket) and heard NOTHING. What could I possibly doing wrong?
     
    #10 dsviv, Jun 24, 2009
  11. Martin H

    Martin H New Member

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    Hi.
    Excuse me for my bad english. I'm from Italy and I noticed a problem similar to yours: a noise that seems to tell you that the fan doesn't want to start. My hypothesis is that this happens when the energy from the solar panel is not enough. In fact when the sun shines high I hear the fan working properly. But i don't know if the problem is the same. I' will talk with the vendor about this.
     
    #11 Martin H, Oct 3, 2009
  12. AF-Vette

    AF-Vette New Member

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    Our solar vent system is almost silent. The first couple times we got in the car, I had to put my hand in front of the vent to make sure it was working at all. The fan doesn't blow hard - maybe 1/2 speed at the most. If you are hearing ticking, or other strange noises, there might be some foreign material in the blower (leaves or dead bugs are more likely than a Japanese rodent... but you never know).
     
    #12 AF-Vette, Oct 4, 2009
  13. jburns

    jburns Senior Senior Member

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    I think the "solar fan" in just the normal fan used for vent, heat and air. If you don't hear anything strange when driving and using the climate system I wouldn't worry. It most likely has to do with the amount of power the solar cells are generating.
     
    #13 jburns, Oct 4, 2009
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