Climate Control Solution - Gain Control of your Heater!

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Ingineer

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 15, 2010
Messages
2,742
Location
Berkeley, California
UPDATE DECEMBER 1st: Yes, we have units in-stock, but there is high demand right now due to the colder weather and the large number of new Leafs being sold. Contact us to order your unit and to find out if there is any wait time.

We now have a solution for the vexing Leaf climate control. We have figured out how to put control of the energy-hungry heater back in your hands! Now you no longer have to suffer fogged windows, stuffy cabin, and reduced range!

Now when YOU decide you don't want heat, You won't have it sucking power, and you can still independently run the fan, defrost, vent, etc.

pic


Here in my crappy picture, you can see I've set the temp to 90, which should be full heat, and there is no power being consumed by the heater.

Also, Here's a YouTube video showing how it works:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykjgnrZTF2c[/youtube]

With our upgrade, You will now NEVER have heater operation, regardless of set temperature / car temperature, unless at least one of these conditions is true:

1. A/C button is illuminated.
2. Rear Defroster is on.
3. Climate Control timer engages.

I found that controlling the heater with the A/C button is the best and most intuitive. Also, anytime the system is in Auto, the A/C button is illuminated, so this new method is actually more flexible. You can now run any aspect of the system under manual control, and still choose to have heat (or not). You can also have front defrost with no heat or A/C, or just Heat. You also now don't need to run the rear defroster in most "manual" conditions where you still want heat, as during testing we discovered it's on a timer and doesn't stay on.

Note that just because the A/C button is lit, it does NOT mean the A/C will run. The Climate control ECU makes this decision and if the parameters call for A/C, only then will it run, and only at the minimum power needed to achieve the set temperature. (The Leaf's A/C is very efficient!) Likewise, in summer the heater will not come on unless the temperature is lower than the set temperature (60 min). The system has enough hysteresis to prevent it from "bouncing" back and forth between heat and A/C. Also, the A/C is a great way to help remove fog from inside the car, even when it's cold, as it removes humidity from the air stream. This is why the ECU, by default, enables the A/C when you press the defrost/defog button. You can bypass this feature by simply hitting the A/C button off right after pressing the defrost/defog button. I recommend you allow the A/C to run at least until the fog goes away though, it's a huge difference! The fog will disappear within seconds with the A/C on.

HOW TO GET IT:

The cost is $138 and it is offered as an advanced replacement. Once you place your order and pay a deposit, we will send you out an upgraded climate control unit. (pending availability) It is super-simple to install, taking only about 5 minutes with a phillips screwdriver, with full instructions included along with a video. Once you have installed your new unit, then ship us back the old unit and your deposit will be refunded. You can also disable the upgrade at any time if you want to return your controls to original behavior, say if you are leasing.

There was a lot of development and testing done on this upgrade to insure flawless and reliable performance for all conditions.

Because supplies are limited, please contact us if you would like to order the upgrade. We can inform you of the availability and also answer any additional questions you may have. Our phone support line is also available 9-5 Pacific Time Monday through Friday. We will send you a PayPal invoice which you can pay with any credit card or a check without needing to open a PayPal account. (note, check payments may take time to clear)

Here is the installation video showing how easy it is to install.

Here is the instruction/installation sheet.

I'd love to hear reports back from everyone on how easy it was to install and how well it's working for you!

Thanks everyone!

-Phil
 
Ingineer said:
Is this something people might be interested if I can figure out how to make it super-simple to install? (such as only a screwdriver needed)
I have screwdrivers, and will get whatever else is required. Bring it on!

So far, my only complaint with the LEAF is the climate control system - I want some control.

Bill
 
Phil is this a switch or a permanent modification? I would want the windshield defroster to have heat if I am driving in snow and I am not sure auto is on when you turn on the defroster.
 
padamson1 said:
Phil is this a switch or a permanent modification? I would want the windshield defroster to have heat if I am driving in snow and I am not sure auto is on when you turn on the defroster.
It would be semi-permanent, but the defroster also automatically enables heat, so you are covered here.

-Phil
 
I noticed in the video that the screen says "Turn climate control off for +8 miles" even if the heater was drawing power or not. Does that mean this figure isn't based on actual climate control power draw?

=Smidge=
 
Smidge204 said:
I noticed in the video that the screen says "Turn climate control off for +8 miles" even if the heater was drawing power or not. Does that mean this figure isn't based on actual climate control power draw?

=Smidge=
I haven't paid a whole lot of attention, but I think it's based on previous climate control energy consumption, not current. Prior to the video, I was cycling the heater on and off. One thing is for sure, that reading doesn't update fast. Regardless, I can assure you that there is no energy used by the heater, and a tiny amount used by the fan.

-Phil
 
I'm in !

excellent setup!

full auto with full climate control a/c and heat

defrost still enables heat

remote climate or timed climate heat enabled

manual mode= no heater !!!!!!!!!

Nissan could have fixed all this by having a "no heat or cold setting on the temp control"

sign me up for one!
 
It looks like the same solution that I came up with except it is using an existing signal. I'm installing a relay and using the normally closed contact on the LIN signal to the heater. With the car powered off the signal is closed so that remote control of the heater will work as normal. Once the car is powered on, power to open the relay is fed through a switch that I am adding. This will give me a switch that will disable/enable the heater.

The genius of Phil's mod is that he seems to be using the auto illumination signal to trigger another relay instead of using the switch. This eliminates the need for an additional switch added to the system. I still think I'm going to use the separate switch, because I'd like to have control of the heater in auto and manual modes.
 
palmermd said:
It looks like the same solution that I came up with except it is using an existing signal. I'm installing a relay and using the normally closed contact on the LIN signal to the heater. With the car powered off the signal is closed so that remote control of the heater will work as normal. Once the car is powered on, power to open the relay is fed through a switch that I am adding. This will give me a switch that will disable/enable the heater.

The genius of Phil's mod is that he seems to be using the auto illumination signal to trigger another relay instead of using the switch. This eliminates the need for an additional switch added to the system. I still think I'm going to use the separate switch, because I'd like to have control of the heater in auto and manual modes.

Both of these are great ideas! Exactly what I've been trying to do as well.

Bill
 
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