Using a Remote Start for climate control

[gkb2016]

I have been thinking of using a remote start to control the climate in my vehicle - as it would be cost effective for my personal situation. This may or may not be a feasible idea for others...

Thus far, I have seen remote starters that will shut off the car after a certain period of time has passed... and also some that will automatically turn the vehicle on/off when a certain temperature is reached - but with a limit on how many times per hour this can happen.

The problem is I need to find one that either leaves the car on to run the AC/Heat indefinitely - or that will not impose a limit on the number of times the temperature controlled automatic start is activated. Reason is because there will be a cat in the car.

Anyone know of a remote start that fits those specifications?

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

My factory one only runs my vehicle for ten minutes and I can only start it twice before it has to be started with a key. Having one that automatically started when a certain temp is reached would be very convenient.

Quick google search I found this one, it can be set up when installed to turn on when a certain cabin temp is reached
https://support.compustar.com/hc/en-us/articles/202311564-What-is-the-hot-cold-start-feature-

 

[gkb2016]

I will have to contact them to see what info I can find. The manuals for their remote starts don't specify whether the remote start will continue to reactivate indefinitely when the target temperature is reached.

 

[VJG1977]

A number of states and local municipalities have passed laws against leaving a vehicle running while unattended. You might want to check your local laws.

 

[gkb2016]

In many areas there are exemptions for remote starts (key not in ignition, so it can't easily be stolen)

 

[highdesertranger]

idle laws don't have anything to do with vehicles being stolen. it's for air pollution. almost everywhere has some type of idle law. read here, https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/documents/CompilationofStateIdlingRegulations.pdf . highdesertranger

 

[gkb2016]

I live in KC area and at least 2 cities have exemptions for remote starts in their statutes regarding idling vehicles (including KCMO itself)... not that it would stop me from doing this if it was illegal

 

[highdesertranger]

the exemptions are for emergency vehicles only. look at the rules in the link I posted. all vehicles except emergency vehicles are limited to 10 minutes idle time. highdesertranger

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Ok, I'm confused.

Are you trying to do this to keep a pet safe while you are gone, or so you can sleep in very hot or very cold weather?

And if you're sleeping in it, is the vehicle really "unattended"?

 

[gkb2016]

^
A bit of both. I'm unconcerned with the legality aspect (even after reading the thing highdesertranger linked above... it seems to only apply to certain places, and doesn't include my area...) , just wondering if anyone knows if there's a remote start out there with these capabilities. I've already tested to see how much it would cost as well, and surprisingly it was economically viable.

At $2.50 per gallon it will cost about $1.25 per hour not including maintenance... if I run it 14 hours per day half the year (half the year here, I can just not use any heat or AC at all), it averages out to $315 a month in gas. That's pretty acceptable to me, given it includes housing, transportation, and the majority of my energy costs.

 

[Bdog1]

Somewhat related: I watched a you tube video today where a New Roadtreck, Hymer actually, used a battery bank to run the house AC. When the bat. voltage drops too low the coach engine starts and recharges the house bank with a dedicated accessory alternator. Surgest end it will run AC for a couple of hours before starting up. So for $106k it can be done.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mayble]

If your vehicle is insulated and the windows covered, the engine shouldn't have to run for more than 15 minutes at a time to heat/cool it, right?
I have a Compustar remote and I haven't had to use the hot/cold auto start feature yet.  If I remember correctly, there's a way to override the limit on multiple starts - maybe by unlocking/relocking the vehicle or something similar. I'll have to check that out again.

 

[gkb2016]

^
I'm not really sure yet how often it would need to run - but it would need to run enough to keep my cat comfortable - more concerned about hot weather than cool weather.

Knowing how forgetful I can be, manually restarting it isn't the greatest idea. The cat would probably fry within the first week.

 

[wmyers4u]

Seems like a lot of engine wear.

A friend of mine had an aftermarkef push-start device. His also would start the car if the voltage dropped so the battery would never die.

With the talk of depleting/ruining batteries, this seemed like something useful.


Haven't heard of anything off the shelf that would work for climate control.

 

[John61CT]

The Toyota hybrids do this automatically, stock feature.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I'm not sure just how much you want to pay in fuel and engine wear and tear, just to air-condition a cat, but the K-9 units in the border patrol vehicles (pickups and SUVs) along the southern regions of the US have large fans that are installed in the windows on the driver side, but in the second row seating area, that keep the large dogs comfy...they move a LOT of air thru the rear of the vehicle with an open window on the other side.

The officers also idle the vehicles with A/C on, for extended periods, if the sunlight heating levels and the temps are really high. 

Of course, this is the US government, with deep pockets, and no real worry about the longevity of the vehicles. 

I've seen these vehicles many times, at the checkpoints, but of course, I never asked to inspect one up close!

I found this picture online:

 

[tx2sturgis]

BTW, in most places, anti-idling laws only apply to commercial vehicles, or vehicles with a GVW over 10,000 pounds, or 14,000 pounds or whatever they establish as the minimum. It's a patchwork of laws, no one person can remember what laws apply everywhere. 

These laws are the EXACT reason the APU was developed for the OTR trucking industry in this country. APU's are almost universally excepted.

In some little communities here and there, they do have laws that pertain to private vehicles, cars, vans, and such, but these laws are few and far between, and have LOTS of exceptions, for example, leaving a pet in there, or a child, while you run inside a store.

 

[DanoT]

Some RV manufacturers like Pleasure Way or Hymer offer optional low battery auto start systems for gen sets and engines, so they might be able to help.