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Can't Precondition my VOLT Any Longer

7K views 17 replies 14 participants last post by  08SRX 
#1 ·
I have gotten in a ritual of preconditioning my VOLT every morning before I drive my VOLT.

Step 1) Use android app to precondition VOLT before I get my shower.

Step 2) Use the key fob to precondition my VOLT before I have my breakfast.

Step 3) Load VOLT and start VOLT in garage for fifteen minutes.

Step 4) Get out of VOLT disconnect L2 charging plug.

Step 5) Get back in VOLT put on seat belt, raise garage door, drive out of garage.

Step 6) Put garage door down and drive to destination.

This has worked for me for the last six months.

I added the last fifteen minutes to get the VOLT up to the cabin temperature before I put it on economy.

BUT TODAY WHEN I PRECONDITIONED MY VOLT WITH IT PLUGGED IN THE ICE CAME ON !!!

Never again will I put my family at risk.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
At which step did the ICE come on? What was the ambient air temperature (or if the car was on - your step 3- what did the display read)?

I suspect the ICE can start in methods 2 & 3, but not method 1. Anyone able to confirm/correct that suspicion?
 
#4 ·
At Step 1) I was too fare away to hear the ICE come ON.

It was at Step 2) that I heard the ICE come ON. It was 26 degrees farenhight in the garage.

We had talked about this in the fall. From what we had been told. The ICE would never come ON when the car was plugged in to a L2 charging station. The charge complete light was flashing so my VOLT new that it was plugged in. But the ICE came on anyway.
 
#3 ·
If the air temp is too low the ICE can come on. That is the reason that the VOLT and some other conventional cars will time out the remote start after 10 minutes and only allow a second remote start (to avoid excessive exhaust).

So with cold temps you may need to modify your sequence, open your garage door when you do the remote start. When the temps get above the 25 degree temp (2011-12 model default) then back to your original sequence.
 
#5 ·
So set the "ICE running because of temperature" option to the "very cold" (15°F) setting. Until or unless it gets That cold in your garage the ICE will Not start and run if you do that. Oh - Wait, you have a 2011. That's not a choice until the 2013's, is it?
 
#7 ·
Invest in some insulation for your garage. Since we insulated my parents garage, the temp almost never drops below about 40F.
My garage under, also stays around 40F during the winter.
Also as Ron said, change it to Very Cold.
 
#9 ·
Have you insulated the walls and doors of your garage? I did this and although I have not confirmed the temp with a gauge in the garage it appears to help. I only do the 1 pre-condition on comfort and high temp 15 minutes before I leave and that is good enough for an instant change to eco after start up to keep me comfortable on my 22 mile morning commute.
 
#10 · (Edited)
BUT TODAY WHEN I PRECONDITIONED MY VOLT WITH IT PLUGGED IN THE ICE CAME ON !!!
Never again will I put my family at risk.
This has been discussed dozens of times. 2013 there is an option for preconditioning but if you start it then that is a different story. Even for the 2011/2012 the output of these modern engines has "no chance" of putting your family at risk.

ERDTLT uses ~0.03 gallons of gas if standing still our ~0.07 if driving as I recall.

Since you precondition twice and run the car for 15 minutes you do not seem to mind the electricity usage.

I know people that use small ceramic heaters set on low to keep their garages above 32F because of paint and other things they keep in the garage. Just do that to ease your mind. HTH

search for: ceramic heater with thermostat
in amazon or the like. Many under $30 (w/Prime)
 
#12 · (Edited)
The ICE comes on for probably less than 5 minutes. It simply does not emit enough carbon monoxide to present a problem. You should be much more concerned about Radon gas coming through the floor of your home than the Volt turning on its engine a few days out of the year.

If you're real concerned (and I still firmly maintain it's unwarranted), put a space heater in your garage that maintains 30F temperature. That's a few degrees above the 2011 set point for the engine running.

EDIT: I see now that Scott also provided a link above to a space heater, should you still be concerned.
 
#13 · (Edited)
The ICE comes on for probably less than 5 minutes. It simply does not emit enough carbon monoxide to present a problem. You should be much more concerned about Radon gas coming through the floor of your home than the Volt turning on its engine a few days out of the year.

If you're real concerned (and I still firmly maintain its unwarranted), put a space heater in your garage that maintains 30F temperature. That's a few degrees above the 2011 set point for the engine running.
Seems to be true.
From http://journal.publications.chestnet.org/article.aspx?articleid=1076813&issueno=2

This case is notable because after 8 to10 h of breathing exhaust fumes in a closed garage, the patient’s HbCO level was only 4.8%. The half-life of CO at 100% O2 at sea level is 80 min. Using extrapolation, this patient’s HbCO level at the scene would have been < 10%, well below the toxic level of 20%. The automobile in this case was a 1995 model equipped with a catalytic converter.
8 to 10 hours, on a 1995 vehicle. I wonder if the Volt would run out of gas before someone could reach lethal levels of CO.
 
#15 ·
Actually, what I do in the way of "pre-warming" the Volt interior at Home is to use a small ceramic heater, plugged into 120v. I go out to the garage about 15 minutes before I'm going to be Leaving and put the heater (turned on) into the car on top of the armrest in the back seat, and let it do it's thing. Come Back out when I'm ready to go and shut the heater off and take it out of the car - nice and toasty in there. This eliminates any worry about the ICE running in the closed garage, and also any question about depleting battery charge (I use just the L1 charger at home).

This is a "leftover" habit from what I regularly do whenever I want to use the Truck in the winter (the Truck lives outside..). Rather than fire it up and waste the Gas to warm the thing up and melt the frost/snow off the windows, I use this ceramic heater on an extension cord from the garage. Works great.
 
#16 · (Edited)
What Scott and Clarkson said -- running the Volt for a few minutes does not pose any serious danger. Well maybe if you're sucking on the tailpipe. But otherwise not. If you think about it, how many times has someone pulled into a garage and left the car running while they finished a call or a song playing on the radio?
 
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