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Here's what the air recirculation button in your car actually does

Posted at 9:59 AM, Jul 01, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-01 09:59:05-04

INDIANAPOLIS — Temperatures across central Indiana have been in or near 90 degrees over the past week, and the heat index is expected to be around 100 degrees Monday. That means people will be blasting the air conditioning in the car, but there's one button people may not know how to use in these temperatures.

That button has an arrow turning around inside of the car. It's called the recirculation button, and it plays an important role in the heat.

According to World Class Auto Service, the button is mainly used for the summer time. It helps your car get as cool as possible when you have the A/C on.

"It recirculates the kind-of-cool air that you get from the A/C when you first turn it on," the website said. "The longer it's on, the cooler your car gets until it's as as cool as it can possibly be."

If you don't use it, the car will use the air from the outside that is a lot warmer, and your A/C will work harder and continuously to cool the hot air from the outside.

In the winter, the website says to avoid using it because it traps humidity inside the car, which can result in the foggy windows you see in the winter.