View Poll Results: Cooling Seats - Are Your Seat Backs Working Properly?
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Cooling Seats issue and TSB feedback
05-08-2017, 10:12 AM
#4911
Senior Member
Bob is pretty well right on! My favorite analogy for the original '15 design is a window AC in the middle of the room vs. hung in a window where the extracted hot air could exhaust. Without input or exhaust ducting the TED would merrily keep doing it's job to extract heat from its intake and push extracted heat out its exhaust.... as the ambient temperature actually rose in the seat cavity, the exhaust temperature became increasing hotter.... producing a VERY hot situation after about 15 or so minutes in the seat back....not to mention non-performance in the way of cooling your back.
To break that syndrome Ford eventually realized the severity of the issue and issued a TSB with an intake "sock" that delivered cooler air to the Ted intake. Tim and I worked directly with them and implored them to also remove the exhaust from the TED proximity (seat cavity) with an exhaust duct as well.... they chose not to do that exhaust portion, only addressing the intake situation..... thus the current TSB and production design of an intake fix only.
Tim demonstrated increased and optimized system performance (rivaling the pre '15 performance) thru doing both, hence his kit was born.
We tried folks, but I have every confidence that the Ford Seat Complete Team we worked with got the message in the end..... pun intended.... and that hopefully soon a re-vamped seat cooling/venting production design will grace our beautiful F-150s and all the other Ford Products that share the design of these seats.
To break that syndrome Ford eventually realized the severity of the issue and issued a TSB with an intake "sock" that delivered cooler air to the Ted intake. Tim and I worked directly with them and implored them to also remove the exhaust from the TED proximity (seat cavity) with an exhaust duct as well.... they chose not to do that exhaust portion, only addressing the intake situation..... thus the current TSB and production design of an intake fix only.
Tim demonstrated increased and optimized system performance (rivaling the pre '15 performance) thru doing both, hence his kit was born.
We tried folks, but I have every confidence that the Ford Seat Complete Team we worked with got the message in the end..... pun intended.... and that hopefully soon a re-vamped seat cooling/venting production design will grace our beautiful F-150s and all the other Ford Products that share the design of these seats.
05-08-2017, 11:58 AM
#4912
When I first turn on the cooling seats to the highest setting the fan sounds like it spins at a very high rate for a second or so and then slows to a much lower rpm. (I am basing this solely on how it sounds to my ear. It happens too quickly for me to determine if there is actually more air flow at first.)
I wanted to ask if that is the way other people's trucks operate or does the speed not fluctuate as mine does?
If the fan were to have let's say 10 speed settings, then it sounds like it starts at 10, then drops to 5 at the highest setting. The middle setting being about a 3 and the lowest sounding like 1.
It also makes me wonder if there is a way to make the fan faster would that help with the cooling issue????
I wanted to ask if that is the way other people's trucks operate or does the speed not fluctuate as mine does?
If the fan were to have let's say 10 speed settings, then it sounds like it starts at 10, then drops to 5 at the highest setting. The middle setting being about a 3 and the lowest sounding like 1.
It also makes me wonder if there is a way to make the fan faster would that help with the cooling issue????
05-08-2017, 12:15 PM
#4913
Heating the seat is different, as the unit actually generates heat. It only cools as well as it can transfer heat away and is very inefficient at that, plus it all depends on the starting temperature of the input air. If the same system had larger heat transfer capacity, it would get cooler, but it is physically limited due to it being an all in one system contained within the seat itself.
I had the blue tube for the exhaust, so it was a little tricky to mold it to the shape to get it through the little slot in the seat frame... but I managed to do it without even the smallest cut on my fingers!
Thanks for taking the time to put the video together! it was a big help.
05-08-2017, 04:02 PM
#4914
Followed your video, and after 4 months of the kit sitting on my shelf, less than an hour later, my back is cool! Even after running it for an hour!
I had the blue tube for the exhaust, so it was a little tricky to mold it to the shape to get it through the little slot in the seat frame... but I managed to do it without even the smallest cut on my fingers!
Thanks for taking the time to put the video together! it was a big help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLy2PH3RKEo
I had the blue tube for the exhaust, so it was a little tricky to mold it to the shape to get it through the little slot in the seat frame... but I managed to do it without even the smallest cut on my fingers!
Thanks for taking the time to put the video together! it was a big help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLy2PH3RKEo
05-08-2017, 04:03 PM
#4915
You missed the point that the seat back produced heat when set to cooling. As it can only lower the incoming air temperature a certain amount, and as the trapped heat in the seat back reaches over a hundred degrees the amount of temperature drop isn't enough to overcome the high intake air temperature.. So the seat back gets hot..
If you need a TED to produce a bigger temperature drop you have to switch to multiple stages. Not likely that Ford would do this..
But yes a single stage but bigger unit would allow a larger volume of air to be cooled..I wonder if the pre2015 seats had a bigger unit as many say they worked good.. This truck is my first with cooling seats and I was really looking forward to having them,,, and really disappointed with them.. As they were/are a unworkable design for longer period usage..
So it all ends up that if you want your seats to be usable you need the intake and exhaust kits..
If you need a TED to produce a bigger temperature drop you have to switch to multiple stages. Not likely that Ford would do this..
But yes a single stage but bigger unit would allow a larger volume of air to be cooled..I wonder if the pre2015 seats had a bigger unit as many say they worked good.. This truck is my first with cooling seats and I was really looking forward to having them,,, and really disappointed with them.. As they were/are a unworkable design for longer period usage..
So it all ends up that if you want your seats to be usable you need the intake and exhaust kits..
05-09-2017, 12:28 AM
#4917
When I first turn on the cooling seats to the highest setting the fan sounds like it spins at a very high rate for a second or so and then slows to a much lower rpm. (I am basing this solely on how it sounds to my ear. It happens too quickly for me to determine if there is actually more air flow at first.)
I wanted to ask if that is the way other people's trucks operate or does the speed not fluctuate as mine does?
If the fan were to have let's say 10 speed settings, then it sounds like it starts at 10, then drops to 5 at the highest setting. The middle setting being about a 3 and the lowest sounding like 1.
It also makes me wonder if there is a way to make the fan faster would that help with the cooling issue????
I wanted to ask if that is the way other people's trucks operate or does the speed not fluctuate as mine does?
If the fan were to have let's say 10 speed settings, then it sounds like it starts at 10, then drops to 5 at the highest setting. The middle setting being about a 3 and the lowest sounding like 1.
It also makes me wonder if there is a way to make the fan faster would that help with the cooling issue????
05-09-2017, 05:25 AM
#4918
Seatguru, do you have kits in stock?
05-09-2017, 10:45 AM
#4919
"Originally Posted by Runkpocker-
I have the buttons on screen, it didn't affect the speeds fro. What I can tell.
My cooled seats do the same. When first engaged the fan is louder (faster?) for a second, and than drops."
Yeah, this is the first time i've noticed it.
We have all been working on better airflow and thanks to seatguru it has definitely helped. But what if we could get a more powerful fan???? Anyway to speed up the one that is in the seat already?
I have the buttons on screen, it didn't affect the speeds fro. What I can tell.
My cooled seats do the same. When first engaged the fan is louder (faster?) for a second, and than drops."
Yeah, this is the first time i've noticed it.
We have all been working on better airflow and thanks to seatguru it has definitely helped. But what if we could get a more powerful fan???? Anyway to speed up the one that is in the seat already?
