Michigan De-Icing
Feb 11, 2021 09:14:13 #
I heard the neighbor scraping her windshield this morning to get the ice off. I looked out and all the windshields are covered in ice.
It reminds me of de-icing in Michigan. You can scrape all you want, but the easiest way to get ice off the windows is to start the car and let it warm up with the heat and whatever you call the selection the diverts heat to the windshield, as well as the de-icer to the rear window. A small layer of water will develop beneath the ice, allowing you to easily push the ice off the windshield, sometimes with just the wiper blades.
I know many of you may know this, but a lot of people in Texas do not.
It reminds me of de-icing in Michigan. You can scrape all you want, but the easiest way to get ice off the windows is to start the car and let it warm up with the heat and whatever you call the selection the diverts heat to the windshield, as well as the de-icer to the rear window. A small layer of water will develop beneath the ice, allowing you to easily push the ice off the windshield, sometimes with just the wiper blades.
I know many of you may know this, but a lot of people in Texas do not.
Feb 11, 2021 09:18:05 #
Feb 11, 2021 09:19:58 #
Read recently that you can put some how water in a sealed Ziplock bag and just wipe the windshield.
Feb 11, 2021 09:20:36 #
Fleckjohn65 wrote:
Read recently that you can put some how water in a sealed Ziplock bag and just wipe the windshield.
I'd never do that!!! Good way to crack a windshield.
Feb 11, 2021 09:27:46 #
Feb 11, 2021 09:28:22 #
Fleckjohn65 wrote:
Read recently that you can put some how water in a sealed Ziplock bag and just wipe the windshield.
And, by the time you heated up the water, poured it into a bag and rubbed it over the window, the car would be nice and warm.
Feb 11, 2021 09:31:04 #
SteveR wrote:
And, by the time you heated up the water, poured it into a bag and rubbed it over the window, the car would be nice and warm.
(Start car, turn on defrosters, remove snow, go back inside for a bit. Come out, <mostly> all melted.)
Feb 11, 2021 09:37:43 #
Longshadow wrote:
(Start car, turn on defrosters, remove snow, go back inside for a bit. Come out, <mostly> all melted.)
(Start car, turn on defrosters, remove snow, go back inside for a bit. Come out, <mostly> all melted.)
Those are nice. On cold days my son and daughter start their cars remotely and wait for them to warm up. That may be one of the nicest options of the new cars.
Feb 11, 2021 09:43:16 #
Brush off snow and defrost ice. It is also wise to lift the windshield wipers into the air....BEFORE...the ice forms and snow falls.
Heat travels from warm to cold in the transfer process, which is why ice cubes melt in the glass while cooling the drink. As heat enters the car all of the air and surfaces in the car absorb the heat in an effort to reach equilibrium in temperature. The glass surfaces of course are one of these surfaces in the car. Because solid glass is a poor insulator the heat that gets absorbed by the glass passes through to the cold outdoor side thus warming the ice stuck on the glass. Warming the ice raises its temperature and when it reaches 32-deg. F it will change state from solid to liquid making a small film of liquid to form against the glass which eases the removal from the glass.
In other words, turn the car on and wait for it to warm up so that the ice can easily be removed from the glass.
Heat travels from warm to cold in the transfer process, which is why ice cubes melt in the glass while cooling the drink. As heat enters the car all of the air and surfaces in the car absorb the heat in an effort to reach equilibrium in temperature. The glass surfaces of course are one of these surfaces in the car. Because solid glass is a poor insulator the heat that gets absorbed by the glass passes through to the cold outdoor side thus warming the ice stuck on the glass. Warming the ice raises its temperature and when it reaches 32-deg. F it will change state from solid to liquid making a small film of liquid to form against the glass which eases the removal from the glass.
In other words, turn the car on and wait for it to warm up so that the ice can easily be removed from the glass.
Feb 11, 2021 09:49:27 #
SteveR wrote:
Those are nice. On cold days my son and daughter start their cars remotely and wait for them to warm up. That may be one of the nicest options of the new cars.
Yes! My wife's car has that, but her car sleeps in the garage.
(Seat/steering wheel warmers also!
)Feb 11, 2021 09:55:06 #
Feb 11, 2021 10:06:37 #
Just playing the Devil's advocate here, I wonder how much gas is burned, letting a car run long enough for it to warm the windshield enough to remove an ice layer. Multiply that by several hundred thousand cars.
My other issue with this is that I had to get up pretty early to get to work and I rarely had the opportunity to waste 10 or 15 minutes waiting for my car to warm up and still make it to work on time. Yeah, yeah I could have gotten up that much earlier to let the car warm up but when it's pitch dark in the pre-dawn hours in the middle of winter, every minute I could sleep was precious.
I purchased a heavy, teflon-coated cloth covering that fit over the outside of my windshield and as long as I remembered to put it on the night before, all I had to do is lift it off and toss it in the car in the morning. Voila; no frost or ice on the windshield and I didn't have to run the engine. Among environmentalists, that strategy is known as Source Reduction that eliminates the need for a waste-generating tactic to achieve a desired outcome.
My other issue with this is that I had to get up pretty early to get to work and I rarely had the opportunity to waste 10 or 15 minutes waiting for my car to warm up and still make it to work on time. Yeah, yeah I could have gotten up that much earlier to let the car warm up but when it's pitch dark in the pre-dawn hours in the middle of winter, every minute I could sleep was precious.
I purchased a heavy, teflon-coated cloth covering that fit over the outside of my windshield and as long as I remembered to put it on the night before, all I had to do is lift it off and toss it in the car in the morning. Voila; no frost or ice on the windshield and I didn't have to run the engine. Among environmentalists, that strategy is known as Source Reduction that eliminates the need for a waste-generating tactic to achieve a desired outcome.
Feb 11, 2021 10:09:04 #
In my early days, I grew up in NW Iowa. Winters “back” then routinely had sub zero temps in the winter and vehicles overtime were plugged into block heaters. When it came to clearing windshields, we’d make sure the outside air ducts were cleared and start them up on full defrost mode. Then, would return 15-20 minutes later and slide the snow and/or ice off. A scraper was for stubborn remnants. Now, we’re parked in a garage and retired. Not only do I not remember the last time I cleared a windshield, but now, the only clearing I do is with my snow blower.
Feb 11, 2021 10:12:47 #
Feb 11, 2021 10:14:12 #
SteveR wrote:
I heard the neighbor scraping her windshield this ... (show quote)
If there is only a thin coating of ice, I turn on the windshield washer and the alcohol or whatever it is that they put in that stuff, dissolves the ice almost immediately.
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