window fogging?

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nerys

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
726
Man every 60 seconds on some days the windscreen is fogging up. 10 seconds of defrost and it is gone but it sometimea starts coming back immediately.

Any good solutions to reduce this problem?

I tried rain x anti fog and i sear it made the fogging worse not better. Maybe i applied it wrong or something?

Wouls love to hear peoples solutions.
 
The biggest factor i have found, is the overall level of moisture in the car. In humid conditions, moisture accumulates over time in the cloth and materials in the car. Moisture enters the car from outside air, wet clothing, and respiration.

It sounds like you may be making a habit of minimizing the HVAC use?

I have found the best method is to leave HVAC on continually in cool or damp weather (range permitting), because that extracts the latent moisture in the car and keeps the relative humidity low. Then if you do have a maximum-range trip to take you can often get away with little or no HVAC use because the cabin is starting off dry. The dry carpet, upholstery, padding, etc can now work in your favor.

The other thing to do is to make sure the glass is scrupulously clean on the inside. Off-gassing from plastics and other materials in the car tends to create a haze layer on the window that hydrates easily and makes fogging much more pronounced.

Glass treatments can work, but make sure the glass is completely clean before application and once you start with that stuff it has to be kept up. I find keeping the interior as dry as possible with liberal use of HVAC, works well.

My old VW Beetle had almost no heat so my solution in those days was to coat the inside of the windshield with Glycerine (pure Glycerine, USP from the pharmacy). It seems crazy but once applied it "flattens" back out into a good optical surface. Glycerine is strongly hygroscopic so over time it would get diluted and drip off the glass, requiring re-application every couple of weeks or so. It was terribly messy but the best solution at the time for a starving student. I got that tip from some old pilots.
 
I was going to mention this in the other thread, but the reason I don't use a propane heater in the car is it makes ton's of moisture. I tired it once and had major window fogging / frosting and couldn't keep using it. Of course it was 10F outside when I tried. Just for the heck of it try not using the propane heater in the car and see if it still fogs up as much. My only other guess is maybe the carpet, floor mats are damp putting a lot of moisture in the air?

You may have tried this but you could try leaving the climate control it in defrost mode let it run for a few seconds and shut it off, it should still let air naturally move in across the windshield.
 
I know my excessive fogging is likely the heater.

Looking for solutions.

I ordered 4 different solutions off amazon. Including cat crap which i have experience with and know works. Just does not last long before you need to reapply. So got some others to see how they work and how long they last.
 
If your window is really, really clean it won't fog as much. It takes effort to get it that clean though. Use a squeegee blade. Had the same problem in other cars. And it's worse when the car is newer due to all the off gassing chemicals.
 
We are hosting two 16 year old exchange students that I drive to school 5 days a week. All three of us have wet hair from showering and the car used to get foggy windows in a hurry.
I cleaned the inside glass well and applied the Rain X anti-fog with the triangle shaped applicator with a handle. The applicator comes with three different pads too.
In addition, I push the climate control mode button once so the vent is pointed at the face instead of the feet allowing the fresh air to blow on the side glass. This is with the fan off.
I also crack the window about a 1/4 inch on each side. Our commute is about 80 minutes round trip and that is the only way I have been able to keep from turning on the defrost. I live in Washington State and it is especially bad when we get into the car wet. I must say, that I didn't have good luck with the Rain X anti fog until I purchased the applicator. Plus it makes applying and spreading it so much faster and it seemed to be more effective after I rubbed it in and dried it off (clearing the haze it left) with a dry pad.
 
nerys said:
I know my excessive fogging is likely the heater.

Looking for solutions.

I ordered 4 different solutions off amazon. Including cat crap which i have experience with and know works. Just does not last long before you need to reapply. So got some others to see how they work and how long they last.

So, you're using a propane heater that vents into the cabin?
 
Yes. It is an indoor safe heater. Out of paranoia i keep the window cracked

See image below
 
Yeah i will fix that tonight. From the phone the imgur app does not let me select a size :)
 
nerys said:
Yes. It is an indoor safe heater. Out of paranoia i keep the window cracked

See image below

Ok, but you might have mentioned that major factor in the initial post. :)

Since you're adding water as a byproduct of combusion, leaving the window cracked probably helps some to reduce the humidity. In fact you may want to run the car's fan at a fairly high setting (not recirculate). Bringing fresh air into the cabin and heating it reduces the relative humidity and may offset the extra water from the burner. As far as antifog coatings I only have experience with 2. RainX anti-fog never seemed to work well for me. The Glycerine definitely worked but is messy. You can buff most of it off if you want less mess (but also shorter-lasting effect) Iirc, the old-timers used to use a soap called "Dreft" (though my memory may be hazy there) but the fellow I knew said that Glycerine was the thing that made it work so I just used the pure stuff.
 
Although I've never used them I was told they are great for car storage, silica gel boxes (think a 2lb version of the little baggies in a new shoe box or pockets of a new coat)

http://www.silicagelpackets.com/900-gram-silica-gel-dehumidifier-box.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They can be reactivated, place in oven at 235F for 3hrs.

They probably won't work quick enough to take moisture out of the car as you are breathing in it or heating it with propane but they should ensure you start out with dryer air in the car.

I have also heard that you can cut a potato in half and use that:

http://lifehacker.com/5485831/keep-car-windows-from-fogging-with-a-potato" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've never tried it, I bought a bottle of rain x anti fog, used it once and think I used way too much of it. It did a really good job of keeping the windows fog free but the glare from headlights was horrible.
 
minispeed said:
I've never tried it, I bought a bottle of rain x anti fog, used it once and think I used way too much of it. It did a really good job of keeping the windows fog free but the glare from headlights was horrible.

Thats the reason to buff / wipe it after the initial application with a clean dry cloth or pad. Otherwise the glare is bad.
 
braebyrn said:
minispeed said:
I've never tried it, I bought a bottle of rain x anti fog, used it once and think I used way too much of it. It did a really good job of keeping the windows fog free but the glare from headlights was horrible.

Thats the reason to buff / wipe it after the initial application with a clean dry cloth or pad. Otherwise the glare is bad.

Yes after I got the glare down in the spot right in front of me I found that spot then fogged up.

I've got a bottle so I'll play around with different application techniques and see if I can master it, but I might try a potato on the wifes car and see how it compares.
 
I use this stuff inside and out and have no issues.

http://www.rainx.com/product/glass-and-cleaners/rainx-2in1-glass-cleaner-rain-repellent/#.VFig5vnF98E" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Rain-X_2and1.jpg
 
really? how long does it last?

I have several solutions that work great but they are short lived and a pain in the you know what to apply

Grrr

oddly enough heat has proven to not be a problem in the leaf. I simply don't use it and have had no issues to date.

when driving locally I luxuriate in the blissful heat

when delivering it simply does not appear to be a problem. I have not felt the NEED to use the propane heater yet though I keep it in the trunk anyway just in case.

really need to get that mod so I can turn on defrost without turning the AC/Heat on.

I mean it gets cold but I guess since I am in and out and moving so much it simply does not bother me much at least down to 20' (lowest its gotten around here so far this year)

below 35' I do use the seat heater and sometimes the wheel heater.

8000 miles and counting :)
 
I came across this idea to prevent fogging. I have not tried it but the premise seems valid. It is silicon dioxide desiccant in a sock, purchased in the form of cheap kitty litter. http://www.autoblog.com/2014/12/10/cat-knows-secret-stopping-steamed-up-car-windows-video/.

To stop fogging do not use recirc. Otherwise moisture builds up in the cabin. This is true for any car, not just LEAF. To stop fogging even if you are already in fresh mode turn both heat and A/C on together. This uses the most power (if you have the heat pump, hardly any more if you do not) but is highly effective for defogging.

I hope this is helpful.
 
I bought my Leaf the first part of November. One of the first things I noticed was that the windshield seemed to fog up quicker and worse than other cars we have or have had. Kind of annoying since I have been trying to avoid running the defroster more than necessary. One day going home the sun was shinning brightly on the windshield and I noticed a film smeared on the inside of the glass. I don't know what it is, but it has been difficult to get rid of. I have cleaned it several times with various cleaners, but some of it is still there. I have gotten rid of most of the film and the fogging has really been reduced.

I don't know what it was. I don't if it is something the dealer used on the windows. The dealer had the windows tinted before I picked it up, so maybe it's something they used on the windows when they were tinted. I don't know what it is, but it has been really stubborn getting it off.
 
There is so much heat coming from an ICE, that even just running the defroster fan puts a lot of heat in the car. The Leaf like all EV's has so little waste heat that it may seem like the windows fog up too easily.

What we do need is a direct heating defroster for the windshield, like the e-Golf or the B-Class Electric. This gets the job done with a tiny fraction of the energy.
 
Nhinman said:
... One day going home the sun was shinning brightly on the windshield and I noticed a film smeared on the inside of the glass. I don't know what it is, but it has been difficult to get rid of. I have cleaned it several times with various cleaners, but some of it is still there. I have gotten rid of most of the film and the fogging has really been reduced.

I don't know what it was. I don't if it is something the dealer used on the windows. The dealer had the windows tinted before I picked it up, so maybe it's something they used on the windows when they were tinted. I don't know what it is, but it has been really stubborn getting it off.
All new vehicles have synthetic materials that off gas substances that cause a greasy hard to remove accumulation on the glass.

But my 2011 LEAF was an order of magnitude worse.
And the odor from it was horrific for the first year and required leaving the windows rolled down in it in the garage to tolerate the smell.

The grease accumulation rate has slowed markedly at 43 months.
But the glass still requires a though cleaning, cleaning five or six times in a row with the really good stuff, every six to twelve months to minimize glare.
Even my five year old 2009 Altima requires such cleaning every two years.

Unlikely the tinting is the problem.
But glare on tint from the grease is much worse than on real glass.
Just like non glass screen protectors are more problematic than real glass covers.
 
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