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Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen - Car Talk - Nairaland

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Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by Jazzlite: 7:11am On May 06, 2018
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The most basic guideline in instances of poor visibility through the windshield is “If you cannot see you should not be driving”. We often share reports of poor visibility from smoke, mist and fog – expecting drivers to heed the calls for safety in these weather and road conditions. In most cases there is little a driver can do but wait and delay his travel.

But what about those conditions where we are able to do something? A good example is where the windshield / windscreen is fogged from the inside! In this section we would like to take a closer look at defogging a windscreen!

It is especially in winter [and very humid days] that we are in a rush, get into our car and then find our windshield all fogged up from the inside. This is both annoying and a hazard to our visibility when driving!

Why does this happen and what are we to do?



Fog on the inside of the Windscreen / Why and How does it Happen?
Windshields fog up because of differences in temperature and moisture in the air [humidity]. Window fog is caused by moist, humid air inside the vehicle coming in contact with the cold windshield before it’s warmed up. Your windshield will be colder than the air inside the car as it is in contact with cooler outside air.

There are several factors contributing to this humid air:

Driver or passenger breathing / inhaling and exhaling
A steaming mug of coffee
The rain and snow on your clothes
The humid/moist air comes into contact with the cold surface of the windshield glass, releases moisture and condenses into what we know as fog. The key to whether we can expect to find fog is the temperature at which the maximum amount of water vapour can be held in the air at a given pressure before condensing into a liquid. This is known as the dew point.

It is also important to consider that the air trapped in the car from the previous day will be more humid than the outside humidity level, therefore holding more moisture.


How to Defog the Windshield/ Windscreen –Do’s and Don’ts
What not to do:
Do not drive distracted, constantly fiddling with knobs on the dashboard.
Avoid wiping the window with hands unless it’s an emergency – it will leave streaks all over the windshield.
Rubbing the windshield with your sleeve to remove some of the condensed water vapour will not do much - more vapour will condense from your next breath and fog it right up again.
Do not drive with the fan set at "recirculate". This is simply re-using air inside the car - the relative humidity of the air in the car will keep rising


What to do:
Defogging the windshield is all about regulating the temperature and humidity inside the vehicle correctly. The bigger the difference between the air and window temperatures, the lower the relative humidity that will still fog the windows up.

Before the drive –some basic maintenance
Ensure that the intake vents at the base of your windshield, on the outside, are clean of ice and snow. These vents pull fresh outside air into the vehicle.

Vehicle owners are familiar with cleaning the outside of the windscreen, yet mostly neglect the inside. To fight against continual fog and condensation it is important to clean the inside of the windscreen as well.
Dirt particles give the condensation more to hold onto; hence why a dirty window fogs up more than a clean window.

Test your windows for cleanliness by simply dragging a finger over the front windshield; if you leave behind finger tracks then your windows have become magnets for fog and dirt. Find a glass chemical cleaner and wipe in circles until all signs of dirt and streaks are gone.

Using the window
A fast but possibly uncomfortable way to defog the windscreen while the engine is warming up is to lower the window and letting cold, dry air from outside flow into your vehicle. Lower your windows about two centimetres to pull in the dry air. This will lower the dew point inside the car and cause the fog to dissipate.

Blasting the heat
Your windshield will be much colder than the air inside the vehicle, especially with cold rain or snow hitting it while driving. You need to direct the warm air from the vents against the windows to compensate for this.

This will raise the temperature of the windshield –but will only work if the vehicle is sufficiently warmed up. Use the defrost/defog vent and crank it to high. Heating the air will dry the windscreen a little through evaporation, but may also add more moisture in the air.

Using the Air-conditioning
Most drivers are aware of the benefits of air-conditioning as a way to cool things down, but do not know that their air-conditioning is also capable of producing hot, dry air. Air-conditioners cool your car on a hot day by removing water vapour from the air inside the car, which reduces the temperature of the air. Operating your air-conditioner will immediately start removing water vapour from your car on a cold morning too. The warm, moist breath will disperse into the air inside the car rather than condensing on the windscreen.

Your air-conditioning is also a dehumidifier. So even while using warm air to defrost the windshield, make sure the air-conditioning is turned on so your car will dehumidify the air before it warms it. Cool air from the air conditioner will dry the air, removing the moisture. The cool dry air will flow over the windscreen sucking further moisture off the windshield.

“The best way to operate the air conditioner is to start it on cold and then as the air in the car dries out, you can slowly increase the temperature. You'll know when you've gone too far if the glass starts to fog up again," advises Dr Caecilia Ewenz, a lecturer in meteorology and environmental science.

Conclusion
Always pay close attention to vehicle maintenance and keeping the vehicle and windscreen in the best possible condition. Your windscreen/ windshield is important not only for maintaining the structural integrity of the vehicle but also to provide the best visibility for the driver, enabling the driver to better observe road and traffic conditions.

https://www.arrivealive.mobi/Winter-Driving-Windscreen-Visibility-and-Defogging-the-Windscreen

Cc
Mynd44 lalasticlala Dominique let's get people home safely this rainy season.
.

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by Whizpeter(m): 7:30am On May 06, 2018
Nice tips but written for ndi obodo oyibo.

6 Likes 1 Share

Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by Jazzlite: 7:52am On May 06, 2018
Whizpeter:
Nice tips but written for ndi obodo oyibo.
Wrong. Read through.
Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by Whizpeter(m): 8:03am On May 06, 2018
Jazzlite:

Wrong. Read through.

Right. Read through.


Before the drive –some basic maintenance
Ensure that the intake vents at the base of your windshield, on the outside, are clean of ice and snow. These vents pull fresh outside air into the vehicle.

6 Likes

Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by lat1tudeo4: 7:18am On May 07, 2018
Ok

Anyway

2 months old Tecno CM for sale
Location Abeokuta
Price 38k last.
Very clean and With accessories and receipt

Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by niggi4life(m): 7:23am On May 07, 2018
Rainy season exposes those that wind up to show off without AC

1 Like

Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by Nobody: 7:23am On May 07, 2018
At least copy with sense. Snow and ice in nigeria. Smh

5 Likes

Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by MrNwaAmaikpe(m): 7:24am On May 07, 2018
It's alright

3 Likes

Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by hezy4real01(m): 7:24am On May 07, 2018
Yea good tips, speed during raining season is not the best at all
Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by kolawoleibukun: 7:25am On May 07, 2018
they should also give us titbits on snow and ice in Nigeria too oh.

1 Like

Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by ilorizico(m): 7:27am On May 07, 2018
ok.
Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by HoodBillionaire: 7:31am On May 07, 2018
foreign article copy and paste
bubu was right
lazy youths

where snow dey fall for night for naija
dumbo

2 Likes

Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by uuzba(m): 7:31am On May 07, 2018
Hmm
Clear moisture from inside your windscreen by turning on the AC.
Here is a diagram of a car compressor. The compressor is attached to the engine and is rolled by a fan belt. It pumps the R13 gas around the AC line of your car. The gas is under high pressure.
As you can see, it contains very small set of pistons, 3 or 6, and it has small top gasket. With time, the top gasket and pistons wear out and the gas starts to leak. Pressure drops and your AC stops working. You donate this compressor to a vulcanizer and get a used one from Ladipo market.
-
This is how I know how to demist your windscreen during rainy season.

Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by Nobody: 7:31am On May 07, 2018
I never get car na, bomboclat!
Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by Basalt(m): 7:38am On May 07, 2018
niggi4life:
Rainy season exposes those that wind up to show off without AC

Lol. Lots of guys do this alot especially during Christmas

2 Likes

Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by Shalomc(f): 7:39am On May 07, 2018
Nice article... really helpful tips.
Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by Nobody: 7:40am On May 07, 2018
niggi4life:
Rainy season exposes those that wind up to show off without AC

we will still know them becos their glass fogs up.
Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by falcon01: 7:41am On May 07, 2018
i dey sahara
Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by hisgrace090: 7:41am On May 07, 2018
Rainy season that demand washing cars daily.

2 Likes

Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by Jazzlite: 7:42am On May 07, 2018
yeyerolling:
At least copy with sense. Snow and ice in nigeria. Smh
Why not pick your option...lazy yoot
Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by Nobody: 7:45am On May 07, 2018
when is rainy season in nigeria?
Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by uuzba(m): 7:47am On May 07, 2018
And who is this Dr Caecilia Ewenz, a lecturer in meteorology and environmental science. ?
Am I supposed to mess because this unknown individual said bull?
Which school? Which part of the world? What has he or she done for Nigeria? Abeg carry your useless advice comot.
Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by Nobody: 7:50am On May 07, 2018
Jazzlite:

Why not pick your option...lazy yoot
see lazy failed blogger. Copy and paste he cant even do

2 Likes

Re: Tips For Rainy Season Driving, Visibility And Defogging The Windscreen by Jazzlite: 8:20am On May 07, 2018
yeyerolling:
see lazy failed blogger. Copy and paste he cant even do
If I was a blogger then my weblink will be up there. Think lazy yoot.

(1) (Reply)

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