Dummies guide to using Air-Con?

shortdog

Hi all you friendly helpful people:D

I have my first ever car with air-con (not climate control), and honestly haven't a clue how best to use it through the winter.

I know (somewhere, deep in the recesses of my brain) that it helps de-mist and (I think) defrost the car, but how? If I switch the heating control to hot, and the air-con on, does it blow hot air? I'm pretty clueless, as you can tell, so am hoping that someone will explain it in an easy to understand fashion for me please:).

The car has been steamed up the last couple of times I've used it, and the air-con has cleared the windscreen reasonably quickly, so I assume I did whatever I did correctly, but I'm looking out the window at the iceberg covering my car, which I need to drive tomorrow morning long before the sun gets anywhere near the car, and I'm honestly not sure if I'll be able to reach the whole windscreen to scrape it (8 1/2 months pregnant with twins, very large stomach that gets in the way of everything) - it's a big car with a huge windcreen!

In case it matters, it's a Hyundai Trajet 05 plate .

Thank you all in advance:beer:

Richard53

Aircon dries and cools the incoming air, and if you switch the heater on it blends the hot and cold to give you dry, warm air to the screen. Hence the demisting.

This isn't designed to de-ice the outside of the screen, though. That's the job of the heated screen, if you have one. I have always found it effective to start the engine and set the blowers to max on the screen about 10 minutes before you need the car. Not very eco, but it works.

If you have the iced screen problem regularly (such as in winter 2010), a domestic fan heater left inside the car, pointing at the screen and switched on before you have breakfast, say about 30 minutes, gives you clear windows and a warm car. Easiest to do if you have a private driveway, of course.

Good luck with the bump!

agrinnall

If you need to drive the car early in the morning then your best bet is to cover the windscreen overnight so it doesn't get iced up in the first place. I now have a heated screen but previously I used a cover that overlapped the screen and could be held in place by the front doors. Halfords and the like will sell them, and you might well find them in supermarkets or even pound shops. Or just use an old bed sheet.

Gloomendoom

Richard53 wrote: »

If you have the iced screen problem regularly (such as in winter 2010), a domestic fan heater left inside the car, pointing at the screen and switched on before you have breakfast, say about 30 minutes, gives you clear windows and a warm car. Easiest to do if you have a private driveway, of course.

You may need to turn off the alarm cabin motion sensors if you do this.

Ask me how I know!

AdrianC

Richard53 wrote: »

This isn't designed to de-ice the outside of the screen, though. That's the job of the heated screen, if you have one. I have always found it effective to start the engine and set the blowers to max on the screen about 10 minutes before you need the car. Not very eco, but it works.

I always just pour some hot-tap water (NOT boiling - if you can't stick your hand in it, it's too hot) over the windows. Ignore any doom-mongers that say "But your windows will break" - they won't, unless you use water that's far too hot. I've done it to windscreens with bullseye-chips and cracks already in, and they've not spread one tiny bit.

Start the car, heater to full/demist/aircon on, rear window on, then pour water all over the windows. Flick the wipers on, and pour over again until they're clear and dry. Not only will it defrost and clear any ice almost instantly, it'll also warm the glass and help to clear misting on the inside. Then drive off almost instantly. Leaving the car idling, stone cold, does nobody any favours. It won't warm up quickly, it'll pee the neighbours off (especially if it's a diesel), and it'll increase internal engine wear.

NEVER use any air recirculation setting unless you really need to because of external pongs - that's the best possible way to get and keep windows steamed up.

Indout96

Agree with AdrianC - been doing the warm water clear for over 30 years, no problems yet. lukewarm water clears most ice and as long as you wipe it off with wipers does not re-freeze.

forgotmyname

Dont forget that switching the aircon on. The little light may show. But if its below 5 - 8 degrees then its probably not working anyway.

In my car its 5 degrees. Not sure if there are any models that go below 4?

Richard53

Gloomendoom wrote: »

You may need to turn off the alarm cabin motion sensors if you do this.

Ask me how I know!

Fair point

I had assumed that anyone doing this would be leaving the car unlocked while it was warming up. But I live right out in the sticks (2 miles outside small village, not in sight of road) where the risk of someone driving off in the car is negligible. I can appreciate that using the fan heater technique in a city is perhaps impractical.

But it sure works! Nothing like getting into a warm car with clear windows (and warm seats, gear lever, steering wheel) on an icy morning.

shortdog

Thanks all - at least I know what I'm doing now! I honestly had visions of me sitting outside in the car pressing buttons and hoping for the best for hours on end!
Thinking about it, I had a little heater thing that ran off the 12V point in one of my old cars, and it was fab for warming the inside of the car - I'm sure it's still kicking about somewhere, I'll have to hunt for it.
I never use the recirculation thing anyway, we live in a farming village and so are used to the pongs!

Thanks again for all the help, it's much appreciated.

forgotmyname

Richard53 wrote: »

Fair point

I had assumed that anyone doing this would be leaving the car unlocked while it was warming up. But I live right out in the sticks (2 miles outside small village, not in sight of road) where the risk of someone driving off in the car is negligible.

My BIL would have agreed with you until it happened.

Car thief being chased by police had crashed, He did a runner and jumped over the hedge only to find a lovely warm car running and with plenty of fuel.
God must have been smiling on him that day.

BIL came out of the house to find a policeman dragging his gates off the road. He took a fair few seconds before he spotted the car gone..

He used to put a steering lock on when leaving it running.

Gloomendoom

forgotmyname wrote: »

My BIL would have agreed with you until it happened.

Car thief being chased by police had crashed, He did a runner and jumped over the hedge only to find a lovely warm car running and with plenty of fuel.
God must have been smiling on him that day.

BIL came out of the house to find a policeman dragging his gates off the road. He took a fair few seconds before he spotted the car gone..

He used to put a steering lock on when leaving it running.

I think Richard53 was referring to warming it up using a fan heater, not by leaving it with the engine running.

I use a fan heater to warm the car through in the morning but I set it up the night before and turn it on from inside the house in the morning when I get up. Despite living in a village with a negligible crime rate, I always leave the car locked overnight... with the motion sensors turned off.