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Not directly about snow buildup, per se, but related: ''Never scrape your windshield again with this sandwich bag hack'' https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/

Not directly about snow buildup, per se, but related: ''Never scrape your windshield again with this sandwich bag hack'' https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/news/article/never-scrape-your-windshield-again-with-this-sandwich-bag-hack https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/news/article/never-scra...

bergenty 4y ago
Can’t you just turn on the windshield heater or is the problem that it takes too long?
- b112 4y ago
  The heater has to wait for the engine to heat up, in a gas car. This takes 10 minutes if just idling in the driveway. That said, that frost he removed with a baggie, would just wipe away with windshield wiper fluid and wipers. (Winter wiper fluid is good to -40C or more, and will melt ice on its own). Frozen snow or ice is different.
  - cf100clunk 4y ago
    Another comment to the OP mentioned a hose from the exhaust being used to apply heat to the windshield. Prior to the adoption of pressurized recirculating engine cooling circa 1930s, which allowed for internal heaters, some automobile manufacturers offered instant heating of a deadly variety: direct metal ports off the exhaust manifold. Often it was a matter of just sliding open a door to get the hot air circulating. What could possibly go wrong? A bit of corrosion, a cracked weld, and suddenly the folks inside got very, very sleepy... EDIT: I just remembered my dad's old VW Beetle had manifold-heat ducts down by the shifter. We had another Type 3 VW that had a gasoline-powered heater mounted in the front compartment just ahead of the passenger front seat. Consumer safety was not their high priority back then, it would seem.
  - Thlom 4y ago
    My previous car had electric heating in the windshield. Took a minute or two to clear the ice. Still had to remove the snow though. Usually I started the car and then cleared snow starting at the roof and working down. When I came to the windshield I could basically just push the snow off. I do the same with cars without heating in the windshield, it just takes a bit longer.
    - gambiting 4y ago
      Well, try that in a diesel, you'll be waiting 20 minutes before any hot air starts coming out and blowing on the window. I've had several and they were all a nightmare in winter, literally no warm air for ages unless you started driving, but how can you start driving with 3 inches of snow on the window. (but yes, now I have a car with an electric heated front window and it's the best thing ever)
      - hnbad 4y ago
        I have a diesel car with electric heating (via wires) in the windshield and rear window. I get warm air within seconds and the electric heating wires obviously also heat up immediately. It's part of the "winter" package. I think you're comparing new vs old cars, not diesel vs electric.
        gambiting 4y ago
        Well depends how "old" is old for you - my last diesel was a 2016 1.6dCi Nissan Qashqai and that car was hopeless in winter - it would honestly take the better part of 30 minutes for hot air to come out if you were just sitting there idling. That sounds like whatever car you have has an additional electric coolant heater, if the warm air comes out "in seconds". I think some Mercedes cars have that? It's definitely not a standard everywhere.
        hnbad 4y ago
        It's a 2016 Ford S-Max (2015 edition). The electric windshield heating was, I think, part of the "winter" package and not standard issue but it's an option available in many models from many different car companies. I'm not sure how the electric hot air works but I'm guessing it's part of the A/C (likely literally just a heating coil that is turned on if the supplied intake air is colder than the A/C setting). The only issue with electric windshield heating is that the wiring in the windshield makes them more expensive and thus more expensive to replace. It's definitely more common in temperate to colder places (for context: I'm in North Germany).
  - soco 4y ago
    Switzerland here: you can get fined for letting your car idle in the driveway. Before you ask, yes, there will be some friendly neighbors or passersby to rat on you (although usually first step they will warn you).
    - b112 4y ago
      We have these laws too(Canada), but they are suspended when below a certain temp.
      - HeyLaughingBoy 4y ago
        One of my memories of Saskatchewan in winter is all the cars left idling outside the movie theater because people were afraid to shut the engine off.
m463 4y ago
So a sandwich bag of hot water? I wonder how thick the ice can be for this to be effective? Also, I remember decades ago there was a sold-on-tv device to clear your windshield that was basically a long hose from the car exhaust pipe to the windshield. Seemed like a dirty method even if it worked.
b112 4y ago
That is a terrible hack. WTF, Weather Network? The guy is just clearing frost, not ice. It would never work for snow, or snow and ice, or a mm of ice.
- cf100clunk 4y ago
  As I said when I put up that link, ''Not directly about snow buildup, per se'' so your mileage may vary depending on how badly the windshield is impacted with ice, frost, snow. It is a good hack to try, not a ''terrible'' one. If it doesn't work on the heavy stuff, go on to the next good hack.
  - b112 4y ago
    It is a terrible hack, because one wipe of your wipers + fluid does the same. Alternatively, one move of the scraper does it faster than that bag. Maybe if the bag was on a stick... it would be faster. But regardless, the bag just leaves the now melted water there to refreeze! There are no hacks. We already know how to deal with these things, and the methods are effective, easy (for the problems presented).

bergenty 4y ago

Can’t you just turn on the windshield heater or is the problem that it takes too long?

b112 4y ago
The heater has to wait for the engine to heat up, in a gas car. This takes 10 minutes if just idling in the driveway. That said, that frost he removed with a baggie, would just wipe away with windshield wiper fluid and wipers. (Winter wiper fluid is good to -40C or more, and will melt ice on its own). Frozen snow or ice is different.
- cf100clunk 4y ago
  Another comment to the OP mentioned a hose from the exhaust being used to apply heat to the windshield. Prior to the adoption of pressurized recirculating engine cooling circa 1930s, which allowed for internal heaters, some automobile manufacturers offered instant heating of a deadly variety: direct metal ports off the exhaust manifold. Often it was a matter of just sliding open a door to get the hot air circulating. What could possibly go wrong? A bit of corrosion, a cracked weld, and suddenly the folks inside got very, very sleepy... EDIT: I just remembered my dad's old VW Beetle had manifold-heat ducts down by the shifter. We had another Type 3 VW that had a gasoline-powered heater mounted in the front compartment just ahead of the passenger front seat. Consumer safety was not their high priority back then, it would seem.
- Thlom 4y ago
  My previous car had electric heating in the windshield. Took a minute or two to clear the ice. Still had to remove the snow though. Usually I started the car and then cleared snow starting at the roof and working down. When I came to the windshield I could basically just push the snow off. I do the same with cars without heating in the windshield, it just takes a bit longer.
  - gambiting 4y ago
    Well, try that in a diesel, you'll be waiting 20 minutes before any hot air starts coming out and blowing on the window. I've had several and they were all a nightmare in winter, literally no warm air for ages unless you started driving, but how can you start driving with 3 inches of snow on the window. (but yes, now I have a car with an electric heated front window and it's the best thing ever)
    - hnbad 4y ago
      I have a diesel car with electric heating (via wires) in the windshield and rear window. I get warm air within seconds and the electric heating wires obviously also heat up immediately. It's part of the "winter" package. I think you're comparing new vs old cars, not diesel vs electric.
      - gambiting 4y ago
        Well depends how "old" is old for you - my last diesel was a 2016 1.6dCi Nissan Qashqai and that car was hopeless in winter - it would honestly take the better part of 30 minutes for hot air to come out if you were just sitting there idling. That sounds like whatever car you have has an additional electric coolant heater, if the warm air comes out "in seconds". I think some Mercedes cars have that? It's definitely not a standard everywhere.
        hnbad 4y ago
        It's a 2016 Ford S-Max (2015 edition). The electric windshield heating was, I think, part of the "winter" package and not standard issue but it's an option available in many models from many different car companies. I'm not sure how the electric hot air works but I'm guessing it's part of the A/C (likely literally just a heating coil that is turned on if the supplied intake air is colder than the A/C setting). The only issue with electric windshield heating is that the wiring in the windshield makes them more expensive and thus more expensive to replace. It's definitely more common in temperate to colder places (for context: I'm in North Germany).
- soco 4y ago
  Switzerland here: you can get fined for letting your car idle in the driveway. Before you ask, yes, there will be some friendly neighbors or passersby to rat on you (although usually first step they will warn you).
  - b112 4y ago
    We have these laws too(Canada), but they are suspended when below a certain temp.
    - HeyLaughingBoy 4y ago
      One of my memories of Saskatchewan in winter is all the cars left idling outside the movie theater because people were afraid to shut the engine off.

m463 4y ago

So a sandwich bag of hot water? I wonder how thick the ice can be for this to be effective? Also, I remember decades ago there was a sold-on-tv device to clear your windshield that was basically a long hose from the car exhaust pipe to the windshield. Seemed like a dirty method even if it worked.

b112 4y ago

That is a terrible hack. WTF, Weather Network? The guy is just clearing frost, not ice. It would never work for snow, or snow and ice, or a mm of ice.

cf100clunk 4y ago
As I said when I put up that link, ''Not directly about snow buildup, per se'' so your mileage may vary depending on how badly the windshield is impacted with ice, frost, snow. It is a good hack to try, not a ''terrible'' one. If it doesn't work on the heavy stuff, go on to the next good hack.
- b112 4y ago
  It is a terrible hack, because one wipe of your wipers + fluid does the same. Alternatively, one move of the scraper does it faster than that bag. Maybe if the bag was on a stick... it would be faster. But regardless, the bag just leaves the now melted water there to refreeze! There are no hacks. We already know how to deal with these things, and the methods are effective, easy (for the problems presented).