AlanS

Just to clarify a point of mine earlier in the posting. When I said I'd been using hot water for 15 years, I meant hot water, NOT boiling water.

Let's put the subjective issue of "hot" to bed. I mean when I go for a hot bath, I don't get out with a frazzled todge.
So, if you're still not sure what I mean you must be female

SimonJM

I thought that this post was supposed to be about frozen washer jets, not the thermodynamics of glass.

Best cure for frozen washer jets - move somewhere where it never freezes!!!

Having not managed that myself I have always put methylated spirit in my washer bottle. About 250ml to every full washer of water. I reckon that is probably about 1:10.

It never freezes and is much better than soap / water at getting rid of the flies from your windscreen in the summer.

However, the smell may not be everyones cup off tea (although it doesn't take long to clear).

I had an MR2 prior to my Scooby and even the water bottle and pipes in that never iced up (water bottle in front / engine in rear - therefore no heating effect).

No problems with the paintwork or the wipers either.

Simon

Word of warning - make sure you use METHYLATED SPIRIT and NOT white spirit. I learnt the hard way - it took months to clean the water bottle , the windscreen and ruined the windscreen wipers.

ChristianR

iTrader: (1)

Shouldn't this be in the General Technical forum?

biast mods agaiN???

ptholt

well set off to southampton this morning, washers still frozen!!

this cant be right i thought.

so stopped at garage, filled up washer bottle with water and some screen wash to stop freezing, tried the washers. nothing.

lifted the bonnet to have a look and tried them again, water pourinf out from the bonnet, no obvious pipes disconntected so it must be a hole somewhere or knackered washer nozzles.

great.

another trip to work and back home again with no washers

carl

Originally posted by SimonJM:That's the purple stuff, not the clear stuff, folks.

carl

Originally posted by ptholt:Not having a pop at you (I've done it myself) but I hope people on here realize that it's actually illegal to drive without functioning windscreen washers

HTH

ptholt

I know its illegal to, but cobblers to sittng in a car on a forecourt at 6am in the morning in the middle of nowhere hoping for roadside assistance to tow me to the nearest bm garage.

Was easier to stop at every other forecourt and clear the screen, oh and use the headlights washers
till i can take it in tomorrow.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

My drivers side washers froze last night on the way back over the A6 nr buxton!! as you can imagine, it was hell!! they thawed out later thou as the temp got warmer (and not the engine temp either!) it had a mixture of halfords and the subaru washer fluid in....
As for the ice on windscreens... warm water with car wash in does the trick for me, then rinse with warm water again to clear, should be ok after that

Tony

father_jack

Top tip:

To get round the cracked glass/lemsip problem, put a spoon in it.

I wonder if by the same logic, keeping a spoon in the car would prevent cracked windscreen.. just a thought like

Gridlock Mikey

My spot ov bovver seems to be the wiper blade freezing

As a result, as it passes over the windscreen, i find that it retains the shape of the windscreen at the BOTTOM and cosequently misses six inch wide Arcs where the centre of the blade is not in contact with the glass.

Must get sum anti freeze

Mikey

By the way, are we not pathetic in this country, a bit of snow and cold weather and it all goes **** up!!

MATTeL

I can see a can of worms opening but....

Hot water freezes faster than cold (something to do with the water molecules being further apart in a state of excitement) so wouldn't it be better to use cold?

I just crack up the A/C and watch the ice melt and pour off the screen!!

carl

Probably a digression but no-one really knows why hot water freezes faster. I suspect it's to do with some of it evaporating and there being less left to freeze. If your theory was true, remember that the hot water has to go through the 'cold' state before it gets to the 'frozen' state, so it should take just as long to go from cold->frozen as cold water does.

Fosters

I've got a system now.

start car
cold water to clear the ice. clear with wiper blade. Spray wipers and all jets with de icer.

Not had a problem last night or this morning for the duration of each journey!

CrisPDuk

I've got a better system. Start Car, get kids to clear windows, whilst watching from comfort of lounge, bang wipers on screen (to loosen the ice) and go, leaving kids to walk to school with blue hands

alexclark0013

I made up a wiring loom with small lamp holders attached to the underside of the washer jets, 2.2 watt lamps fitted and wired to side lights, a cheap alternative to heated jets.It was -12 the other night and the washers were clear within minutes of driving off. I also use the Halfords screen wash and have had no problems.
Hope this helps.

POC

Does the aircon produce hot air too?

I thought it was just for cooling??

Dont know why I have never tried......

P

Kev

I've used the warm water trick for around 17 yrs .. never had a screen crack, I find puring it across the roof above the screen helps the most, also great forthose door rubbers to stop 'em sticking first thing.

As for hot washer jets ... I used to have a 'electric blanket' device that you used to get with Volvo trucks that they used wrap around the fuel filter to prevent waxing of diesel fuel .. but that wasback in the 80's when we used to set fires under fuel tanks and always carry a plumbers gas torch to warm thing up ! It worked a treat but you would still get frozen jets .. If i remember the math behind it ... it's Temperature - Windspeed / 2 gives actual temprature i.e -5c - 30 (60mph/2) -35 at the washer jets (and radiator and your hand if your daft enough to put it outta the window )

I have since those heady days of the 80's wrapped the pipe around the top hose and the water gets nice and warm ... however as the water warms it expands and the jets dribble over the bonnet ...

K

Dr Hu

Thnaks for all the responses guys....I wonder if we should all lobby Subaru to include heated jets in the new model....or even an accessory...it would appear they would sell shedloads....

p.s frozen again this morning all the way in....reversed from garage...washed windscreen to get rid of last nights crap I could'nt remove due to frozen jets (sigh!) water hits screen, instantly freezes & had 2 horns of ice from the washer jets all the way to work....bastid!

Must run pure meths from now on in the washer bottle!!

DJB

Meths is just a mixture of ethanol and methanol with some purple dye in it (its actually nearly all ethanol I think). Most good windscreen washer concentrate contains high quantities of methanol (which freezes at a lower temperature) and no ethanol. So meths spirit should not be any better than a good windscreen washer mix. The main problem I think, is that people don't use enough. I bought the often mentioned Halfords green stuff a few days ago. It recommends using neat in severe weather conditions - thats about half a large (5 litre) bottle in one go.

D.

Jase

Don't know what all the fuss is about, at slow speeds (won't work if stopped)I just hit the Headlamp washer button - it's so powerful it blasts off the ice, bounces off the headlamps and onto the windscreen, then a quick wipe or two from the wipers - problem solved!
Only one main draw back, you may have to fill up the washer bottle every day!

Mark Underwood

Dr Hu

Frozen washer jets....easy, very easy to overcome. I can supply you with some German washer fluid which you merely add to your washer bottle. The supply is 1 ltr and this is enuff to make around 20 litres of washer fluid depending on the concentration you use. £5 for one litre. Its paint safe, smells nice and will keep your washer free of ice. Designed to be used in temps of around minus 20'C.

Call me on 07702 822544 if u need some or would like some.

RichieC

What a thoroughly interesting thread .

I also use the WARM water technique, in fact used it about an hour ago when we had to pop out in the car. If you go pouring boiling water onto a freezing screen, you're asking for it to get cracked, if in any doubt, cool the water down first. Ive been doing it for years but I have seen ppl get it wrong by using a kettle If you go too cool, you dont get the benefit of what John was saying, ie your breath will refreeze onto the inside.

In answer to the question though Dr, you can buy a kit which does exactly what was described above. It diverts your wash hose and wraps it around a hot water pipe from the engine. Cost about £12 I think, or you could just do it yourself for about £2.

Most modern windscreens are laminated by the way, ie a thin layer of silicone in between the two sides of glass. Toughened glass is what you have to fit by law now (in windows below 0.8m from the ground incidently ) to stop people getting injured in the event of it breaking. If they were laminated it would cut you, by the same token, if a windcreen was toughened, its would shatter as opposed to get pushed in and hold together as they should. I know this cos I used to fit em, try fitting a rear screen to an Escort Cosworth, that spoiler is a total nightmare by the way.

Oooh, I could go on about the difference between bonded and non bonded screens....well...you see........ zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Regards

Rich

Edited cos I cant spell

[Edited by RichieC - 1/3/2002 1:17:47 AM]