Fogged up windows - any anti-fog secrets?

[bajabronc]

How do you guys with hard tops keep your windows from fogging up? By using the defrost on my BCB AC/heat unit I can keep my front windshield defrosted, but with all the rain we are having here in CA, I can't see anything out of any of my other windows - they are completely fogged up on the inside - any tips? I have completely cleaned the windows, and my windows are tinted. Also, those with the BC broncos unit, what do you set your knobs at for the most effective defrost setting? - defrost with heat? defrost with AC? defrost with both?

 

[chuckinphx]

If you werent tinted id say rain x anti fog , i dont know if i will ruin tint.. check a website on it ??

 

[Mill KNOB]

I use the rain-x fog stuff. But I have heard that tooth paste works the best. I was told this in my Welding class I took. In side my helmet keep fogging up. So the teacher of the class said to use tooth paste. What kind, Who knows?

 

[jw0747]

rainex anti fog and/or stop blowing hot breath on 'em...;D

saw your rain sit. on the news. shouldn't be out driving in that stuff.

 

[Steve83]

The best ways to defog the glass are:
1) heat it.
2) dehumidify the air inside so there's not as much water to condense on the glass.

You can add a self-stick defrost grid to the glass, but it might be distracting, expensive, labor-intensive, & unreliable. So dehumidifying the air is the best move. The fastest way to do it is to open the windows & let the moist air out WITHOUT letting any more water in (VentShades). The absolute humidity outside (the actual quantity of water in the air) is lower than inside, so change the air & keep heating it as much as possible. Once the big puddles on the floor & your clothes are gone, switch to recirculate (MAX A/C, no fresh air) max heat, and run the A/C to continue dehumidifying the air.

Window tint & toothpaste have no real effect on condensation - but the coarse grains & starch in the toothpaste will break up & absorb some of the moisture, making it less-visible. After it gets saturated, though, it'll streak & leave water deposits inside.

 

[broncnaz]

X2 quit breathing hard on the windows. there's all kinds of stuff thats supposed to work potato's, vinegar and water, ect. But basically clean the windows and get some outside air into the vehicle crack a window if you can if not try the fresh air vent.

 

[bajabronc]

So you guys with a BC Broncos/Vintage Air AC unit - you set it at full heat and full AC Cold when you use the defrost? The Gen 2 brochure says the following -
Can the Gen-II deliver better defrost too?
One of the important design ideas we learned with our
in-house CAD engineering program was how to design
for optimum dehumidified defrost mode. Clearing the
fog from your windows on a mild, yet humid, day is a
snap with the new Gen-II system

Does that mean I don't have to turn the AC on?

 

[desertoasis2b]

back in high school I drove my bronco without a defroster and I used shick lemon lime shave cream, cover the windows then wipe off with a towel worked great

 

[getfuzzy]

The old truckers trick. Cut a Potato in half and rub the cut side on the glass, then wipe with a soft cloth. If tint I say NO on the tooth paste it will screw up the tint.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Run the A/C, it pulls the dew point down.
Then heat to lower the humidity.
So A/C on and run heat is the most effective setting for clearing windows. Fan speed is a variable on the system but generally about 75% is good, tune your own system from there.

I have never had good luck with chemical defog or other old tricks.

 

[Steve83]

Does that mean I don't have to turn the AC on?

A/C is what lowers the absolute humidity. Heat only lowers the relative humidity (temporarily), but that effect causes the air to pick up more water, raising both absolute & relative humidity, and the fog would be even worse.

To get rid of moisture inside, you have to actually MOVE the water out. That means making it evaporate off the inside surfaces (hot air) and then making it condense somewhere OTHER than on the glass, i.e., on the evaporator core. As long as the evaporator doesn't get below 33°F, the water will drip off & run out the condensate drain, and the truck will dry out inside. So make sure you have enough refrigerant in the system that the evaporator doesn't freeze up.

What they probably mean about their Gen2 is that they wised up & mounted the evaporator UPstream of the heater core, like OE A/C.

 

[Stroppe-Envy-77]

The trick is to get outside air into the vehicle, and also dehumidify all the air. You're trying to get moisture out of the vehicle as much as possible. That's essentially what the "defrost" portion of the HVAC systems in modern cars do.

I run the Bronco's defroster either with flow-through air or fan on low (both the Heat and Defrost knobs pulled out). I also run the a/c (period under-dash) on low fan speed with the temperature set to about the middle. You want the compressor coming on frequently in order to dry the air. You can then regulate the temperature with the Temp control on the heater.

Of course, if you climb inside with wet clothes or a dripping umbrella, you're introducing more moisture into the cab, so sometimes you'll want to crank everything up.

For the system you have, I'm assuming that the a/c compressor is engaged when you have it set to "defrost" -- at least that would be the ideal way for it to work.

 

[Madgyver]

I just roll down the windows. Works fine in this Hawaiian weather..

 

[Steve83]

Somebody needs to lob a snowball upside Mad's noggin'... %)

 

[blazinchuck]

since i dont have a heater in the rock crawler, i been using any ole shaving cream(barbasol)...lil goes a long way, smear it on and wipe it clean-works great!


i still use it, and on the bath room mirror as well;D

 

[marty]

you could also try using some dehumidifiers you can purchase at a marine supply store. will help absobs some of the moisture inside the cab so there is not much to cause the windows to steam up.

 

[Justafordguy]

I was wondering what would be the best setting with the BCB/Vintage Air system. I will try it with the AC set in the middle and heat set to defrost and see what that does. One thing I can tell you for sure is don't put rainX on the inside of the windows. It just makes them fog worse. It does work great on the outside.;D

 

[Sac '68 sport]

The toothpaste is an old divers trick, but it's more to clean the glaze off the glass of the mask from the factory which tends to fog up, than it is to put a coating on the glass to keep it from fogging. Back when mine was kept outside and had the hard top on I used RainX anti-fog with some success. With soaking wet carpet and puddles on the floor boards it was tough to keep the fog off though. My biggest advice is to seal up the truck to prevent any water from getting in in the first place. Any of the anti fog tricks should work good after limiting the moisture from getting in.

 

[Socal Tom]

http://www.jcwhitney.com/clear-view...its-with-auto-timer/p2002923.jcwx?filterid=j1

 

[blubuckaroo]

I had a old dealer installed A/C and liked the defrost a lot more than the way my new Vintage Air goes about it. The old system could take in outside air. The Vintage Air system can't take in outside air and uses the A/C to dry the air out. It defrosts real well but I just don't like running the A/C in the winter.
We've had a lot of rain. Maybe your carpet got wet. That will fog things up.