Fogging up car windows significantly impairs visibility. As a result, the driver may lose control over the situation on the road, and the car in this condition may cause an accident.
It is quite possible to cope with the problem using time-tested methods. We will tell you in this article how to remove fogged windows in a car and prevent its further occurrence.
Causes of condensation
Windows that are wet from the inside mean that while the vehicle is moving, the driver must often be distracted to wipe the glass. This is not only inconvenient, but also unsafe.
Fogging can be caused by one of the following reasons:
Significant difference between air temperatures outside and inside the car. This is typical for the cold season or during a sudden cold snap.- Rain or snow. Precipitation on the street significantly contributes to the increase in humidity in the car itself.
- The car just came out of the car wash. If after treatment the interior has not been properly dried, condensation will appear on the glass.
- Radiator malfunction. Status check and troubleshooting required.
- Air conditioning malfunction. For example, filter contamination.
- Irregularities in the operation of the split system or, alternatively, the need to configure it correctly.
In addition to obvious reasons, increased humidity in the cabin is caused by passengers in the car being intoxicated. The alcohol vapor they exhale settles on surfaces, forming condensation.
Heat-saving film for windows “third glass” - recommendations for selection
Before ordering material, you need to pay attention to the main characteristics of the coating.
Based on the method of application, window film is divided into several types:
- Self-adhesive . It is similar to protective film for screens of mobile equipment and electronics. The material comes with a hard backing; you need to be very careful when gluing it yourself, otherwise there will be bubbles or wrinkles on the surface.
- Heat shrink . For installation, a special consumable material is used - thermal tape. Due to this, a layer of air is formed between the glass and the film, which perfectly retains heat. When applied, the surface has a crumpled appearance; when heated with a regular hairdryer, it smoothes out and acquires an ideal texture.
- Under a soapy solution . It is similar to film for tinting car windows, durable, practical, and retains heat well. This heat-insulating film is very easy to use; for gluing you need to use simple soap without aromatic fragrances.
The most effective are self-adhesive varieties that block most infrared radiation. In addition to the application method, you need to pay attention to other criteria:
- Manufacturer. The most reliable products are those of German, Polish, British and American origin; Chinese and Russian materials cost less.
- Size, delivery form (in sheets or rolls).
- The presence of an anti-reflective surface, dimming, and other additional effects.
How to fix the problem?
To fix the problem with foggy windows, you can use several methods. The main ones include:
- Placement of moisture absorbers in the cabin.
- Setting the air conditioning system so that warm air is supplied to the windows.
- Using special products to treat glass that prevent moisture from settling.
- Ventilation and drying of the interior itself.
- Lowering the windows so that a small gap is formed, allowing air to circulate.
In addition to the above measures, you must remember about the regular maintenance that the car must undergo. Timely prevention will prevent future problems with air humidity in the cabin.
in winter
During the cold season, the formation of condensation can make it difficult to drive in difficult conditions. In addition, at low temperatures, even ice can form when condensate freezes.
Ways to fix the problem:
- organize electric heating of panels;
- use special anti-condensation products;
- organize good heating of the interior; if it is excessive, you can open the window a little.
In the rain
When it rains, moisture penetrates into the car interior and settles in the form of steam on the surfaces inside the cabin. This is most noticeable on windows, which fog up very quickly.
You can solve the problem using the following methods:
- When driving, you can open the windows on both sides. This ensures good air flow and condensation will be eliminated.
- When boarding a cabin during snowfall or rain, it is advisable to shake off moisture from clothes and shoes, and pack umbrellas and raincoats in waterproof cases or bags.
- Keeping your car in a heated garage after rain. In this case, windows or doors should be slightly open.
- In humid weather, you can warm up the seats with a hairdryer to remove moisture.
Features of applying energy-saving film to windows
If you have to install the material yourself, it is advisable to order a variety for soap solution. Film coatings with a self-adhesive or heat-shrinkable base must be applied by specialists; lack of experience will most likely affect the quality of the result.
Before gluing the material, it is necessary to perform the following preparatory steps:
- Wash the glass and wipe thoroughly with a dry cloth.
- Degrease surfaces using alcohol or a product based on it.
- Take measurements of the glass unit, lay the canvas on the table and trim off the excess with a utility knife or scissors.
- Apply soap solution to the glass surface using a brush or spray.
After this, you can stick the film; work is carried out starting from the top. The material is smoothed with a spatula with a rubber working surface or a roller, working from the center to the edges and from top to bottom. It is important to remove all air bubbles before the adhesive hardens. After this, the treatment is carried out with a household hairdryer, turning on the flow of hot air: the insulating coating will be completely straightened.
To install the variety on a self-adhesive base, you will need to degrease and clean the surface of the glass unit in the same way, cut it to size and place it on the window as evenly as possible. The backing layer is removed starting from the top side, the corners are first fixed, then smoothly removed further, while gluing the film.
The process is complicated in that it is necessary to carefully monitor the uniformity of application, immediately straightening the material and preventing the formation of bubbles. As for the shrink film, it is fixed with a special tape located around the perimeter.
How to prevent it?
There are various ways to deal with fogged glass. You can even use simple folk recipes or special auto chemicals for glass treatment, which can be purchased at a store that sells related products for motorists.
Pasting glass with special anti-fog films based on polymers is one of the effective methods. This film prevents water particles from lingering on the surface.
When installing the coating, condensation does not form on the glass, and water droplets flow down. Gluing the film is not very difficult .
Folk remedies allow you to treat glass in such a way that condensation does not form on it and visibility does not deteriorate.
All methods are quite simple and do not require large financial investments:
Rubbing glass with half a fresh lemon.- Placing canvas bags with salt (or cat litter) in the cabin, including on the dashboard.
- Apply and thoroughly rub shaving cream into the glass.
- Treat the glass with bar soap. To do this, you first need to apply random strokes, and then carefully rub the surface.
- Treat the glass with a mixture of alcohol (20 tsp) and glycerin (1 tsp).
- Rubbing with mastic.
If you are planning a long trip, it is recommended to use glycerin or mastic. They give a long lasting effect.
Anti-fog products
Many drivers are interested in how to treat car windows against fogging to prevent moisture condensation. For this purpose, various products are produced today, which are usually called anti-fog, as well as anti-rain. They are produced in the form of aerosols or liquids. You can buy anti-fogging products for car windows at various automotive stores that sell auto chemicals. The most popular options today are those from domestic manufacturers:
- Sintec.
- VELV.
- Eltrans.
The finished product can be bought in the store
There are also funds from Western companies, but they cost an order of magnitude more, although the principle of operation is similar.
Check the interior ventilation
A rare case, but sometimes it happens. After body repair of a damaged car at the rear, special ventilation valves can be sealed. In this case, the air circulation calculated by the engineers does not occur. Another variant of the same problem is an excessive amount of things in the cabin and trunk. The solution is to check the capacity of the air ducts by first studying their location according to the instructions. The same problem can be attributed to clogged drain holes in air conditioning systems. Standing water simply blows into the interior, and the situation can be corrected by simple cleaning.
Why do double glazed windows sweat from the outside?
Why do double glazed windows sweat from the outside?
this probably means outside the glass, but inside the room... so, sweating, the so-called condensation, forms not only on modern double-glazed windows, but on any windows in general due to poor ventilation of the room.
Double-glazed windows have nothing to do with it. So check your hood or ventilate your rooms more often.
Yes, there really are cases of fogging (condensation) outside the window!
I read the answers, but did not find the reason indicated, so I’m telling you that this happens due to improper installation of windows in the openings.
Possible causes of fogging outside:
The first reason is that when installing the windows, sufficient thermal insulation was not made with mounting foam or polystyrene foam, the window frame and the walls (concrete, the brick of the wall is in contact with the profile of the window frame).
The second reason is that the window is significantly shifted inside the room in relation to the “dew point”, precisely because of this, significant heat loss occurs and condensation forms outside the window!
Such gross mistakes can be made either by illiterate, careless installers, or amateur amateurs! In any case, you need to redo it, if installers from the office installed it, then you need to poke their nose at them and let them redo it (and at their own expense!), and if you installed it yourself, well, now have experience and teach others from your mistakes!
Fogging from inside the room occurs due to high humidity, and from the outside, as a rule, when the basement steams, if there is a fault in it, which often applies to dilapidated housing stock, where basements are very damp, and sometimes steam, creating high levels of humidity around the house.
If you have glass in the room - the bag fogs up from the outside of the surface, and condensation even flows onto the window sill, then in this case you will need to reduce the humidity of the room by creating an additional ventilation hole on top of the heating radiator in the window area (as shown in the photo ).
