Winter’s here, and for lots of us, that means dealing with a foggy windshield full of condensation when we go to start our cars. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t take that long for your defroster to clear your windshield, butĀ if you’re harried and already late for work, that extra time waiting can feel like an eternity. And it’s no good to be drivingĀ around looking through a half-obscured windshield like a dingus.
Luckily, former NASA engineer and current YouTube science guy Mark Rober has figured out some easy tricks that will help you blast fog off the inside of your windshield in half the time. This is noĀ old wives’ taleāthis is science.
In this six-minute video, Rober explains exactly what causes water vapor to condense on the inside of your windshield, using stone-simple visual teaching aides and explanations. Then, viaĀ a series of rigorous experiments that would satisfy the evidentialĀ lust of any scientist or engineer, he tests all the different air conditioning settings you probably have in your car to find the absolute quickest setting for blasting away fog.
Now, we should note: Robert is defogging the inside of the windshield. Defrosting, or removing frozen ice from the outside of the windshield, is a different matter altogetherāone that you should usean ice scraper (and never, ever hot water) to resolve.
Anyway, here are the HVAC settings that Rober discovered clears fog the fastest:
- Defroster fan on highest setting
- Temperature control on its hottest
- A/C turned on
- Recirculate turned off
- Crack your windows
This story originally appeared on Road & Track via Sploid.
Article Courtesy of:Ā http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/the-fastest-way-to-defog-your-windshield-courtesy-of-a-former-nasa-engineer/ar-AAgrs8q?ocid=se