HOW DO VEHICLE DEFROSTERS

WORK

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How Do Car Defrosters Work?
Understanding defrosters, defoggers, and
demisters

Simply put, the defogger is a feature onboard a

vehicle that removes ice, condensed water
droplets, fog/mist from the vehicle’s
windscreen, thereby improving visibility. Often
used during the rainy and winter season, the
defogger/demister provides a safer and clearer
driving experience. Through a
defogger/demister both front and rear, the
chances of a potential accident are substantially
reduced. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that
a defogger/demister is indeed one of the most
crucial inventions of its time.

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When it's cold out and you can't see through
your car's windshield, you'll probably reach for
the defroster button. But how does the defroster
work—and why does it always seem to take
forever to clear ice, frost, mist, or fog from the
windshield?
Most of us have noticed our car windows all
fogged up on cold mornings. This is caused by
moisture trapped inside the vehicle which then
condenses into small drops of water on the
glass. If the air outside is colder than the inside,
the droplets will form on the inside of the glass.
As soon as you enter the vehicle, your breath
will add heat and more moisture to the air which
fogs the windows up even more. The wipers
can’t help clear up the fog on the inside of your
car, for that you will have to use the defrost
setting

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Long before the Defogger was invented, while
driving during the monsoon, the drivers often
experienced the problem of water condensing
on the windscreen. While on the other hand in
some of the coldest regions, even the ice
accumulated on the windscreen. In both
scenarios, it became extremely difficult for the
driver to have clear visibility and keep an eye
on the road. Long before the Defogger was
invented, while driving during the monsoon, the
drivers often experienced the problem of water
condensing on the windscreen. While on the
other hand in some of the coldest regions, even
the ice accumulated on the windscreen. In both
scenarios, it became extremely difficult for the
driver to have clear visibility and keep an eye
on the road.
This was something that was noticed by
German Engineer and Inventor, Heinz Kunert,
who after in-depth research into the problem
found an innovative solution that could do away
with fog/mist/ice and condensed water droplets
on the windscreen

Learn all about how car defrosters, defoggers,

and demisters work.

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Types of Car Defrosters
There are two primary kinds of defrosters. The
first type uses a vehicle's heating, ventilation,
and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to blow
warm, dehumidified air directly onto the foggy
or iced-over windshield. The other type of
defrosting system defogs and de-ices through a
mechanism known as resistive heating.
How Do Primary Car Defrosters Work?
Defrosters that use a vehicle's HVAC system
are sometimes referred to as "primary"
defrosters, since they are designed to clear up
the front and side windows, and they work via
two main principles.
In order to melt ice that has accumulated on the
windshield, the HVAC system activates the
primary defroster to draw in fresh air, passing it
through the vehicle's heater core. It then directs
the warm air through dashboard vents toward
the front windshield and side windows.
In addition to defrosting windows, these primary
systems can also defog windows by removing
condensation from the inner surface. To
accomplish this, a front window defroster will

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typically pass air through the air conditioning
system to remove moisture. When this
dehumidified air reaches a fogged windshield, it
absorbs moisture and removes the
condensation.
Warm air can also hold more moisture than cold
air, which is what makes primary defrosters
effective when these two systems work in
concert. Although it is possible to accomplish
the same moisture removal process by
physically wiping the condensation away, doing
so may leave smudges that can result in glare;
it may also make it difficult to see through the
windshield at times.
How Do Secondary Car Defrosters Work?
Defrosters that don't use a car's HVAC system
are sometimes referred to as secondary
systems since they are designed to defrost
things like rear windshields and mirrors. These
systems typically use wire grids and resistive
heating to physically warm up the surface of the
glass, which can effectively melt ice and
remove condensation.
Rear windshield defrosters typically use
surface-mounted grids that are easily
identifiable, while heated mirrors usually have

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internal wires that you can't see. However, both
systems use the same basic mechanism of
resistive heating. An electrical current is applied
to the wire grid when you activate the system,
and the resistance of the grid causes heat
generation.
The result was the rear defogger that was
invented by Kunert. The tech was simple yet
effective. The rear defrosters worked by
pushing an electrical current through the fibres
that were embedded on the rear windscreen.
As a result, vehicles from as early as the 1950s
started coming with rear defoggers onboard to
make driving safer and more comfortable.
How Do You Defog a Windshield With No
Primary Defroster?
If your car has air conditioning, but it doesn't
have a button you can push to automatically
defrost and defog the front windshield, you can
accomplish the same task manually:
1.Start your car and turn on the heater.
2.Set the heater to the highest setting.
Changing the vent selector to the dash
vents that point at the windshield helps
defrost the windshield, but warming up the

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 air inside the car is the most important
factor in defogging.
3.Change the HVAC circulation setting to
draw air in from outside.
4.Turn on your air conditioning.
5.Open the windows a little bit.

What the defrost indicator light means

Whenever the light is illuminated, the defroster
is turned on. The symbol for the front is a
curved window, while the rear is rectangular.
While you are defogging the windshield, you
may not be able to get air out of the normal
vents. This way all the air is forced up to try and
clear the moisture so that you can drive safely.
Any flashing with these indicators means a
problem has been detected. You will need the
help of a professional with a diagnostic scan
tool to read the code saved on the computer.
This code will help identify any issues that are
present. Depending on the problem, you may or
may not be able to use the defroster. Some
vehicles with automatic climate control can turn
on the defroster when the humidity gets too
high. This will help keep you windows clear and

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you shouldn’t have to do anything. If your
vehicle has this feature it is normal for the light
to illuminate occasionally while you are driving.

Is it safe to drive with the defrost indicator light

on?
The defroster keeps your vision clear while
driving and without it, you could have a really
difficult time seeing out of your windows. If the
edges of the windows start to fog up, turn on
the defroster for a little bit before the fog covers
the whole window. Even with a malfunction
detected, so long as you can clear up the
windows, you can still use the car normally.
Aftermarket Car Defrosters
Since OEM systems make use of both primary
and secondary defrosters, aftermarket
replacements and alternatives are also
available for both types. In particular, grid-style
rear defrosters can be repaired by conductive
paint and adhesive materials, or scraped off
and replaced altogether by aftermarket
defroster grids.

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Although no direct replacement exists for
primary defrosters, 12V car defrosters operate
via the same basic mechanism of action as
OEM HVAC defrosters. These devices cannot
heat up the same volume of air as a traditional
HVAC system, but they still work by directing
warm air at a fogged or iced over windshield,
and they are a viable alternative to a broken
defroster in some cases.

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 Thank You

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