Steamy windows!!

ST840

ST840

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Hello.... can anybody recommend a way to de mist the inside of the windows when traveling home on a cold night?
I really struggle to see where I am going and it's quite unnerving! I did buy a 12v fan/heater but my own breath seems warmer and more powerful !
Maybe you guys out there have an appliance or technique you don't mind sharing ??
Thanks
 
It's a fight against nature (cold surfaces and humidity combining forces against you), so not easy to win.

Heat and ventilation help greatly but if not avaialble, the old trick of swiping diluted dishwashing liquid on the inside surface will help (but not for very long). If you can, allowing it to dry then polish will improve.
 
you could try the cut potato on the inside. but the only real way is a automotive or warm air machine like the eber or such like. diverted to the screen. We use a long handled squeegy
 
PCUK said:
Have you got a diesel heater? - if so trunk it to the windscreen. If not, get more powerful 12v demisters. There are good ones out there!
Click to expand...

Agreed. As a motorcycle rider, who also wears glasses so cannot lift the lid without increasing the problem, I have yet to find a chemical solution that really works on a helmet visor in winter which AFAIC is the acid test.
 
I have a couple of 12v demisters fitted on my boat windcsreens and they do work, but you have to be realistic.
The heaters need to be fitted very close to the screen, and they only demist a limted area. Don't expect the same performance that you get from a car demister - they won't clear the whole screen, or as fast.
Having said that, they do clear a big enough area to see through, and the ones I fitted are virtually silent.
Noise was also a key concern when I bought them, I expected them to be like miniature hair dryers with an annoying whine to match, but I've been very pleasantly surprised by their silence.

The ones I fitted were from Maplins, like this http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/in-car-ceramic-heatercooler-a75fl
and I thought, well at that price it's worth a go. They've been fine.
Make sure you use adequate wire thickness though, they use about 15 amps so size the wiring accordingly and make it thicker if it has a long run.
 
Diesel heaters are a different ballgame :)

If going that way keep in mind that the next size above the recommended commonly is what you want if using the boat below 8-10 C. A grp tub with no insulation, single sheet windows, surrounded by water takes more than little heat to stay comfortable.

I'm running Webasto 2000 x 2 in my 32' mobo (4 cabins).
 
Given that the only time you're bothered about demisting the windscreens is when you're on passage, a much better option if you have the space to fit one is a heater matrix plumbed into the engine(s).
OK not so easy if you have outboards but if you have inboard engine it's the best way by far.
Unlimited free heat when going along.
 
Another "olden days" one was wipe the screen with washing-up liquid. Supposed to break the surface tension so the particles of water join up and become see-through. Probably same principle as a spud, I should think, but with out the smears, (and easier to keep onboard)
 
Davegriff said:
Another "olden days" one was wipe the screen with washing-up liquid. Supposed to break the surface tension so the particles of water join up and become see-through. Probably same principle as a spud, I should think, but with out the smears, (and easier to keep onboard)
Click to expand...
There are a lot of votes for washing up liquid and potatoes on here but, I was hoping for something a bit more techie !!
 
C'mon guys. MF 755 is outboard powered so matrix heaters not much of an option.

Unless, of course, you fit a diesel heater that makes hot water... Now, that option would provide both hot water for matrices and a domestic water heater for sink taps, shower etc.

Oh, eh - might blow the budget if at first aiming for a £19.95 cigarette plug fan..
 
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