This morning saw the first frost of 2012, and indeed, the first since early December. The contrast with last year could not be greater. At present, it looks like remaining cold for the weekend, getting milder early next week, and then turning cold again, with at least a possibility of snow around next weekend.
Apart from anything else, this does mean we’re seeing frosts again, and therefore the sight of people pouring hot water on their windscreens to defrost them. Don’t do this. In the kind of frosts that Ireland and the UK normally get, you’re increasing the chance that your windscreen will crack – possibly there and then if you dump boiling water on it when it’s at sub-zero temperatures. And if it’s colder, you’re just providing the material for more ice – on the windscreen, on the rest of the car, and on the area of the drive where you’re going to be stepping again in ten minutes time. Believe me, in -10°C, ten minutes is plenty of time for a thin layer of ice to form.
Instead, scrape the ice off. If you have a dedicated ice-scraping tool – and many garages, petrol stations and motor factors carry them – use that. If not, use the edge of a plastic card; it won’t harm the card. This removes the ice in a way that prevents it from re-freezing immediately, ensures you’re protecting your windscreen and windows, and makes sure you’re not contributing to ice where you’re going to be walking.
And if it does snow, take the time to clear the snow off the whole car, not just the windscreen. Snow left on the bonnet can easily move up onto the windscreen once you’re in motion, and snow on the roof can slide off and hit other vehicles. Just clearing the windscreen may be faster, but it’s dangerous.
We’re finally getting some winter weather – be careful out there!
This entry was posted
on Friday, January 13th, 2012 at 10:43 am and is filed under Commentary.
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Defrosting Windscreens, Snow On Cars
This morning saw the first frost of 2012, and indeed, the first since early December. The contrast with last year could not be greater. At present, it looks like remaining cold for the weekend, getting milder early next week, and then turning cold again, with at least a possibility of snow around next weekend.
Apart from anything else, this does mean we’re seeing frosts again, and therefore the sight of people pouring hot water on their windscreens to defrost them. Don’t do this. In the kind of frosts that Ireland and the UK normally get, you’re increasing the chance that your windscreen will crack – possibly there and then if you dump boiling water on it when it’s at sub-zero temperatures. And if it’s colder, you’re just providing the material for more ice – on the windscreen, on the rest of the car, and on the area of the drive where you’re going to be stepping again in ten minutes time. Believe me, in -10°C, ten minutes is plenty of time for a thin layer of ice to form.
Instead, scrape the ice off. If you have a dedicated ice-scraping tool – and many garages, petrol stations and motor factors carry them – use that. If not, use the edge of a plastic card; it won’t harm the card. This removes the ice in a way that prevents it from re-freezing immediately, ensures you’re protecting your windscreen and windows, and makes sure you’re not contributing to ice where you’re going to be walking.
And if it does snow, take the time to clear the snow off the whole car, not just the windscreen. Snow left on the bonnet can easily move up onto the windscreen once you’re in motion, and snow on the roof can slide off and hit other vehicles. Just clearing the windscreen may be faster, but it’s dangerous.
We’re finally getting some winter weather – be careful out there!
This entry was posted on Friday, January 13th, 2012 at 10:43 am and is filed under Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.