• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

How would you get 1" of ice off your windshield?

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Originally posted by: ADDAvenger
:laugh: yeah I'd thought of the cardboard freezing to the windshield, which is why I didn't have a piece on there in the first place. But, I'll see if I can find some that's waxy on both sides, it will still help when we get real snow instead of this freezing rain business.

I actually do have it parked in a "sunny" spot for that reason, unfortunately we haven't seen the sun all week.
Click to expand...
Other problems:
Even if the flats are waxy, the edges would still allow moisture in. And I don't know if wax will be enough to keep a few square feet of ice from sticking.

Second concern: Let's say it is snowing. The cardboard might warm up due to its darker coloration (unless you get white cardboard). Result: snow hits it, and melts. Cardboard gets coated in water, cools down gradually, and starts to freeze. Snow falls on it, and you end up with snow adhered to a layer of ice, adhered to a layer of cardboard, which may well still be frozen to the windshield.

Best option still seems to be to use the defroster. 🙂
 
a tarp is probably your best bet in the future. For now, try some luke warm water to soften the ice, then scrape it off or defroster + time
 
I just used some Prestone windshield de-icer for the first time. It did a pretty good job, though you still have to scrape. I only had maybe a quarter of an inch, and used a lot of the spray, so it may cost a lot if you routinely have an inch of ice. But it really made the job pretty easey.
 
Best, quickest, cheapest, safest way I can think of:

1. Turn car on with heater on high, all defrost (no floor).
2. Make sure you do step 1 so it can be heating up while you do everything else - every little bit helps.
3. Make some materials for some "salt paste" (rock salt is best, a ton of table salt will work too) - salt and hot water
4a. If you're using table salt, try to make a pretty dry paste. Use as little water as possible. Try to go for a play-doh consistancy (not quite possible but you get the idea of a dry paste from that).
4b. If you'r eusing rock salt and it is possible, grind up the rock salt into pretty smallish pieces (the smaller the better). Make a pretty dry paste, using as little water as possible. Try to go for a play-doh consistancy (not quite possible but you get the idea of a dry paste from that).
4b. If you're using rock salt but cannot grind it up, get enough very hot water that the salt starts to dissovle quite a bit but you don't want a ton of water in this. Shake it up, stir it up, get the water as salty as possible.
5. Let the water cool to be cool enough that you would use on a baby! Do NOT use this solution while it's really hot! But don't let it get too cold either or the amount of salt in the solution will be lower and give you worse results.
6. Stir/shake the solution on a regular basis, every time before you take some out of it (additional energy from friction will add a bit more of the settled salt back into the water-based solution).
7. Spread this paste all over the ice on your windshield. Rub it in, circular motions, significant pressure but don't get anywhere near close to enough pressure to break the glass (the only reason for the pressure is to give it a bit more friction for a bit more heat to help the salt and icey water mix better, NOT for actual physical force against the nice).
8. Keep stirring/sreading/rubbing.
9. Eventually you'll get to the point where you can finish up with a scraper.

I recommend just doing the driver's side of the windshield initially if you want to save time.

I can't think of a better/safer/cheaper/easier way to do this. Between the heater and the salt paste, you should get it before too long. Oh, and make sure you don't get frost-bitten hands/fingers with the rubbing! 🙂

-Jax
 
ive always just used a scraper, the backside has the ^^^^^^^^^ on it and does a good job and busting through the ise when you have the car running and the defrost on full
 
Use the propane torch to heat up a metal putty knife. Then use the hot knife to get "under" the ice (ie, between the ice and the windshield) near the edge. Then pry it up.

Edit: use caution. This is kind of akin to defrosting a freezer with screwdriver.
 
Originally posted by: thomsbrain
You need an ice scraper! Though a solid inch of ice would still take a LONG time to scrape through even with the proper tool, and of course you can't go out and buy one because your car is covered in an inch of ice. 😉

Sorry to hear about your car and everything that's going on in the Mid-West right now with the ice storms. Good luck and stay warm!
Click to expand...

Even with only half an inch, the defroster was indispensable. I broke one of my scrapers working on the ice while the car was still warming up 🙁
 
Originally posted by: BurnItDwn
you could spray some windshield deicer (usually some sort of alcohol based) to help melt it a bit and then use your ice scraper to get the rest off.
I've never had too much ice for the scraper to handle, worst I've had to deal with is probably about 1/2 of an inch on the windshield.
Click to expand...

What about pouring straight rubbing alcohol on the ice to break it up?

Although I think the best solution is still full defrost for 5-10 min. I start scraping the back and the side windows; the windshield is easy to scrape by the time I get to it. Mind you I've never had to deal with a full inch of ice - yikes.
 
My cousins from England have a mixture of alcohol and luke-warm water in a spray bottle that they use and it reduces it almost instantly. The fear of putting water on your windshield is way overrated I guess.
 
I remember having about an inch of ice on my little mazda one year. I put the defroster on for 35 minutes, and just slid the ice off. Luckily it was kind of nice out after the storm, so that helped a little.
 
get one of those cloth car covers . . . if anything , just cover the windshield. That way, just peel it off and smash the ice in the cloth to get it off the cloth. The cloth covers and waxed/treated to be water proof to a certain extent so ice doesn't stick too much to it, once you smash the ice in the cloth, it should fall off.
 
You know just to turn the car on and the heater will not take too long, or waste that much for your thinking of it melting the entire 1" sheet of ice when in reality you just need it to melt a fine thin layer between the windshield, car metal, and the ice. Once that has happened all you do is slide the thick sheet of ice off the car.

Why does it take a High Shool almost drop out to help all you people all the time? 😛

BTW blow dryer, torch, hot water, anything with heat that can not spread it evenly on tempered glass, in the cold, with the glass freezing, is NOT a smart thing to do unless you like to watch glass shatter into many tiny pieces 😉

OH and hot water freezes faster then cold in cold weather so pouring hot water on your car will just make it thicker then melt it away, and there is a high risk again of shattering ALL your glass. If anything your better off taking out the garden hose and letting the cold water from it melt off the water, but then its just going to freeze too, just wont take as long. Plus forget about ever opening your doors or locks ever again for the rest of the year when you fill it with water inside the locks and door/trunk jams. You be fighting with that for the rest of the year.

Make sure when you finally do get it melted off take the time then with a blow dryer to your door and trunk locks getting the water inside them to evap, and run some petroleum jelly around all your door seals and make sure they are dried off really good too.
 
Originally posted by: ADDAvenger
Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
turn on your rear defroster, and drvie backwards! problem solved.
Click to expand...

Great idea, except all my windows are iced, it's just the windshield I'm most concerned about 😉
Click to expand...

pour some hot water down the driver side window to melt the ice, then open the drive side window all the way down and drive with your head sticking out?

actually i was thinking seriously... would a full car cover work? peel it off, shake off ice/snow, and stick it back in the trunk?
 
Originally posted by: illusion88
a tarp is probably your best bet in the future. For now, try some luke warm water to soften the ice, then scrape it off or defroster + time
Click to expand...

WIN. Lukewarm water won't crack your windshield and should let you get to work with the ice scraper. The tarp is good prevention. Anyhow, running a car for hours on end to use the heater sounds like a collossal waste of gas. I guess its ok if you have loads of cash lying around or own a truckload of stock in Exxon.
 
the mythbusters should try all these things out

similar to the one where they tested ways to cool down beer fast
 
Originally posted by: MovingTarget
Originally posted by: illusion88
a tarp is probably your best bet in the future. For now, try some luke warm water to soften the ice, then scrape it off or defroster + time
Click to expand...

WIN. Lukewarm water won't crack your windshield and should let you get to work with the ice scraper. The tarp is good prevention. Anyhow, running a car for hours on end to use the heater sounds like a collossal waste of gas. I guess its ok if you have loads of cash lying around or own a truckload of stock in Exxon.
Click to expand...

Or if you have an efficient sport compact car, and not a fat piece of shit SUV.... :laugh:
 
Originally posted by: MovingTarget
Originally posted by: illusion88
a tarp is probably your best bet in the future. For now, try some luke warm water to soften the ice, then scrape it off or defroster + time
Click to expand...

WIN. Lukewarm water won't crack your windshield and should let you get to work with the ice scraper. The tarp is good prevention. Anyhow, running a car for hours on end to use the heater sounds like a collossal waste of gas. I guess its ok if you have loads of cash lying around or own a truckload of stock in Exxon.
Click to expand...

But you dont need to melt ALL the ice, just get the glass and car warm to melt the thin layer between the ice and windshield, then push the ice off the car 😛
Think small, not all of the ice for it would be like a ice cube on a table, the ice cube doesnt stick to the warm table and it floats across the table on a sheet of water between the ice cube and the table, so thinking hours of running the car is wrong. Id say 15-30 min max to get it to start melting then a big push right off the car.

Has NO one ever lived in a really cold state or been through a few ice storms ever, or all soo rich they all park inside?
 
idling gasoline engines only consume about .5 gal/hour
it isn't really that much $ to warm it up for 20-30 minutes to help it melt
 
Originally posted by: funboy42
Originally posted by: MovingTarget
Originally posted by: illusion88
a tarp is probably your best bet in the future. For now, try some luke warm water to soften the ice, then scrape it off or defroster + time
Click to expand...

WIN. Lukewarm water won't crack your windshield and should let you get to work with the ice scraper. The tarp is good prevention. Anyhow, running a car for hours on end to use the heater sounds like a collossal waste of gas. I guess its ok if you have loads of cash lying around or own a truckload of stock in Exxon.
Click to expand...

But you dont need to melt ALL the ice, just get the glass and car warm to melt the thin layer between the ice and windshield, then push the ice off the car 😛
Think small, not all of the ice for it would be like a ice cube on a table, the ice cube doesnt stick to the warm table and it floats across the table on a sheet of water between the ice cube and the table, so thinking hours of running the car is wrong. Id say 15-30 min max to get it to start melting then a big push right off the car.

Has NO one ever lived in a really cold state or been through a few ice storms ever, or all soo rich they all park inside?
Click to expand...

yeap.

i would have on the defrost. Also try to "cut" the top of the ice and pour water into it.

it would help melt the ice attached to the windshield.

usually took me a few minutes to get it off. once you figure it out you can take off whole sheets at once heh
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top