Car Windscreen Washer Jet Freezing Question

[Lord Pikey]

Posted for a colleague who doesn't have an account.

When you get in your car in the morning and squirt the windscreen washers and it freezes on the window, why is it that 10 mins later when your on the motorway and wash the windscreen again, it doesn’t freeze?

Ps, for his argument the window demist isn't on.


LP

[Plotloss]

Erm because the engine has heated the water in the washer bottle.

[GKP]

Because by then the heating elements in his Range Rover washer jets have defrosted the ice.




Or it could be something to do with what Plotters has just written.

[Lord Pikey]

Plotloss said:

Erm because the engine has heated the water in the washer bottle.

that was my awnser but he said im wrong.

Next

[8Ace]

And you're likely to have the heater on inside the car, so the temperature of the windscreen is above zero.

[rasputin]

Definitely a girl question

[Crusoe]

assuming the car is front engined and where the washer jet tank is located the screen wash should be warm in a few miles. Also the screen is a lot warmer having had the heater on inside the car. Some cars also have heated washer jet systems.

[Lord Pikey]

Jesus, 8 replies in 4 minutes. Is the PH community bored or something!

[Mark V8]

I disagree. I think you would find that the water coming out of the jets still very cold even after 10 mins driving. Its more because the screen is no longer at 0 degrees as it was earlier.

As an aside.....why don't manufacurers consider the possibility of hot water through the jets ?

[fido]

8Ace said:

And you're likely to have the heater on inside the car, so the temperature of the windscreen is above zero.

also, it doesn't have to be above 0C .. as most people add screenwash .. unless they are really pikey.

[sleep envy]

Plotloss said:

Erm because the engine has heated the water in the washer bottle.

and the glass is warm

[Crusoe]

Mark V8 said:

As an aside.....why don't manufacurers consider the possibility of hot water through the jets ?

most do, usually as part of an winter options pack (heated seats, heated washer jets and headlight washers.)

[JJCW]

because i have heated front screen on

[Tony*T3]

Crusoe said:

Mark V8 said:

As an aside.....why don't manufacurers consider the possibility of hot water through the jets ?

most do, usually as part of an winter options pack (heated seats, heated washer jets and headlight washers.)

The jets are heated but the water in them is still freezing cold - hence a bit annoying if you have spent extra on heated jets only to find the waters froozen solid in the lines from the water reserviour.

[Crusoe]

get a bigger engine then - you don't even need heaters on if you have a big v8 heat soaking into the cabin

[john_p]

I'm having trouble understanding how the water can be freezing cold when it's in a plastic container and plastic pipe no more than say 50cm from an engine block which after a few miles will be rather hot...

[Lord Pikey]

He is getting his awnser together. somethign to do with convection and the car being a cold sink over night.

Please Hold

[Munter]

john_p said:

I'm having trouble understanding how the water can be freezing cold when it's in a plastic container and plastic pipe no more than say 50cm from an engine block which after a few miles will be rather hot...

I drove a punto from Buckinghamshire to Leister. The washer bottle froze up on the way..... Which was annoying. For whatever reason they do often stay cold.

[Finlandia]

Trust me on this one, I'm a Finn, I know all about winter driving
The windscreen is cold and when you add cold water to a cold surface, it freezes. When the heater warms up the windscreen, the windscreen in its turn warms up the water, and no freezing happens.
This can be avoided by adding windscreen wash or just normal washing up liquid into the windscreen washer tank.

[aclivity]

Finlandia said:

This can be avoided by adding windscreen wash or just normal washing up liquid into the windscreen washer tank.

washing up liquid has salt in it - or so I was told - and thus shouldn't be anywhere near a car, excpet perhaps in the boot on the way home from the shop?