Window Fogging

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Ginger

New member
Joined
Jan 8, 2023
Messages
2
Hi all, I'm new here. I have a 2022 Nissan Leaf S. The windows fog up all the time. We try not to use the defroster much in order to save the battery, but we have to turn it on in order to see! Is this typical? Any suggestions?
 
First I'd purchase WeatherTech or similar floor mats that hold the water from soaking into the carpet or carpet mats. I'd also try and clean out(suck up with a shop vac or use a towel) the water from melting snow etc. from the floor mats to keep the liquid from evaporating into the air. Another trick is to keep your windows cracked(if it's not actively snowing or raining) which helps get the humid air inside the car out and dry outside air in. What's happening more than likely is the water is evaporating inside the car and that very humid air is condensing on the windows, you want to try and eliminate the water before it evaporates. You could also try and use the defrost mode which runs the heat and AC which helps remove humidity from the air but that uses even more power than just heat alone but does help remove humidity.
You said fogging which implies you may be in a southern climate, we get fogging in the summer and frosting which is even harder to remove in the winter. In our case, the humid cabin air freezes on the cold windows.
You could also try and make use of pre-heating your car and again crack the windows. Preheating will get the cabin toasty warm and with the windows cracked that humid air can get our and dryer outside air will get in the cabin.
 
jjeff said:
First I'd purchase WeatherTech or similar floor mats that hold the water from soaking into the carpet or carpet mats. I'd also try and clean out(suck up with a shop vac or use a towel) the water from melting snow etc. from the floor mats to keep the liquid from evaporating into the air. Another trick is to keep your windows cracked(if it's not actively snowing or raining) which helps get the humid air inside the car out and dry outside air in. What's happening more than likely is the water is evaporating inside the car and that very humid air is condensing on the windows, you want to try and eliminate the water before it evaporates. You could also try and use the defrost mode which runs the heat and AC which helps remove humidity from the air but that uses even more power than just heat alone but does help remove humidity.
You said fogging which implies you may be in a southern climate, we get fogging in the summer and frosting which is even harder to remove in the winter. In our case, the humid cabin air freezes on the cold windows.
You could also try and make use of pre-heating your car and again crack the windows. Preheating will get the cabin toasty warm and with the windows cracked that humid air can get our and dryer outside air will get in the cabin.

Thanks for this info. We live in the Northeast, so we do prewarm the car. This has been happening since we bought the car in April. We may have to run the AC and heat to dry it out. We've tried keeping a window open a crack, but it doesn't seem to help much. Thanks again.
 
Agree with cracking a window slightly. Cold outside air contains a lot less moisture and warming that air makes it very dry. Don't overdo it though or you'll just be increasing the heating demand. Making sure the window glass is very clean can help. The off-gassing film that forms on interior glass makes it fog quite easily. Anti-fog glass products can help to some degree too. On days when extending range isn't an issue, run in defog mode. This will decrease the overall moisture levels in the cabin and then fogging tendency will be reduced when you really need the range.
 
Welcome!

In addition to the helpful tips mentioned above:

Don't be afraid to use features on your car. I find that it's better to be safe while driving than worry too much about draining the battery. I understand people get range or battery anxiety, but you will get over it in time as you understand how your car works, how it's affected by the things you do to it, how you drive it, how long you charge it, etc.

With that in mind, use your defroster to clear up that fog. Just keep in mind not to leave it running all the time on HIGH if you're taking a long (e.g., over 30 min) trip. You can adjust the fan control to LOW -- to reduce power consumption -- once the fog is gone to prevent it from building up again. All of this also depends on your battery's state of charge level too, so be aware of that percentage value, especially if it's low.

In my area, my car windows fog up during rainy days or cold winter days. I rarely bother defogging/defrosting the rear window. I typically use the heat only to defog/defrost the windshield, keep the A/C off, and this works for me. I set the fan air control mode on LOW and to blow on the windshield and bottom (foot) areas of the car. I don't take long commutes anymore so I only drive around this way on short trips. However, years ago when I used to take my 1-hour commute to work on winter days, I used to only keep the heat ON for defrost for 1/2 the time, since I noticed how it was significantly reducing my battery state of charge level.

Enjoy!
 
My anecdotal evidence is that it is way more efficient to run the AC for a short while to remove condensed moisture than it is to try to warm it off- AC actually removes moisture. I run heat and AC and set the heater control to defrost when the windshield is foggy. Hope this helps!
 
I have also found that if you make sure the "recirc" button is off, the windows don't fog up as much.
 
LHN said:
I have also found that if you make sure the "recirc" button is off, the windows don't fog up as much.

It depends. If the A/C will be staying on, then Recirc keeps the humidity lower. If you will only be running it briefly, then it's usually better to turn Recirc off.
 
LeftieBiker said:
It depends. If the A/C will be staying on, then Recirc keeps the humidity lower. If you will only be running it briefly, then it's usually better to turn Recirc off.

Right. But I am thinking that it is winter and cold, and I am using the heat. This is how I discovered that turning the recirc off makes a difference.
 
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