How often have you been late to work because you had to spend time—which you didn’t have—to clear the condensation on the windshield? Some might claim that it only takes a minute or two to do that but you know how precious those couple of minutes are when you’re racing against time. Turns out, you’re not the only one who’s freezing to death on cold, winter mornings; your windshield is too! No one looks forward to clearing condensation or frost from the windshield early morning; that’s why you resort to turning the heater on. But even that takes a while to work because your car doesn’t heat up instantly. Time-consuming as it is, it’s the only way to drive safely without peering through a foggy windshield. Here’s the science behind the problem for you to better understand why and how it happens.

Why Only Some Cars Fog Up

While it’s frustrating to find condensation on your windshield, it’s doubly frustrating to find the car next to yours completely fine. If you’re still wondering, air temperature is the fundamental reason behind condensation on windshields. The difference in atmospheric temperatures within the car and outdoors causes moisture to condense on the auto glass. The reason it happens on some windshields and not others is also because some cars stay warmer inside than others—due to insulator seat covers and even the heat system.

Why Do Windshields Fog Up More than Side Windows?

Windshields are designed to be slanted while the side windows are vertical. This is a difference that needs to be factored in while understanding the science behind condensation. Because slanted surfaces offer a greater surface area for atmospheric moisture to land on, it results in greater condensation as well. The relatively horizontal gradient of the slope allows for water droplets to form and stay rather than slide down. This might aggravate into an issue of windshield frost if the temperature drops further because the water droplets will freeze instead of sliding down.

The Direction of Wind and condensation

People have experimented with parking their cars in different positions and recorded the state of condensation on the auto glass. Some have reported that the surface(s) of glass standing in the direction of the wind receive the most condensation. This is another reason why some vehicles parked in the same location may experience more condensation than others. Because it has to do with the direction in which the wind is blowing during the coldest hours of the morning and how your car is parked in relation to that. Regardless of the why or how of the problem, one thing is clear: it’s not safe to drive around with condensation fogging your vision! While road accidents are a risk, there are other threats of condensation a well. Frosted windshields crack quite often and you need to consult an auto glass expert for that. This is why we offer auto glass repair and replacement in Houston, TX. Reach out to us for our services and we’ll get your car in running condition before you can say de-condense!