Decent de- icer

[black olive]

Dont know if anyone else suffers the same problem, but it seems that de-icer nowadays just doesnt do anything. I had rescued a tin of old stuff from my late uncle's garage last year, and it actually worked !!!!.


Does annyone use one that actually works, or does make their own.

I got a formula off the net which was a composition for one of the commercial vehicle type de-icers, whic was along the lines I had thought of anyway

Methanol 60%
Isopropanol 10%
ethylene glycol 4%

water and propellant.

now if you left out the ethylene glycol, you could mix this little concoction in a hand sprayer, but NO SMOKING !! and I dont endorse this

[afcbadam]

i use a superb de icer. hot water from the tap

[TimO]

Originally Posted by afcbadam

i use a superb de icer. hot water from the tap

I second that

[podge]

I have been using the same de-icer for 12 years....a 6"x6" square of polycarbonate....cheapskate and its never let me down!!

[Greeners]

Halfords own brand for me....I certainly wouldn't put water at any temperature on my screen.

Apart from the temperature change causing a crack, you end up with it freezing in all the vents and then on the road.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by afcbadam

i use a superb de icer. hot water from the tap

Originally Posted by TimO

I second that

Pouring hot water over a frozen window could well result in the window shattering or cracking through thermal shock. NEVER pour hot water onto your windscreen as the resultant temperature change could cause micro-fractures in the glass which will in turn lead to a weakened structure which could break at the most inopportune moment (eg 70mph, flying stone, dark and or rain. 'nuff said).

Also, I do sometimes doubt the contents of chemical de-icers in so much that it may remove or 'damage' any wax protection you have on your paint work. I don't know if this is true or not but it is something I have always wondered.

[calibrax]

I think they probably mean as a lock de-icer, not a windscreen one. At least I hope thats what they mean... I wouldn't put hot water anywhere near a cold windscreen!

[Dave Goody]

Originally Posted by Simon

Pouring hot water over a frozen window could well result in the window shattering or cracking through thermal shock. NEVER pour hot water onto your windscreen as the resultant temperature change could cause micro-fractures in the glass which will in turn lead to a weakened structure which could break at the most inopportune moment (eg 70mph, flying stone, dark and or rain. 'nuff said).

Also, I do sometimes doubt the contents of chemical de-icers in so much that it may remove or 'damage' any wax protection you have on your paint work. I don't know if this is true or not but it is something I have always wondered.

I have used the hot water method for 42 years and 28 cars and never cracked a screen yet. I have only replaced 5 screens in that time, all a result of stone damage.
I am sure if you have a small crack it may make it spread, but I will certainly carry on with this method. Large jug clears all windows. It would take a whole can of de-icer to do this. Most people using cans, drive for 1st couple of miles looking through portholes

[T-Cut]

Originally Posted by black olive

- - - - it seems that de-icer nowadays just doesnt do anything.

It's all part of the nanny state and environmental regulation. The best deicers were rich in isopropanol (IPA) , but they hardly contain anything so volatile these days. The ideal deicer is a very low boiling point, water soluble organic like isopropanol. Methanol and ethanol are probably better freezing point depressants than IPA, but they're more volatile and somewhat toxic. Unfortunately we evolved a society where some members were as likely to drink their deicer as they were to spray it on frost, so they've had to legislate it all away. And the indiscriminate use of anything remotely volatile is unacceptable for the environment.
So they basically use water containing something like urea, a detergent and a touch of ammonia instead. It works in a fashion, but it needs a whole canful to do the job of a ten second squirt of IPA. In my younger days we used to pack our own IPA aerosols every winter. The whole lab got one each, which lasted them through the season. If you're concocting your own deicer, try including some glycerine. It's completely non-toxic and environmentally friendly. Avoid glycols, which are bad for the paintwork.

TC

[GERFIX]

De-icing for me involves starting the car, hitting the windscreen demister button and pouring LUKE WARM water over the windows. Like Dave, I've always done that and never suffered a cracked screen because of it.