Comment on Life is hard
over_clox@lemmy.world 15 hours agodeFROST != deFOG
- deFROSTer is meant to melt ice and snow off the windshield, uses heater.
- deFOGger is meant to dry fog off your windshield on hot humid days, uses air conditioner.
I’m starting to gather that most people don’t have any clue how to properly use their environmental controls.
Rocketpoweredgorilla@lemmy.ca 15 hours ago
I really don’t know what to tell you there, I’m going by the vehicle manufacturer’s labels. The “defrost” mode on your climate controls (typically all the way to the right) that blows air towards your windshield will often use the ac compressor even if you have the heat set to high, because ac drys the air… it doesn’t have to be cold, it can be any temperature. Blowing wet warm air at the windshield isn’t very effective compared to dry warm air. That is especially true in our Canadian winters.
You can try it with virtually any car made from the 1970’s to today (and some in the 1950’s and 60’s) that was equipped with AC. Turn your defrost on, crank your heat, and you will hear/notice the slip clutch on the end of the AC compressor under the hood will kick in, turning on the ac unit. Some cars do come with a dedicated separate defrost button, (as opposed to the defogger button which only operates the heat lines in your back window) they also will use the AC to dry the air.
Defoggers are typically the heat lines you see in back windows, although some old cars (like my old 69 Newport) had blowers for the back window as well, and even a second heater core to feed it.
Long story short, AC is for drying air, not just cooling it.
over_clox@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
No shit, that’s my entire point.
Rocketpoweredgorilla@lemmy.ca 13 hours ago
Ok maybe I’m misunderstanding something, because from your comment it sounded like you think the ac doesn’t work in the winter when you use defrost with the heat on. And my point is that most cars are set up to do exactly that because it works better regardless of where the temperature dial is.
Defoggers are a separate thing altogether and has nothing to do with your heat, AC, or blower. Maybe it’s different in some newer cars but traditionally all a defogger is is those heat cables that you see in the back window, nothing else.
Not trying to argue, just trying to clarify things.
over_clox@lemmy.world 12 hours ago
I do think we’re talking from different generations here, and under the assumption everything even works. Yes, it is wonderful when everything works correctly, but even in that case, older vehicles had separate controls for the vents, the heat, and the air conditioning.
We got a '96 Sonoma, missing the entire right side of the dashboard, so no glove box, no blower motor, and half the missing ventilation system is duct taped over. Thanks to the previous but now deceased owner. :(
But at least the windows roll down in the heat of the day, and at least some of the ventilation system gives us heat in the cold when the vents are set for open air.
Yes we’re driving what most would call a shitbox, but it’s reliable at least.
I’d try to fix the dashboard shit, but that would probably cost more than the truck itself. So, back to simple brain mode…