Take the 2-minute tour ×

The outside temperature was somewhere between the hot and cold that blows on the inside through the car's vents. I know the condensate is on my side because I can reach forward and write on it with my finger. When I blow hot air on it, it stays there, but when I blow cold air on it, it disappears. I would have thought blowing hot air on it would give the water molecules enough energy to escape the surface and blowing cold air would cause water vapor molecules in the air to lose energy and get 'stuck' to the surface, but the reality is the opposite of what I expected. Can anyone explain?

share|improve this question
I just had an idea, but I'm not hep to how proper it is to answer one's own question. Maybe the colder air has lower humidity, so the vapor pressure is lower, enabling more water molecules from the windshield to get up, while if the hotter air is more humid, that would prevent the water molecules on the surface, even if they got more energy from the heat in the air. –  Pete Aug 8 '11 at 15:46
So many uncontrolled variables ... did it blow hot first, then cold (i.e. was the condensation preheated before the cold started)? Did you try it on another day, the other way around - cold first, then hot? Was the internal temperature of the car different each time? Did the cold blow with the same speed and volume as hot? –  EnergyNumbers Aug 8 '11 at 15:49
It has to do with the water content of the air that you are using - for example in the winter (in a place with a cold winter), warm bodies in a cold car produce a thin film of condensation on the inside of the car windows. If you run the air conditioner, it reduces the total condensation inside the car because of the dehumidifying action of the condenser unit in the AC, and then you can run the heat to keep the car comfortable. So people look at you weirdly for having the AC and the heat on, but it clears the condensation up lickety split, and you can see again. –  Jen Aug 8 '11 at 19:39
@Pete: it is absolutely proper and encouraged to answer your own question, if you really believe you have the right answer. –  David Z Aug 8 '11 at 20:06
add comment

2 Answers

up vote 2 down vote accepted

Condensation has to do with two factors, temperature and humidity. Specifically, in order for condensation to occur, you need a body of warm, humid air (humidity is necessary because otherwise there wouldn't be any water to condense) and a cold surface (the window), specifically colder than the dewpoint of the humid air, on which the condensation is to take place.

With a car window, this can happen on either side. In your case, you're getting condensation on the inside of the window because the interior air is warm and humid, but the outside air keeps the window cooler than the dewpoint of the inside air. So as long as you blow warm air on the window, you're just feeding it with more water to condense. In order to make the condensation evaporate by heating it, you'd have to be blowing enough air at a high enough temperature on the window to override the effect of the outside air and significantly heat up the window itself; your car's heating system probably isn't capable of doing that. (At least not while you're driving.) In contrast, as you pointed out in your comment, blowing cool air (cooler than the outside air) on the window means that the dewpoint of the inside air is necessarily less than the temperature of the window, so you don't get any condensation occurring. And as long as the air is less than 100% humid, any existing condensation will evaporate. This is especially likely if you're running the air conditioner, since it doubles as a dehumidifier.

The reverse situation occurs if it's hot and humid outside; you'll probably be running the air conditioner, so the cold air inside the car will cool down the window. Since the window is cooler than the outside air, you'll get condensation occurring on the outside. The solution in this case is to run the defroster to heat up the window and the condensed water molecules, giving them enough energy to evaporate.

share|improve this answer
Just to expand of David's answer: one of the most effective ways to remove the condensation is to run the air conditioner and the heater at the same time. The air conditioner reduces the humidity of the air inside your car (due to the water in your car's air condensing on its cold coils), the hot air will raise the temperature of the window. On many cars, the "defrost mode" will employ this technique. –  Anonymous Coward Aug 8 '11 at 21:49
add comment

Please correct my answer if its wrong:

I think that condensation of water inside the car has to do with taking into consideration the temperature and humidity outside and inside your car.

You only get condensation whenever its colder outside, I think.

Outside is colder than Inside:

So, I think that your car acts as an insulator of heat. Your car's air temperature inside is hotter than the outside, and therefore water is evaporating and expanding in all directions. However, there's no where for the water to go, so it builds up on your windows.

If you blow hot air, you'd end up heating the inside car's air temperature even more and end up with more condensation. If you blow cold air, you make the inside car's air temperature to be closer to the outside and therefore the water molecules have less energy and won't expand out in all directions and end up condensing on your windows.

I think that if you open your windows and let the inside temperature and outside temperature of air to come to equilibrium, you'll end up with no condensation on your windows from the inside.

Please test this and tell me if I'm wrong. Thank you.

share|improve this answer
add comment

Your Answer


