With the recent change in weather, I have been setting the temperature at higher settings. However, this tends to fog up not only the front but also all the other windows. I have also noticed this in my wife's civic.

Is this a common Honda design flaw?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

My 96 accord would fog up like crazy and i have seen it in a few other hondas. i haven't noticed it in my tsx yet but i assumed that by now that would have been solved. just give you a car blast of the AC. that always worked for me.

 

Heat + AC = instant defogger

 

In all Hondas the AC works as a de-humidifier (de-fogger). This is spelled out clearly in the manual of my Civic. This is the way it is designed, not a design flaw.

Did you check the TSX manual?

 

I have had this problem once or twice, but otherwise, the defoggers have worked like a charm.

 

I understand the AC can be and should be used to prevent humidity from forming. But, don't you guys think it is rather stupid to have to turn on your AC when you're trying to heat up the interior?

Anyway, just a pet peev of mine regarding Honda. Yet it didn't stop me from getting one.

 

not one bit. It defogs the windows and you can still have it blowing out heat. I won't have it going all the time just when it fogs.

It's not really a honda probably its just the way it works. When its colder outside the heated air inside is going to naturally condense against the cold glass.

 

to keep the fog from forming simply push the a/c button while the heat is on and keep it set that way. Its not stupid to do so as a/c stands for "air conditioner" . It doesnt specify wether it needs to be cold or warm air. It is just conditioning the air that is passing thru the system. Plus this trick keeps the air from getting so humid you cant breath.

 

oh yeah and make sure the system is NOT set to recirculate the air and to keep using fresh air.

 

Every car I've been in or owned does the same thing. Not just a honda thing.

 

That A/C thing above works...


but another solution is to keep it on fresh air and vent the cabin by tilting the sunroof open... then the fog won't build up...

 

 

A/C is usually quicker than the windows open.

That's the main goal of A/C... to remove humidity. Hot or cold temperature doesn't really matter, though it's always associated with cooling down in the summer.

 

Exactly. A/C is only used to remove the humidity from the air; hence cool air feels colder.

Getting to another comment that was made about "fresh" air, in the winter time it will work better to put it on recirculate and have the A/C on. That way it doesn't have to work quite as hard to keep removing the humidity from the air in the vehicle.

The things you learn in Thermodynamics... Yuck...

 

Off topic, but what requires more power: heat in the winter or cool air in the summer?

 

Cooling. Your engine has to drive the pully they runs the A/C condenser. For heat, engine heat is drawn into the cabin area. No added drive is necessary and thus, no power lost.

 

i've always turned on the A/C when this happens

 

Since this thread is technical already:

The pully drives the compressor, the condensor is the radiator looking thing in front of the car.

Heating is more efficient because the heat is already created by the engine, but I am pretty sure the A/C compressor and system is still running.....