Keep your windshield CLEAN in snow

TeamCaffee · Feb 9, 2015

We saw a very scary situation last week during a snow storm.

We stopped at a truck stop and it had started to snow heavily and the snow was building up on my windshield. When i got back in the truck I left my coat on and turned the cold air on my defroster to "freeze" the windshield and I used the windshield wipers to clear the windshield of snow.

We took off down the road with a clear windshield and the snow not sticking. As we continued down the road I saw a truck partially in the travel lane and as I got closer I saw the driver up on his steer tire cleaning his windshield. He was in a horrible spot with the truck and trailer in the travel lanes and him outside standing on a tire cleaning the windshield. I imagine he went as far as he could an in desperation did what he had to trying to see the road.

Depending on the type of snow it works to freeze the windshield and wear a coat.

Another way if the snow is really wet is to put the defrost on high and hot and then lower the visors. This traps the hot air and keeps the snow from building up on the windshield.

Lawrence · Feb 9, 2015

Linda,

How does the heated wiper blades help in this situation - if any?

TeamCaffee · Feb 9, 2015

Lawrence we used the heated wiper blades many years ago and we found that the rubber on the blade did not last very long and they were expensive. When it worked for the short period of time it worked really well.

I have heard that this has been improved but we have not wanted to invest the money in this system again and have the blades fail.

gandrimp · Feb 9, 2015

I also keep an extra set of blades (not refills). When the blades quit working properly they are usually froze at the joints, swap them with the thawed set, rinse and repeat. This is assuming the blades are in good shape to begin with.

paullud · Feb 9, 2015

TeamCaffee said:
Lawrence we used the heated wiper blades many years ago and we found that the rubber on the blade did not last very long and they were expensive. When it worked for the short period of time it worked really well.

I have heard that this has been improved but we have not wanted to invest the money in this system again and have the blades fail.

It seems like a hybrid silicon blade could help with the life span.

ATeam · Feb 10, 2015

We drove our Volvo through seven winters and rarely had a problem with snow and road spray on the windshield. Where issues developed in very particular weather conditions and timing, it was simply a matter of stopping for a moment to let the defroster and wipers do their thing. Sometimes, when a lot of heat was needed on the glass, we'd turn the defroster on full bore and crack the windows open a bit to cool the cab.

On occasion it was desirable to knock heavy snow buildup off the wiper arms; desirable but not essential. The windshield itself stayed clean because the wiper blades did their job. . The defroster worked well The wipers made a clean sweep. The windshield itself provided a wide visibility area as did the wiper sweep. SlushBusters kept the wipers working like a charm. As long as we replaced the wiper blades to keep them fresh and kept the windshield washer tank filled and carried an extra gallon or two of fluid, we were good to go.

One thing we loved about moving from the fleet-owner Freightliner trucks we drove to Volvo was the comfort in the cab in all weather conditions. Gone were the days of wearing heavy clothes when driving and taping over openings where cold air seeped into the cab.

We tried a variety of wiper blades and arms over the years. The ones that worked best were Volvo OEM. They were more expensive but worked like a charm.

Moot · Feb 10, 2015

Keep the cab cool and the glass cold. Most snow, with the exception of heavy wet snow in warm weather will not collect on the windshield.

xiggi · Feb 10, 2015

Just stay south.

Deville · Feb 10, 2015

Moot said:
Keep the cab cool and the glass cold. Most snow, with the exception of heavy wet snow in warm weather will not collect on the windshield.

I learned something new today. I have been using the visors down trick for years and that has worked great. I will now try the cold air method as well.