Thoughts on reliable de-icing?
 

When the temps were hovering above 0 degrees, the hose worked like a charm, but now that it's dropped below 0, the hose freezes half the time and the other half of the time I'm just adding dangerous amounts of ice to my driveway. Plus, I have to be in a rush to wipe the water off or else it just adds to the layer of ice.

I ordered a 1 gallon garden sprayer and am on the phone with a local chemical manufacturer that sells wholesale 99% isopropyl alcohol, which I think I will mix together in a 3:1 solution and keep in the backseat. I get up at 5 every morning to go to work and isopropyl alcohol solution seemed to be the fastest and most reliable option.

I thought about using a spray bottle but the tops of the windshield (especially the middle) is hard to reach even for a tall bloke like myself and it's a lot of surface area to cover with a tiny spray bottle.

But it's going to be a few days before I get my hands on either the sprayer or the alcohol and I thought I'd survey the crowd to see what you guys usually do for de-icing.

Never heard of spraying my windshield with a de-icer. Wouldn't want to be spraying isopropyl alcohol on my truck.

Have you considered remote start? 2 minutes and it would be melting, 5 and it would be ready to go.

How bout that thing that cleans windshields, I think its called an ice scrapper. Start it up for a few minutes and then scrape it off.

It will be diluted so it should be fine. I've had plenty of good experiences with 99% IPA as I build lots of computers; it's not noxious or toxic (unless you drink it), evaporates quickly and leaves nothing behind. We'll see how it fares.

My truck is 300A, it doesn't have remote start. Last time I tried letting it run for a while it took far longer than 5 minutes for the side windows to start clearing and the ice on the windshield is usually even thicker. And then there's the mirrors (no heat) and rear glass (no heat), which are usually the last ones to be clear of ice, the rear glass being impossible to do by hand alone. The mirrors simply don't care how warm it is inside the truck.

I have one but it hasn't worked well for me in the past. I have a feeling that I'll have to wake up at 4am if I can only use the scraper and truck A/C to get the ice off.

Just an idea! What about throwing a moving blanket or something similar over the top of the cab at nite. If the windows are covered, they shouldn't ice over.

There is a product I use that is a straight de-icer spray.

It's made by the Splash corp.It's called Red Hot De-icer, Same people that made the ww wash fluid. You can get it most anywhere. Works great.

I saw something on a mini van today that strapped to the side mirrors that was meant to keep frost and ice off the wind shield, how well it works I don't know. It looks like it would do its job but I don't know how well it stays in place.

I'd use a windshield cover over some chemical for sure... You just rip it off in the morning and you're good to go!

Starting it 5 minutes will also help warm up the windshield a little, so the ice or whatever's on the external surface will scrape off easily.

I can see that it's widely available in the US; unfortunately that's not the case where I live. You lucky SOBs down in CONUS can get wholesale crates of those sprays for $50 haha

Thanks for the suggestion, i'll look for a cover then. It's not going to solve all the problems as the rear glass and the mirrors are still going to be frozen to a brick but it does take the windshield off the list, which is hard to reach in spots.

As for the moving blanket, it'll have to be HUGE to cover all the windows. U-Haul sells some supplies but their blanket isn't nearly big enough. I'll keep digging.

we have no garage and no carport to park under here in Tennessee. We are in hailstorm country and we use the moving blankets to protect roofs, windows and hoods when we are expecting hail. During storms, I use bungee cords to keep them from blowing off.

Amazon has windshield covers for $30. Looks like it would work pretty good :) Forum won't let me post the link to it but just search on Amazon.

Always kept a couple cans of this stuff in the heavy equipment and the trucks. I know for sure guys back in the bush use it in Ontario at least. You should be able to pick up a comparable product somewhere around you. Parts store, etc..;)

Very unfortunately, I can't seem to get those in Canada. While those cost $40 a crate in the US, they seem to cost $40 a CAN up here. :eek:

Aaaannnd no one around me sells big enough moving blankets. I guess IPA and a windshield cover will have to do for now.

I guess I mentioned it elsewhere, I keep my windshield, side windows and mirrors coated with RainX. Doesn't keep frost from forming or snow, but they scrape off pretty easy. ;)

Oh ya, you guys get hit hard with the exchange. I know I had gifts for the guys in Ontario from time to time.;)

You can buy windshield deicer that goes straight into the washer tank. It does two things. Keeps your squirter lines from freezing up and melts the ice on a windshield to 20 below. It's like 3 bucks a gallon. As for the other glass, I just used a scraper on the old f150. You can buy long handled scrapers for the back window. I never worried about it, as long as my side mirrors were clear I had no problems.

I fill a gallon jug of HOT water and toss it onto the windshield and side windows...ice is gone.

I fix my icing problem(99% of the time) by moving south. ;]

I'd reather have the snow then tornados, rattle snakes and traffic.

How about you build a heated garage? That’s how I keep the ice off my truck.

Someday I'm gonna have a heated garage with big floor drain so I can wash my truck all winter.

Im not in hailstorm country but we do get hail warnings a few times a year. Needless to say I panic.I never thought of the moving blankets.Does it work pretty well?

Why not use a cover that fits over the entire truck? Get a tonneau cover and throw the truck cover in the bed when not in use.

we don’t get giant hailstones like they do in the Midwest but they are big enough to dent roofs and hoods. So far no damage. If you have a Harbor Freight Tools nearby, they sell them cheap.

Fun fact, the A-10A uses a 50/50 mix of ethanol and distilled water for the windshield wash squirter. The ethanol keeps the water from freezing at altitude.
Might try a large towel or blanket on the windshield at night. I'd say use some stout magnets to hold it down, but with the aluminum body and all, might be difficult to keep it down on the window. Good luck, we've yet for the temps to go below 48. Today it's 78° outside...

Actually, Harbor Freight might be a good idea for me. I live right on the border and there's a HF in Bellingham, about 15 minutes away.

My Thule bike rack calls dibs on the 6.5' bed. Also, next few months is going to see the addition of a Weatherguard box so a tonneau is a no-go. If I get blankets or a cover I'll probs throw it in the backseat with the rest of my junk, works too.

well, if it works for the Hog then damn, I guess it'll work for me :D

I haven't had luck with finding covers at my local Crappy Tire, or large moving blankets at any local moving supplies stores but I'm thinking I'd tie it to the mirrors.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...c70e50ac6f.jpg
I've used this because my wife bought it.

https://www.google.com/shopping/prod...DiBsoQ8wIIeDAD

I'm more old school though. Walk outside and start the truck, put defrost on full hot. Come back in a couple minutes and use a scraper until it's just good enough to see. Then take off and it gets hot quick and finishes it.

A Google search showed:
"Mix one part water to two parts rubbing alcohol. Apply to the window and watch it peel right off!"

Or 70 % IPA with a few drops of dish soap. :D