Should AC Be Turned On for Defogging?
2 Answers
Defogging does not require turning on the AC. Additional information about AC is as follows: 1. The AC button is used to activate the air conditioning's cooling function, while defogging requires heating. 2. The AC button controls the air conditioning compressor, which is used for cooling; whereas the warm air function utilizes the car's internal heat circulation and does not require activating the air conditioning compressor. Therefore, to use warm air, you only need to adjust the air conditioning settings without turning on the AC. Additional tips: To defog, start the car, turn on the warm air conditioning, and set the air circulation to external to expel the cold air from the car. After 2 to 3 minutes, switch the air circulation back to internal.
Our car gets extremely foggy on rainy days, and I always turn on the AC along with the defrost button. Once the AC is on, the compressor kicks in and removes the moisture inside the car, quickly clearing the fog on the windows. You might think the AC is only needed in summer, but it’s even more essential in winter when fogging occurs! Even if you’re using the heater, don’t turn off the AC, or the windshield will get blurry again. Once, when picking up my kid from school during a heavy downpour, I couldn’t see the rearview mirror at all without the AC—the condensation made it look like frosted glass. Now I’ve made it a habit: as soon as I turn the knob to the defrost setting, the AC light automatically turns on, which is super convenient. If the fog is heavy, cracking open the fresh air vent helps with ventilation, but don’t turn off the AC—that’s the key to dehumidifying!
