How cold can you go?
This is the time of year that we usually embark on our last camping trip. We were planning on making the trip last weekend our last of the year, but my 3 (soon to be 4) year old asked if we could go ...
Forum Discussion
CavemanCharlie wrote:campbikemom wrote:profdant139 wrote:
A member just PMed me to ask about the wiper blades in that photo. I move them away from the glass when snow is in the forecast. That way, they don't freeze to the windshield.
You can imagine how I learned about that trick. Yep -- one time, I froze 'em, and then saw that other folks had pivoted them away from the glass. (Bear in mind that I am a Californian, not used to freezing weather. My guess is that small children in North Dakota learn about how to avoid "wiper freeze" before they start kindergarten.)
It's funny to me being in the snowiest city in North America to even think that people don't know that purpose. I need to remember at one point I also lived in the high desert where when it snows it melts within 12 hours.
I've lived in SW MN all my life. It is quite cold and snowy here. I've never seen anyone do this. I'm not sure why you would ? What does it hurt if they freeze to the windshield? You have to chip the ice and snow off of the glass as the car warms up anyway. While doing that you just bump the wiper with the ice scraper and it comes loose from the glass.
Might be cold enough to not be as big of an issue. Living most of my life in central Illinois, now south-central Wisconsin, almost everybody lifts the wipers. It's often warm enough when the snow starts to do a lot of melting, or your car is hot from a commute. The snow will melt, then freeze during the night and royaly attach your wipers to the car.
If the car is already cold and the temps are below freezing, then you just get snow and the wipers don't freeze, or just a small amount of ice if the car is warm but it's well below freezing. That's why I said it might be cold enough where you are to not be an issue.
Other reason is freezing rain is quite common in northern Illinois/southern Wisconsin. 1/4" of solid ice and you won't have wipers for 30 minutes until your car can melt it or you can attempt to dig them out but you're liable to damage the rubber trying that.
