We have all been there. Whether it’s interior moisture fogging up the windows or a need to direct heat toward the windshield to help prevent snow and ice accumulation on the windshield, the defrost function in our truck’s HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) system is very important for us to see clearly while we’re on the road.
Here are a few pointers to be aware of:
- Don’t store anything on that dash! To some a truck dashboard might seem like a good place to store stuff within reach. Unfortunately most anything placed there is likely to slip down toward the bottom edge of the windshield where the defrost vents are located—blocking the air flow when it is needed. Besides, stuff piled up on the dash often looks tacky and is typically a root cause of scrutiny in the eyes of a DOT officer.
- Are the inside of your windows not defogging in a timely manner? When you activate the truck’s defroster it is designed to work in conjunction with the air conditioning system to remove humidity from the air so your windows can clear up. If you do and your windows are still not defogging, that’s a sign your truck’s A/C system may not be working properly.
- If your truck’s A/C cools normally but you discover an oily film on the inside of your windshield, that is a sign of a leaking heater core in the dash. That can definitely be the case if the engine’s coolant recovery tank is showing to be low on water. If that’s going on, work with operations to get your truck to a shop ASAP to get that taken care of before you end up having respiratory problems as a result of prolonged exposure to antifreeze vapors.
- Now is a great time to check your A/C system and get it repaired before the spring weather dictates a need for it and our shops get busy repairing these systems. If your cab and sleeper HVAC filters have not been changed in a while, give the interior of your truck a good ‘spring cleaning’ before you take it in for service and ask for this to be done. You will be glad you did!
