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How do people handle condensation in their cars?

Eleeski

Making fresh tracks
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Nov 13, 2015
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2,287
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San Diego / skis at Squaw Valley
Put a radiator style oil filled electric heater (they get hot but not burning hot) in the car and cook it. It will dry out pretty quickly. Works for our boot closet - which might be nothing like a car. I did use that trick after hosing out the car interior after the bear broke in.

Eric
 

David

"Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati"
Skier
Joined
Oct 14, 2017
Posts
1,344
Location
Holland, MI
When my skis and boots are in my car they are in bags. When I get home I take them inside and let them and the bags dry completely before putting them back in.
 

chilehed

Out on the slopes
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Sep 13, 2017
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878
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Michigan
Yeah, ventilation is key. I knock as much snow as I can off of everything, and keep the heater on high with the windows all cracked about an inch while I drive. You can also get a 120v Little Buddy heater to run in it overnight, we use them at work when doing cold testing down to -40. Velcro it to the dash with the outlet pointed at the windshield, it'll keep the windshield clear and help dry everything out.
 

Tom K.

Skier Ordinaire
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Dec 20, 2015
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8,399
Lots of good ideas. I'm spoiled with the ski mobile living in the garage, but I really HATE damp cars, so I tend to heat the living daylights out of the interior on my way back down the mountain, then crack the windows a couple inches when I get into the garage.
 

Dave Marshak

All Time World Champion
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Joined
Nov 17, 2015
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1,454
I keep a hotel key card in the car to scrape the inside of the windshield, then run heat + AC to dry out the car. I almost never run the heater with recirculated air in the winter. It's much less of a problem now than it was when I couldn't afford a car with working AC.

dm
 

johnnyvw

Out on the slopes
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Dec 20, 2016
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1,665
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near RDU
Be careful about using the Rain x washer fluid if you have a car with a rain sensor, there's a good chance it will foul it up. Happened on my wife's Alltrack
 

oldschoolskier

Making fresh tracks
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Dec 6, 2015
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4,225
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Ontario Canada
One of the tricks is turn on your A/C which comes on when you deforst, it pulls out the moisture even when the heat is on.

The second is turn on the heat and crack a window when the cars warm. Again drive out the moisture.
 

CalG

Out on the slopes
Pass Pulled
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Feb 5, 2017
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1,962
Location
Vt
Most/many automotive A/C sytems will NOT activate the compressor below some set "winter" temperature.

The best setting is "defrost" as far as A/C activation goes, but there is still no assurance that the A/C is drying anything.

A cooler does not a freezer make....
 

François Pugh

Skiing the powder
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Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Posts
7,617
Location
Great White North (Eastern side currently)
A lot of cars have the AC compressor come on (some cycle on and off) at any temperature when the defroster is turned on and they rely on it when defrosting; if the AC becomes weak, say from refrigerant loss over the years, the defroster doesn't work properly.
 

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