TT, I lived in North Dakota for three years, and NH most of my life, and I've seen and had water freeze to the car's surface many times when trying to wash it in temperatures not even that low. And I've had the doors freeze shut. I speak from experience rather than theory on this one.
I’ve gone through many car washes in well below freezing temps.
#1 - It’s inside…so the temps are much higher. #2 - The drying at the end really helps #3 - I’ve gone through a automatic car wash with outside temps at -10 or lower.
I’ve NEVER had the doors freeze shut no matter what the temps were.
It got up to 20 today so the automatic car wash was working and I washed both cars. Even with the air drier at the end though, you still have water in the door, trunk and hood gutters and can freeze as soon as you drive it out again. I don’t worry about it though since my garage stays warm for it to dry out. I wouldn’t do that on a road trip though.
The reason I said to use the manual car wash with the wand is that you don’t have to get the rest of the car wet and can use the water pressure to melt through the ice chunk. Then you don’t have to worry about doors and trunks freezing up.
Use solar power to help thaw the accumulation.
If you have the time. . .like the going to WalMart suggestion . .
Park in the lot with the ice side facing the sun and let the sun do its thing.
Then kick the ice clods loose . .OR that ice pick you went in to WalMart to get.
THIS is how I get the ice off my mud flaps and running boards.
TT, you’re free to discount my experience if you like, it was with wands at DIY carwashes. That was the recommendation. And I’ve had plenty of it.
Calling me ignorant of car washes just makes me laugh. I’ve been using them for over 48 years. Feel free to disagree with me if you like, but please don’t call me ignorant. You just display your own blind arrogance by doing so.
A garden hose in the winter? Who are you trying to BS.
PostScript: I’ll be happy to debate the issue at hand as well as the use of a DIY carwash to clear the ice, but I will not respond to any more namecalling and insult posts. This kind of behavior has got to stop. Let’s end it here and now.
Believe it or not when a house has a frozen service due to extreme cold it can be connected hose bib to hose bib by a drinking water hose exactly like a garden hose but safe to drink the water that passes through it. This allows the house with the frozen service to have water. The water will not freeze in the hose as long as the receiving house leaves the water running at a little less than pencil size trickle.
So yes you can use a hose in the winter, just do not let the water sit.
I would not think of trying to wash off ice chunks though.
Running water definitely takes a lower temperature to freeze. The faster it’s running is the lower the temp needs to be. Same principle as lakes, streams, and rivers.
My outdoor hose lives on a reel outside, however, so when it’s below freezing the water inside is generally frozen. I do drain the hose, and if I can get some water running through it it’ll generally unfreeze, but I just go to the hand wash up the street instead. It’s a good one with well filtered water, excellent pressure, and plenty of good soap. I used to commute 31 miles each way, and I like to keep the car clean, so I’d use it perhaps two or three times a week during the winter months. Now I’m retired and don’t drive much, but I still use it perhaps once weekly in the winter. I just washed mine Monday. It’s always been my belief that if the surface is kept clean of dirt and salt it’ll stay much shinier much longer.
I’ve got mongo, the big guy. little hand held 2 pounder, and the splitting maul if needed, none of which I would consider using on my vehicle, and neither would I use an ice pick, the wand at the car wash to do the fenders only would be my first choice, sure had the ice in the wells packed up so tight to the wheels there was no suspension once, no harm after the big thaw.
We knew what you meant @GeorgeSanJose, but we had to tease a little.
Keeps you in your toes.
Speaking of heavy hammers.
Our Horseshoeing Association once was discussing windbreakers with a Association logo on the back. After much discussion and hearing the ideas of a horseshoe, tools, an anvil, etc. etc.,one member suggested a logo of, Just a bug thumb with the thumb nail blackened.
We went with the anvil though.
Didn’t you ever build a skating rink in the back yard? Get the hose out and start flooding the grass. Then in the spring fix the dead spots. But there’s cold and then there’s COLD. Last week it was down to 10 below. No outside car washing in that weather. Hands would freeze to car, driveway would be glare ice. Neighbors would call Sheriff for an evaluation, and guns would be taken away. So anyway when I’m talking cold, I’m really talking COLD. When it gets down to about 10 above, the car washes shut down until it warms up a little.
When it get really cold, one of the weathermen likes to put a banana outside over night, then on TV use it to pound a nail into a wood block. Now that’s cold.
I’ve used touch-free car washes in temperatures down to 0 as long as I was heading straight home to the garage (unheated) after that. The doors are lightly frozen when I get home, but not enough that I feel like a door seal will be damaged.
