Warming up your car (Tanacross: design, summer, drive)

[User 2]

Originally Posted by Xa'at

Hmm, I tooled around the site a little bit and found that the link provided was intended for viewers from Germany...
Here's the American/Canadian version: Enhance your quality of life - Welcome to Espar

The links were provided in the links I posted earlier,

......the context was that Europeans have solved this years ago.


Millions of Europeans have done this for many years.

Why we haven't, has a lot to do with our penchant for not looking at new, or changing ideas.

We seem to want to hold on to 'tradition' long after it's been shown to be not in our best interests.

(.....the same could be said applies to much more than just our vehicular penchants.)
.
..

[Arcticthaw]

These products have been around for many many years, the first one I saw was on a 1967 elcamino owned by a gentleman in Nenana.

All these are are gravity circulating heaters, like the ones from the 60s and 70 made by Kats. They all use fuel and battery power to perform the job with typical losses for heat transferance.
The frost plug heater is more efficient, cheaper, and easier to use. Very low maintenance and performs the same task for less overall costs.

The Blue model you linked retails for around $500 locally.

I agree the Germans do some fine engineering and have come up with some inovative products over the years. Like PEX tubing used in radiant heat systems in most homes now.

[rotorhead]

Good luck finding a spot for one of those under the hood of a modern car, though it seems like a workable enough idea. The basic principle isn't much different from a Toyo or Monitor heater, or for that matter the old gas-fired heaters you could get in sixties vintage VW busses and Things.

It makes sense if you cant find a spot to plug in, but those little under-hood heaters are nowhere as efficient as an electrical generating plant so they're actually a step backwards pollution-wise compared to using a simple 110v electrical heater.

I'm really missing my last house with the heated garage with the floor drain, I never did appreciate what a luxury that was until I didn't have a garage at all.

[Arcticthaw]

Yea, I am with you on the gargae thing, wish the one I had was attatched to the house, raised up about 2 feet with a decent slab. Then I would rewire, insulate and run a zone from the boiler or put the Toyo stove back in.

[Rance]

So these units must be bigger than I'd imagined? I did see mentions of space under the hood for them. They look nice and small in the pictures but really nothing to compare them with on a vehicle.

[warptman]

(in Beavis' voice) heh heh heh, unit.

[RayinAK]

I used auxiliary electric heaters for years while in the military at Eielson AFB. These were sold at NAPA, and just about any automotive parts store in Fairbanks. New cars don't have room for installing those anymore. The heaters were approximately 8" deep, 10" across, and maybe 3" tall. Do you remember how some of us installed a CB radio under the dash? Well, the heater came with a bracket to be installed upside down, and then the heater would be attached on the bracket with screws at each side.

I would run an extension cord without the female plug through the engine firewall, into the cab, and then would install the plug. The other end of the extension cord would be plugged into one of the outlets of the 4-outlet electrical box installed on the fender well in the engine compartment. The four outlets would power the following components: engine block heater, oil pan heater, battery blanket, and the auxiliary heater.

There was a heavy duty (blue color-for cold weather use) extension cord, from the 4-outlet box, out the front grill. This cord had a male cannon plug to plug into the parking lot electrical outlet.

[siamiam]

ive had cars i just let run for hours in winter time :P sucks to turn a car off for a little bit and having it freeze solid. ive used BBQ charcoal too many times under a car. a soup can with rubbing alcohol works well too

ive had oil freeze so solid i couldn't get the dip stick out, and all my vehicles are using the best fluids for these temps

when its chilly out like -15 and colder like how it normally is in Fairbanks i usually plug it in, warmer then that and i don't usually have to. i let it warm up for about 15 minutes some times longer. i like a good warm car








YouTube - Boiling water evaporating at -45 F

[Rance]

Is that a Pontiac Fiaro?

[siamiam]

its a Toyota MR2





i brought it up from anchorage. it started over heating up here when it got colder then -20F because the anti freeze it had in it from anchorage was'nt suitable for Fairbanks weather and would start gelling up causing air pockets

i had the coolant flushed and added in a -50F mix and haven't had any trouble with it, the cars heater blows so hot that you have to crack the window open a little :P