Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Here up North in hill and mountain country it can get quite cold.
Whether 32 degrees or minus 20 degrees.
Heating car question. Car is started and immediately on its way (moving).
One theory is to wait until car warms up to turn heater on. Car is moving.
Others state to turn heater on high immediately. Car is moving.
Turning on heater high immediately when minus 10 degrees only takes longer for heat to get to car as one is blowing frigid air through the heater core thereby taking longer for the heater core (coolant) to heat up.
Wait to car warms up some OR turn on heater on high immediately. Car is moving.
For this discussion - the car is not stationary and running to warm up.
In summary. People get in car when cold. Start car. Immediately drive to destination. Wait awhile to turn on heater or turn heater on immediately on high.
Turn Auto on and let it do its job.
My Auto does NOT turn blower on until maybe half mile into drive.
This should answer your Q.
My 05 RAM, I do not turn blower on until just over a mile into drive, when t gauge is at about 10-20% operating range.
Coming from a very cold country, fastest way to warm up car is NOT to turn blower on as long as possible, while slowly driving in low gear.
You want (cold/dry) outside air fresh air flow into the car even if the car heater is blowing cold air. Otherwise, the moisture from your breath will want to condense as frost on the windshield. I'm full of hot air so it's an issue. YMMV.
I'm also pretty careful about dumping the snow/snowmelt out of my Husky/Weathertech tray-style floor mat. If I don't do that, it adds to the frost on the inside of the windshield problem.
I doubt the heat exchanger in the heater behaves much differently if it has zero air flow over it or lots of air flow over it when the car is stone cold and warming. Compared to the antifreeze/water mix in the cooling system, the air passing over the fins doesn't conduct much heat.
The heater core acts like a 2nd radiator. In frigid temps, you want the engine to warm up as quickly as possible and not draw heat away from it. I agree with the user above about auto climate control. If you have it, just let it do its thing. It'll gradually start putting out heat as it deems fit, in relation to the engine warming up.
That being said - In my old car with manual HVAC, I don't turn on the heat until the car's been moving for a block or so. By then, the engine has some warmth and can put out some heat effectively.
Physics has nothing to do with it. It's about comfort. If you turn the heater on immediately, it will blow icy cold air on you. Let the engine warm up a bit so you get heat instead of air-conditioning.
What does physics have to do with a vehicle heater? You’re water pump moves your coolant around through your radiator and heater core and picks up heat from you engine. Turning on your heater before vehicle is warmed up is just going to make it colder in the vehicle.
Car heating can be counter-intuitive.
You want the engine block to heat up as fast as possible, because when it's cold, it doesn't run as smoothly or efficiently or as cleanly. That's what it's thermostat is for. It keeps warming water from going into your heater until the engine is fully hot. Most cars, that happens pretty quickly, (5 minutes?). Once the block is hot, then the engine needs to get rid of the excess heat, and that happens via the radiator, or the heater core, either one.
The more modern cars also have a sensor that keeps the cabin-heater fan from operating until the heater water is warm enough to not feel cold.
PS: Physics was a valid description. Or rather a sub-branch called Thermodynamics (how heat moves), I'm a mechanical engineer, I should know!
The heater core acts like a 2nd radiator. In frigid temps, you want the engine to warm up as quickly as possible and not draw heat away from it. I agree with the user above about auto climate control. If you have it, just let it do its thing. It'll gradually start putting out heat as it deems fit, in relation to the engine warming up.
That being said - In my old car with manual HVAC, I don't turn on the heat until the car's been moving for a block or so. By then, the engine has some warmth and can put out some heat effectively.
All my cars have automatic climate control. Only one is smart enough not to blast me with fridged air until it warms up. Not all automatic climate control is created equal.
Im with the "Set it where you want it and let it work" mentality.
But on cars with out the auto-climate setting, I don't blow it til the needle starts to creep a bit on the thermometer because I don't want cold air blown at me.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
