Car cabin heater

I live in new jersey. And though it does not get cold enough here to justify a block heater for the car. What about creature comforts? Everyone told me last year when i had this idea that i was going to catch my car on fire...... BUT, why can't we put a small ceramic space heater in the car at night and have the thing heat up the cabin at 4am a half an hour before trying to leave? Power the thing via plug in to the house.

It would help melt the ice on the windshield. and let me focus on driving rather than shivering to death. Why does everyone think this is such a universally bad idea?

We have everything in canada.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brow...Lil%27+Buddy%26%23153+Interior+Car+Warmer.jsp

Yeah without one of those my life would suck.

jspence1 said:

We have everything in canada.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brow...Lil%27+Buddy%26%23153+Interior+Car+Warmer.jsp

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Does just look like a little heater, I think it could work fine but you may want to build a mount for your heater like the one in the link, that way it can't tip over and light the carpet on fire, most have a switch to keep that from happening but you never know.

that might be a good solution. I was looking to make a mounting board and screwing the thing to the board to make it impossible to tip. Everyone swears it is unsafe though. I'm still researching why

Why not just get a remote starter for your car. Then you could make it warm in the winter and cool it off in the summer.

Dude, you're in marlton. NJ. Thats not exactly the frozen north.

I'm in Jersey too and I leave my car outside overnight. During the winter months I find I have to get up and moving 5 minutes earlier to let the car start and warm up before getting in.

Just get up earlier and start the freaking car. The engine will thank you for it anyway. Letting the oil come to temp before you go ripping down the roads will do better for the motor.

LOL i grew up in Phoenix. I don't do these cold weather things when i have to leave for work at 4am. I still let the thing warm up because it doesn't shift if i dont.

If you let it warm up anyway then why would you need a heater?

Okay. Now I am confused.

Does the heater in teh car not work well or at all? Takes my 400ci block all of 10 minutes to heat up enough for hot air in the middle of winter.

running rhe car 10 mins gets engine to temp, cabin lags five or so behind that and frost few past that. takes about 20 mins to be comfortable.


you guys are sayig i a wuss huh

I have an interior heater, it cuts back big time on fuel costs. My dad uses a regular household ceramic heater in his 1988 Bronco II, and it works awesome. He has a shelf permanently mounted in the back and the heater permanently mounted to that, works like a charm, is it safe??? Probably not!

The point of an interior heater is so you never have to get in your vehicle and sit on a cold seat. I also have a block heater, because my cars and truck would never start without it when it hits -45.

I use a ceramic heater in my van when I'm traveling. Many RV'rs do the same. Having lived in NJ & NY for ten years, "clear the windshield" is a really good argument. I remember spending 10-15 minutes chipping ice after a sleet storm.

Put the timer at the inside end of the extension cord. That way it will also be running and will turn the heater on at the right time.

OK so as i look around there are many cheap heaters availiable in walmart and such. I think the requirements are a hard switch so it can be turned on and off via timer. It needs to have a cold touch housing, hot surfaces in a car are just bad idea. and some sort of thermostat would be prefered so that if i leave it on over night when i know there is an ice or snow storm it will hold the temp instead of baking everything in the car. ANd naturally needs overheat protection and tip over protection, even though it will be mounted to a BIG base to make tippign over impossible.

I believe the "hairdrier" styles are prefered. coiles behind a small fan. No super hot surfaces. and sirculating fan to keep things moving.

I'm excited about this project. the idea of nice warm leather seats and steering wheels and no more ice and frost has me giddy!

dude, just get a remote start for your car.

I have wanted one for about two years but they are around $300 installed . this idea is one tenth the cost.

If you could install yourself they are pretty cheap. I got one for my wife a few years ago.

Elfmaze,
I don't know why everyone is wearing you out about either getting up earlier or remote start. I have one of the little cheapo ones from walmart that I use in my fermentation chamber (it's a 5'x6' room) during the winter. Sounds like you have it figured out. Use some sense when placing it, figure out the wiring thing, and don't drive off without unplugging. Luck - Dwain

I plug mine in ..... Its a Cummins turbo diesel nice and warm when I get in also has heated seats ....:cross:



A little ceramic heater will work.

Dwain said:

and don't drive off without unplugging. Luck - Dwain

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Lol, didn't think about that. a warning light is in order as well.

I used to live in the frozen north (Grand Forks, ND) and have seen the crossover point on more than one occasion (-40C/F). I went overboard with a block heater, remote starter and battery blanket after I asked somebody why there were outlet poles in the mall parking lot. (you know they're serious about the cold when you plug in for a trip to the mall) Comfort and dependability are great things. Never had a car not start, never got frostbite waiting for the car to warm up. (though I did nearly freeze to death the morning my driver's side window motor died at the Burger King drive-thru on the way to work)

That said, I like the idea of a small portable heater for somewhat warmer climates, where overkill isn't really required. I say go for it!

Terje

Elfmaze said:

Lol, didn't think about that. a warning light is in order as well.

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Get an extension cord with the led light in the end, if it's plugged in you'll see the light. I did this after the first snow fall buried my old extension cord for my block heater under a foot of snow. The light actually shows really well through snow to plug in at night.

Terje

dataz722 said:

Why not just get a remote starter for your car. Then you could make it warm in the winter and cool it off in the summer.

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No, he is going to work on rigging up a window AC unit for that in the summer.

dataz722 said:

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The exact image in my mind!

Is that for real or a joke??

You have gotta be kidding me. If I can go out at 5:00 am in January when it is about ten or fifteen below zero, you can get up and start yours if the temp is barely below freezing.

I don't know about that particular one, but a friend of mine from LA sent me some photos of some similar stuff right after Katrina. He took them himself so they're real. If I can find them, I'll post. - Dwain

Hey, if you're going to live out of your car in a parking lot, you may as well be comfortable.

I'd guess most of you have never had a half inch of sleet deposited on your car over-night. I've lived in many parts of the country (including Idaho Falls, ID) and when it comes to icing up, NJ takes it. Not all that cold, but cold enough that you get rain freezing when it hits anything and everything. Who worries about cold seats when you can't get the doors open because the hinges are in a block of ice?

I live in pretty much the same weather and while it might be a pain in the ass it is nothing that can't deal with.

david_42 said:

Who worries about cold seats when you can't get the doors open because the hinges are in a block of ice?

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actualy thats a concern, if ice and snow melt off the roof and windows can it refreeze in the locks and doors?

This is what i came up with. No heaters felt stable when standing upright as far as a car moving around. so i got one without a tipover sensor and mounted it to a nice wide board. As far as the heater goes i can rest my hand on top of it at full power without getting burned so i feel fairly safe about fire risk.

Some of those heaters don't work when they are on their sides...have you tried this one on its side?

yup she works great. ran it in the house all night at full power to check for potential hot spots or problems. Appears to work well...

So, now you just need to wait for the first sleet storm.

david_42 said:

So, now you just need to wait for the first sleet storm.

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....that now will never come.

hey if my bit of Voodoo prevents the freeze i will consider my job a success. Unless that means the ticks and mosquito's will be worse