Electric Heater

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I've been thinking about an electric heater for my aspire. I'm deleting/deleted the AC stuff, and the compressor sits right between the blower and the heater unit(core) so I will have to put something between them if I use them.. to save weight(possibly 2 oz!), and bypass the heater core lines and all that other garbage like the heater control unit, and misc stuff associated with the heater, wouldn't it be just as easy or easier to install an electric heater?

I've never done this, but I know VW's have electric heaters that can defrost windows and blows hot out the vents before the car warms up, so I'm wondering if anyone here has any input as to how I would go about installing an electric heater. I'd leave the stock duct in place to the outside vents, middle vents, and windshield, and run a piece of duct from the heater to that, if one blows, they all blow. Don't worry about too much heat comming from one place or the other, I am familiar with ductwork, and I'll figure something out, maybe jerry rig some louvers so I can set the airflow.. my dash is out, and with the heater controls & unit gone I'll have plenty of room, I could cut part of the dash bracket if I have to.

The only thing I really really need it for is to defrost the windshield in the wintertime, other than that I've usually got my coveralls on top of 2 layers of clothes so staying warm isn't really an issue, for me.

input, suggestions, criticism? Where would I find the right heater to do this? I'd probably use the juice wires for the current heater unit..if it's the easiest way to do it.

[Damkid]

The first thought that crosses my mind is comparing the amount of custom work needed to install a functional electric heater VS using the stock heating system..... I'd rather save the headaches/work needed to install the electric stock and just use the stock heater core/box

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I figure it would be just as easy to hook up the right alternative heater as it will be to try and hook up the blower, heater unit, control box & linkage, and everything the stock setup needs. I'm not really worried about how much extra work it's going to be, to an extent. I'm thinking it's about as doable as stuffing a v6 in a festy lol..just not that hard :-) my dash and everything is already out...some fab work will be necessary for me to run the stock heater without the ac like it was anyway.

Hoping someone here knows something about high(er) end cars with electric heaters that might have some suggestions about what parts I should be looking for, maybe I'll get lucky and find them in the junk yard or find a VW forum instead of paying full price for anything.

[Movin]

These newer cars need 140 amp alternators and big batteries to run
this kind of stuff. The golfs have the duct heaters and other too I am sure.
They have problems with them too, the tech is pretty new.

Put a 1500 watt block heater in and a timer to turn it on a few hours
before you need it. Also the Prius has a thermos that holds heat
for a few days, that would help too.

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Eventually I'm going to need a bigger amp as it is, but your right, if it's too much draw from a 65amp alternator, it's more than I've got right now. Something to look into, it could be a dealbreaker.

[georgeb]

foolish.

[walth]

foolish.

why even post? that's just plain rude. If the man wants an electric heater, he can explore the options. There's nothing foolish about it

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wow, thanks walth,

Maybe something like this and run a toggle switch off the power wire, had it mounted behind the dash where the old heater controls used to be, going into a piece of duct.. or better yet, position it so it's really easy to get to the controls on it, thinking about it now I don't think I want to put that much juice through a switch. I could possibly hook up a relay or something though.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300-WATT-ELECTRIC-HEATER-w-FAN-for-UTV-Cab-Golf-Cart-RV-Camper-Auto-Car-12-Volt-/370556943037?pt=Motors_ATV_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5646ea3abd&vxp=mtr#ht_3881wt_1166

[Aaronbrook37]

The first thought that crosses my mind is comparing the amount of custom work needed to install a functional electric heater VS using the stock heating system..... I'd rather save the headaches/work needed to install the electric stock and just use the stock heater core/box

Agreed here. If you want faster or more powerful heat, take out your heater core and flush your coolant properly. Trust me... the first couple months after a proper cleanup, the heat will be remarkably overwhelming. I've never had problems getting enough heat from the Festiva.

You say you're familiar with ductwork... you could theoretically install or supercharge the fan in there and upgrade from a larger car or something with a faster blower. Then you could go around bragging to your friends that your car has a supercharged blower haha.

I figure that on a single core radiator from the manual models, things would get heated up faster. You could also look into grill/radiator blocks if you need things to get warmer faster.

Another option would be to soundproof/insulate the cabin to keep in more of the heat, but that's obviously a bit of a weight penalty albeit relatively well proportioned throughout the cabin. That or you could also insulate the heat pipes as well to keep everything super hot and toasty under the dash.

I believe there are window tints out there that claim to insulate cars as well, but I don't know how well they work exactly.

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juicing the juice isn't an option for me, I am not familiar enough with electronics for that. Ductwork is ductwork, airflow and distribution. It would take as much or more work to install another blower unit, but that's not really the point I'm getting at. I do appreciate comments like yours Aaron, thanks for the input! I am taking steps right now to plug most/all the holes on the passenger compartment, I'm hoping road noise will be alot less too.

If you want to weigh pro's and cons, this is the way I see it, I would much rather talk about how to actually do this, and which heater unit would be best to make it happen, instead of wasting time arguing semantics.

pros:
could turn the heater on with car off, save gas, have car defrosted & warm before it's started
eliminate the blower, heater unit, heater controls
have an extra dash space for anything I can think of to put in it, a big + in my mind, think double din head unit down the road, or stainless/black metal cover plate with holes drilled for toggle switches, or, or ..
By eliminating the stock parts, I don't have to worry about replacing ALL the stock weatherstripping internal and external on those stock parts, you guys know the little foam particles that blow out your vents???......

cons:
a little fab work
gotta wire it up
15 amp draw from alternator (with linked heater anyway, and what's stock heater draw)
headaches/work
foolish

[stefan]

That heater wont even come close to putting out the same heat as the heater core. Something to think about depending on your climate.

Oh, and you can fit a double din head unit with the stock heater core

[Aaronbrook37]

Mazda 626 gives you that amperage upgrade you need!

[Movin]

Could spread it out some with about 4 of those 12 volt RV hair driers!
Heck put one on each side window and three across the back!
Add a RV battery to run it and a trickle charger to charge it back up
all night...

[bravekozak]

What about a heat exchanger on the exhaust pipe? There is a lot of waste heat that goes down that tube! It would have to be stainless exhaust tubing.

[georgeb]

why even post? that's just plain rude. If the man wants an electric heater, he can explore the options. There's nothing foolish about it

Criticism was one of the things requested in the original post along with the usual BS cheerleading. About as practical as a hand clutch.