Car Heater for when parked up

[Keith RW]

Evening all,

Is there such a thing such in existence that will keep the frost off when vehicle is parked up overnight.

Got a ford transit courier that even frosts up on the inside and is a pain in the ***** to thaw out when the frost arrives such as it did this morning,

I appreciate such may drain a battery if left on constantly so possibly something with either storage facility or better still one with a timer.

[matone]

There are heaters that you plumb into the coolant system.They usually work on a timer so that the car heater is warm when you get into it in the morning.Work off mains power..

Hth.

[Dellbert]

fan heater plugged into the mains on a timer is the cheapest solution

[amateur]

+1

[Mice!]

come on own up, its for keeping warm in laybys!!! What about something on a trickle charge like folk do with motorbikes?

[Keith RW]

needs to be independent as vehicle parked on street away from house .....

[figgy]

You can buy diesel night heaters like wagons use for keeping the cab warm when engine is off. Don’t know the cost but a used one might work for you. Some range rovers have them fitted. 

[neil w]

You could source a espar heater from a sprinter. At a scrap yard . Ìt takes a few hours to fit them , If your handy. Most but not all sprinters had them fitted. 

 

 

[Trevorevans]

Ex BT transits that our company used to buy had an auxiliary heater that worked on a timer so you could program it to come on before you got in the van, also provided hot water to a little wash and basin located in the rear door. Were brilliant units but sadly we don’t get them anymore and nor can I remember the name of the manufacturer.

[Me matt]

Is the van boarded out? That can make a real difference. Also- what you keep in it? Mate of mines a plasterer, as hes got wet sponges and the like in there he gets loads of moisture and that too freezes overnight. 

And do you mean- fiesta courier? Small transit van is a connect. 

[Keith RW]

Yep ....its a connect ...don't know where courier came from.... no tools or kit in there as is used just for transport, boarded out but open to rear, just about gets warm by the time I'm getting out of it 12 miles later.

[ips]

if its misting up inside then Imo you have leak somewhere or your storing something damp in it overnight

[Albert 888]

Park it up in a garage with a couple of dehumidifiers in it to dry it out and see how you get on then.

[Remimax]

sounds like condensation symptoms due to wet carpets .

you got any unwanted holes in floor or leaky window /door seals.

 

[Me matt]

Its because you dont have a bulk head, one of my old vans was a lwb transit with bulk head removed, that too froze occasionaly on the inside.

I have a connect with a fold down bulk head, previous owner carpeted the inside, quiet and warm when its up- can get 2.4 metre lengths in when its down, might be worth considering. 

 

MM 

[spandit]

Eberspacher were fitted to BT vans. Had one in the Land Rover and you could set it to turn the interior heater fans on once up to temperature - getting into a warm car with hot engine coolant on a frosty morning was wonderful. 

[johnnytheboy]

I think there is two types

 

one that heats the engine coolant

the other that blows hot air into the cab

 

 

[Mr gen]

13 hours ago, spandit said:

Eberspacher were fitted to BT vans. Had one in the Land Rover and you could set it to turn the interior heater fans on once up to temperature - getting into a warm car with hot engine coolant on a frosty morning was wonderful. 

Eberspacher heaters are great the newer one have a timer so you can set it to come on when needed. They run on diesel but the only thing to watch is that they don't run your battery flat nearly all our transits and 4x4's have them, great for drying out wet clothes and gear over night as long as you have good ventilation.   

[Stonepark]

If just to keep interior from freezing up overnight whilst parked up, could look at a DIY Candle heater using cheap candles for 3p to 5p per hour running cost.

Edited November 8, 2017 by Stonepark

[loriusgarrulus]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Small-Paraffin-Anti-Frost-Heater-Warmer-Greenhouse-Garden-Plant-Soil-Cold-Frame/272902489932?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D49129%26meid%3D80e4298536e545949a52c6270aa22ad0%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D272439421773&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

Would one of these be any good. You might need to open up the van in the morning briefly in case of fumes, but should work.

[Red-dot]

I am an old trucker and long before Eberschpachers we used to put a candle in a big sweetie jar and controlled the burn rate with a saucer on the top. It gets really quite hot.

[old'un]

19 hours ago, Red-dot said:

I am an old trucker and long before Eberschpachers we used to put a candle in a big sweetie jar and controlled the burn rate with a saucer on the top. It gets really quite hot.

When I was a nipper back in the 60s my granddad would put a couple of candles in the outside toilet to stop in freezing, surprising how warm it got.

[lancer425]

On 08/11/2017 at 09:56, Stonepark said:

If just to keep interior from freezing up overnight whilst parked up, could look at a DIY Candle heater using cheap candles for 3p to 5p per hour running cost.

This is the way to go, my Kangoo when i first got it was wet inside condensation was terrible even in dry weather if windows shut it started to mist in screen corners , Dried it out as described elsewhere with an industrial EBAC Dehumidifier, then just a simple candle heater plant pot steel plate washers and a bolt its dry as a bone, i sleep in it now and then when up north fowling, if you have too much heat the condensation gets bad, but the candle heater and crack a window open its  stays dry screen stays clear inside and out, handy little idea the candle heaters.

[Longbower]

Large Beetroot jar ,  wax in the bottom to stick a candle in  , holes in the lid  to let it 'breath' and stand it in  a pot dish 

with a cooking  foil  liner .     (Ah , those were the trucks.).  

[landy george]

On ‎08‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 18:41, loriusgarrulus said:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Small-Paraffin-Anti-Frost-Heater-Warmer-Greenhouse-Garden-Plant-Soil-Cold-Frame/272902489932?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D49129%26meid%3D80e4298536e545949a52c6270aa22ad0%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D272439421773&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

Would one of these be any good. You might need to open up the van in the morning briefly in case of fumes, but should work.

Paraffin gives off moisture so not much point unless you leave the windows open