Quote:
Originally Posted by basjoos
I've wondered if it would be feasible to mount a small hair dryer in the engine compartment, especially if it was grill blocked and underpaneled, then running the dryer for an hour or so before you planned to leave as an alternative to a block heater.
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I did just that a year and a half ago. I have full underpaneling and a LGB.
I let a 1000W hair dryer run in the engine bay for 45 minutes in the engine bay of my snow covered Insight.
It did melt the snow around the seams.
It heated up the 12V battery, the cables, the insulation, fuse box, air filter, you know what. Anything but the engine.
It still started like the cold pig of other days, no measurable reduction in fuel consumption at all for all the effort.
When I discussed block heating with my brother in law, a physics engineer, he was shocked that I would introduce high voltage inside the hood where there is a risk of gasoline vapour. I decided that it was not the right time to tell him what exactly I had used for my heating experiment...
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2011 Honda Insight + HID, LEDs, tiny PV panel, extra brake pad return springs, neutral wheel alignment, 44/42 PSI (air), PHEV light (inop), tightened wheel nut.
lifetime FE over 0.2 Gigameter or 0.13 Megamile.
For confirmation go to people just like you.
For education go to people unlike yourself.