Advice on fitting a coolant heater please
 

I'm trying to figure out how to fit a coolant heater, and just want to check my thoughts with you guys.

I want to fit it to the hoses coming to/from my cabin heater right?

Do I fit it "inline" e.g. cut the hose and connect the two ends to the coolant heater, or in parallel using t-peices?

None of the ones I've seen have the same fitting diameter as my coolant hoses (always smaller) if fitting "inline" do I need to worry about this as a restriction, or is it not an issue as long as it's only for the cabin heater hoses?

Thanks,

Nedlom

You can get them with small connections for heater hoses, and you can get them with big connections for rad hoses.

If it has two barbs/connectors, it goes in series/inline. I think that's the only setup you'll find, other then the traditional ones that go in place of one of your freeze plugs.

If you are installing a tank type pulse heater they are directional. Make sure you have the flow in the correct direction. If you install it backwards it will heat the coolant but your heater will not work when running the engine. I would just install it in one heater hose so it flows coolant through the heater and the engine. If you have a heater flow control you will have to leave it on hot to get coolant to flow.

I built my coolant heater from hardware store bits and put it in line before the heater core.

Which one did you get?

What car do you have?

Some of the have a plug where you can connect your heater or it may even have the heater installed but no electrical plug.

Hi guys,

Sorry, I wasn't clear - I've not actually bought one yet - I was thinking of something like this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220V-Car-...item1a3cd506bc

Car is a UK model 2007 Ford fiesta (1.4 diesel) it doesn't have any kind of pre heater fitted or even as an option, or factory add on.

Free space in the engine bay is almost none existent and I want a 240v heater so I don't have to add the complexity of voltage converters etc.

Nobody here in the UK seems to use a coolant heater - the only local sources seem to be aimed at track cars, and cost hundreds of pounds.

As such I'm limited to Chinese heaters from ebay etc, with poorly translated explanations. :(

Stubby - I've seen some that come with a pair of T-pieces that make me think they would be added in parallel, but no explanation is given in the advert. I'd probably prefer the freeze plug type, but to get access to them I'd have to start removing the turbo, exhaust, subframe etc.

M.a.m. metro - thanks, I'll make sure I consider that. Btw, I'm more interested in getting the engine up to temp than having immediate cabin heat. It's just occoured to me that if I fit it to the cabin heater and the max temp of the heater is less than my thermostat opens, I'm still just going to have a cold engine right? Hmm...

Oil pan - that sounds interesting. How does it work? I've played with the idea of building my own using a heating element from an electric towel rail - work off 240v and are thermostat controlled, but feel like I'd end up spending the same on parts as just buying one.

Thanks for your help with my dumb questions guys, I've thought a fair bit about this, but have put it off for the past two winters through uncertainty.

Nedlom

Ignore the question about the thermostat - I get it now. The radiator is the last past to heat up after the engine is up to temp and stops it getting (much) hotter than that.

There are no dumb questions.

You want the heat in the engine. So in my opinion parallel with the cabin heater is optimal. You bypass the cabin heater and heat the engine. If it is in series, it will cause a restriction to the cabin heater.

Let us know what you find. I am also looking for one.

I use a hot water heater element which has 1 inch BSP threads. The heating elements I used were 240v up to 4,500 watts and could only be plugged in whIle coolant was circulating. May not be an option for you.

This would start melting ice off the windshield in 90 seconds rather than 5 minutes.

you may find a freeze plug heater solution.
https://www.etrailer.com/Vehicle-Hea...s/KH31108.html