Gas sipping generators?

[roosterk0031]

20 dF inside a car, just get better clothes. $2-300 for some good insulated hunting or construction clothing that doesn't need fuel should handle those temps. Do you have to get out and walk rounds or anything, clothing helps there as well.

Sitting in a car a electric pad would be real easy to make. The toughest part about making a vest is getting good conduction of the heat into me. Putting it behind your back inside of you jacket you should get good conduction and not need many watts.

Or just buy something like this. 5v and 2am is only 10 watts, I think I'd want a little more.

Heated Vest Battery Electric Power Vest Motorcycle ATV Snowmobile Vest | eBay

Looks like most of the jump starters have 5 amp limit on the 12v outlet, so I'd build for 2-3 amps, 24-36 watts. 40 watt light bulb is a lot of heat if it spread over only a 12x12 area.

Maybe 2 amps would be a better goal, 24 watts, use a long enough wire to get 6 ohms of resistance with a 12 volt battery and you have it, hot melt glue that to a piece of cloth 12X24 but only on half of it, the other half will be folded over to hide all the wire and glue mess. Connect some 12 gauge wire to the 30 gauge heating element, glue the 12 gauge to the cloth really well, then fold the other half of the cloth and glue or sew the whole mess together. Add a fuse in the 12 gauge wires, switch is optional, I just disconnect when I don't need any more heat, depends where your battery is.

If you find that's not enough heat, just make another one. Just need a multi-meter, hot glue gun, some wire, and a piece of cloth.

Found 30 gauge normally has a 1 ohm/10' resistance, goes up to 1.1-1.2 over 100dF so I'd get 50', measure the resistance and see if close enough.

[Cobb]

I got one of those harbor freight 800 watt generators. It burns a gallon every 5 hours, but you got to mix oil with the gas. You can get an inverter generator, but those are 500 bucks.

Plan B is to get kerosene heater, 1 gallons is like 12 hours of heat.

[Baltothewolf]

Wait a minute, instead of building a vest, couldn't I just buy a heating blanket? - facepalm -

[Cobb]

When I was confined to a wheelchair and determined to be a successful student I spent a lot of time outside at bus stops and driving on the sidewalks. I used a pocket heater that uses fuel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJOuhESR8AQ

[2000mc]

Amazon.com: Buying Choices: Mr. Heater F215100 MH4B Little Buddy 3800-BTU Indoor-Safe Propane Heater
plus a
LCD Co Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Sensor Monitor Alarm Detector (White) - - Amazon.com

other than CO, are there any other gases that would cause a problem? then just need to not set your car on fire...

[ijames]

If you are sitting in a car you are out of the wind, so that's the biggest win right there. Get one of those jump packs with a built in inverter, and a heating pad, and put the heating pad on the seat back before you sit on it. I don't think you need a full heating blanket, judging by how nice my heated seats feel in the winter even on low. Mine heat either just the back or the back and bottom, and for me heating just the back is plenty. Don't worry about the inefficiency of going to 110 VAC for the heater instead of getting a 12 V heater - any power "wasted" in that step just warms the air up a little in the car, so put the battery pack on the floor in front of your seat so the heat rises onto your legs. My heating pad is 50 W on high, and once it warms up I have to turn it to low if I'm laying on it, so a 100 W inverter is plenty. Use the battery pack so there is no risk of killing the car battery. Then toss in a little car blanket to cover yourself with, and you should be fine.

[Baltothewolf]

Originally Posted by ijames

If you are sitting in a car you are out of the wind, so that's the biggest win right there. Get one of those jump packs with a built in inverter, and a heating pad, and put the heating pad on the seat back before you sit on it. I don't think you need a full heating blanket, judging by how nice my heated seats feel in the winter even on low. Mine heat either just the back or the back and bottom, and for me heating just the back is plenty. Don't worry about the inefficiency of going to 110 VAC for the heater instead of getting a 12 V heater - any power "wasted" in that step just warms the air up a little in the car, so put the battery pack on the floor in front of your seat so the heat rises onto your legs. My heating pad is 50 W on high, and once it warms up I have to turn it to low if I'm laying on it, so a 100 W inverter is plenty. Use the battery pack so there is no risk of killing the car battery. Then toss in a little car blanket to cover yourself with, and you should be fine.

My dad gave me an old boat battery to use for power, it seems to work just fine and I can trickle charge it on a daily basis while I sleep. Any idea where to get a decent heating pad?

[BobS]

Read the heating pad box carefully. Almost all of them automatically shut off in an hour or two. Even electric blankets are set to shut down after 8-10 hours which wouldn't be a problem for your application.
I am designing a small (very small) trailer and am looking at the candles in tall, slim glasses, some of which come with religious icons on them. Dollar Tree has them for, of course, a dollar and they burn for something like 80 hours. Enclosed in a taller pipe with a small pipe inside filled with water and carrying the heat wherever you want it is my current design. Could work in a car.

[ijames]

My $11 Walmart heating pad does not turn itself off, but I've had it at least 10 years so new ones might be more nannyified. Even if it turns itself off, you only want it on while you are sitting on it so that's a good feature. Get cold, turn it back on. Have to get out and check something out, don't have to worry about the battery getting too run down. Get a pad, check the wattage, then get a cheap inverter rated double that or a bit more, put the battery in a marine battery box to contain the acid, and either put it in the floor of the back seat or the trunk. Would be best if you strapped it down if it's in the trunk so it can't turn over. Again, put the inverter under your legs, and use a blanket to cover your legs.

[Baltothewolf]

Originally Posted by ijames

My $11 Walmart heating pad does not turn itself off, but I've had it at least 10 years so new ones might be more nannyified. Even if it turns itself off, you only want it on while you are sitting on it so that's a good feature. Get cold, turn it back on. Have to get out and check something out, don't have to worry about the battery getting too run down. Get a pad, check the wattage, then get a cheap inverter rated double that or a bit more, put the battery in a marine battery box to contain the acid, and either put it in the floor of the back seat or the trunk. Would be best if you strapped it down if it's in the trunk so it can't turn over. Again, put the inverter under your legs, and use a blanket to cover your legs.

Yea it will go in the trunk, and my brother is gonna wire it under the floor to my seat so I have heated seats technically haha. He is going to mount the inverter under the seat so I can plug it in when I want it, and off when I don't.