Pad Heaters - Group Buy (Europe)!
 

For those who haven't been following the discussion in Where to buy pad type engine block heaters?, here's the news: I'm trying to organize a group buy of pad type oil pan heaters. I e-mailed three companies, two replied, and I picked the one with better prices. Here is an e-mail from Wolverine's European division:
In another e-mail they said that
They also prefer to send the whole batch to one address, so this is why this group buy is for Europe - there is no need for them to send the whole batch from Canada to Europe and then send half of it back to North America. Anyone who would like to organize a group buy on the west end of the Pond can go ahead and do it, I know that a few members would be interested. I've also tried to negotiate a discount for EcoModder.com members (maybe something similar to the deal we have on ScanGauges), but they haven't responded to that yet. If and when they do, I'll let everyone know.

For now, any members from Europe interested in getting a heater from the e-mail quoted above please let me know (either post here or send me a PM) which model and how many. Once we know how many heating pads will be ordered, we'll be able to get a discount. After that the order will come to one of us (probably me, unless someone volunteers to relieve me), and that person will then ship to each member individually. There may also be a customs fee, but I've had no luck finding info on that. So the total cost of the order will be something like:
price - rebate + (shipping from Canada)/(number of pads) + customs fee (maybe) + shipping within Europe.
Shipping from Canada depends on the amount, for 1-2 pads it's $10, so it shouldn't be more than $5-$7 per pad. European shipping is less, no more than 3€-6€, I guess.

NOTICE: As mentioned in the quoted e-mail, the pad heaters do not have an electrical plug (only a cable). This is because:

• There are at least 2-3 different plug types in Europe,
• European plugs are hard to get in North America.

So you'll also need to add your plug, but that is simple.

NOTICE #2: Replying to an earlier question: Pad heaters cannot be uninstalled. Once they are glued on, they stay on. So if you are planning to replace you oil pan (or whatever you want to stick a pad heater to), do that first. Of course, you can order now, since it will probably be cheaper than ordering individually later.

or 1-2 days later if need be.

I'll add that the 50W pad (which I wanted to get for my transmission) is only available for 120V:( So I'm getting a 125 watt 240V round pad (model 9.0-240). Jabb and vtec-e are also interested in that size, so the order size is 3 already:)

Nice work getting this group buy going, Piwoslaw.

I saw one line in the vendor's description that stuck in my craw though:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but "heat rises" only applies to the liquids in the equation, not the solids.

I believe that is more or less true. In this case, the pad's heat will rise through the oil, so it will be uniformly heated. Some heat will also be conducted through any metal that is touching the oil pan or oil. Metal conducts in any direction, but in this case it would be "up" anyway. Plus air "is also a liquid", so some (not much) will rise and transmit heat from the oil's surface to the crank and pistons.

I doubt that a pad heater will get the engine red hot, but over 4-6 hours the lower parts of it will acquire some warmth. And when it starts turning, the warm oil will wash over everything and the temperatures will even out. Having an electric oil pump would help distribute heat while the pad is still working.

Bumping this thread.

Just 11 days until I start to order!!

Is this heat pad alone enough to warm up engine (warm coolant so engine does not waste fuel in first minutes to warm-up) or is it for oil warming and lubrication?

How many gas-engine users are using engine heaters?

The engine will not get HOT, but it will be warm. Cold coolant doesn't directly effect wear, but cold oil does. (Cold coolant may effect ignition, but only in diesels.) The warm-up times will be shorter, since the oil will transfer some of its heat to the block and coolant once it starts flowing.

The ones I know of are Tygen1 and MetroMPG. Both use them together with a coolant heater, but a lone heating pad will also do its job, as long as it is plugged in for 4-6h, instead of the coolant heater's 1-2h.

Ecoxantia found some heating pads at RS. They look OK, the pricing is close to Wolverine's, but the dimensions appear to be much larger. This should keep the oil from burning, but may be hard to find a big enough spot. For example, their 100W heater is available in either 10x15cm or 20x15cm, while Wolverine's 125W pad is 4x15cm or 7.5cm diameter round. My oil pan won't fit anything bigger than 8x12cm, so I'll have to stick (pun indended) to the 7.5cm diam model.

RS does have a 50W pad for 220VAC (item nr 245-613), but it is also 10x15cm, while my transmission's smooth metal area is 3 times smaller:( Can't stop thinking about it, though...

Here is a link to the 50W pad:
Selfadhesive heatermat, 50W 100x150mm

So, does anyone think we should try to negotiate with RS, or do we stick with Wolverine?

So far I've got word from vtec-e, Jabb, and Ecoxantia that they are interested, so that would be 4 pads including mine. I'm guessing that their discount will be similar to what Titan offered 5 years ago (15%). I'll e-mail them today and ask for more details.

Anyone who is interested, please measure your oil pan and tell me which model you would like. I'm getting model 9.0-240 (125W, 7.5cm diam). If anyone would also like battery or filter heaters, go ahead and say so.
I'd like to order next week.

EDIT: They confirmed that the rebate is 15%.

More heating pads, thanks again ecoxantia:)
Flexible Silicone Rubber Fibreglass Insulated Heaters

Today's the last day!