Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2014 13:54:00 -0500
Reply-To: James <jk_eaton@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: James <jk_eaton@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: DIY windshield de-icing solution?
In-Reply-To: <52FAD181.2010704@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Well, the next time you're north of the border, drop into a FLAPS or Canadian Tire and check out the selection of winter goodies:
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/temro-50w-battery-warmer-0113118p.html#.UvvB6s6mXjI
An oil pan heater is a good idea too, if you're not running synthetic. And a timer, and maybe the Plug Alive Outlet Tester, and a good 14 gauge cold weather extension cord....
A tale: here in Ottawa, being the capital, we have a lot of foreign Embassies, including all the usual African ones. A friend of mine who works in those circles was congratulated one September day by a newly arrived African diplomat, that we Canadians were so advanced, so many of us drove electric cars.
"Electric cars? No, they're all gasoline powered."
"But, they all have electric plugs hanging out of the front grills?"
"That's to plug their electric engine heaters in so they'll start on cold winter mornings."
"Oooohhh......"
James in Ottawa, where it's a 'balmy' 12F (-11C) in the sunshine today....
> Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2014 17:42:25 -0800
> From: camping.elliott@gmail.com
> To: jk_eaton@hotmail.com; vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
> Subject: Re: DIY windshield de-icing solution?
>
> Oops, as I often find myself, I am standing corrected.
>
> Yeah, sure, that 900 Watt heater looks like a good mate to the timer.
>
> "Battery blanket"
>
> You Canadians have all the good stuff.
>
> --
> Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
> 1984 Westfalia, auto trans,
> Bend, Ore.
>
> On 02/11/2014 05:35 PM, James wrote:
> > I didn't mention the timer, I mentioned the 'Little Buddy' heater -
> > which is rated at 'only' 900 watts, but that's because the usual
> > application is to have it running off the same 15 amp extension cord as
> > the engine block heater, which is typically 400-500 watts. I know
> > people here who also have a 50 watt 'battery blanket' to give the
> > battery a bit of a lift on a cold morning.
> >
> > And really, while Ottawa is cold compared to, say, Toronto or Virginia,
> > it's not cold by Canadian standards - we leave that to Saskatoon,
> > Thunder Bay, Edmonton, etc., where those three items are standard
> > equipment on cars.
> >
> > (In the Yukon I believe that they start the car in October and keep it
> > running until the spring comes in May....)
> >
> > James
> > In Ottawa, where right now it's 7F, going down to -14F tonight (-14C and
> > -24C for those of us not in the USA)
> >
> >
> > > Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2014 17:23:28 -0800
> > > From: camping.elliott@gmail.com
> > > To: jk_eaton@HOTMAIL.COM; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > > Subject: Re: DIY windshield de-icing solution?
> > >
> > > Looks like a cool little timer.
> > >
> > > Most 120V household electrical heaters in the US are rated at 1500
> > > Watts. The timer James in snowy, cold Ottawa ON mentions has the
> > > following load rating: "10Amp, 1250-watt resistive, 4-Amp, 500-Watt
> > > Tungsten/ 4-Amp Ballast."
> > >
> > > So if you likee that timer, get a heater rated appropriately.
> > >
> > > (I don't know whether your basic standard hot-coiled-wire heater is
> > > purely resistive, or whether it draws higher current when it first turns
> > > on, like a tungsten light bulb.)
> > >
> > > --
> > > Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
> > > 1984 Westfalia, auto trans,
> > > Bend, Ore.
> > >
> > > On 02/11/2014 05:12 PM, James wrote:
> > > > That's a good timer, but team it with a heater meant to pre-warm a
> > car interior, like a 'little buddy':
> > > >
> > http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/little-buddy-110v-car-warmer-0303405p.html#.UvrKWF8o5Mt
> > > >
> > > > James
> > > > Snowy, cold Ottawa ON
> > > >
> > > >> Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2014 00:03:36 -0500
> > > >> From: psdooley@VERIZON.NET
> > > >> Subject: Re: DIY windshield de-icing solution?
> > > >> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > > >>
> > > >> Yeah, that's the idea. Run a cord to the house and get one of these:
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005WQIDHY/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UT
> > > >> F8&psc=1
> > > >> http://tinyurl.com/lm98bod
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >> -----Original Message-----
> > > >> From: TonyCollin [mailto:tonycollin@gmail.com]
> > > >> Sent: Sunday, February 09, 2014 11:46 PM
> > > >> To: Project Pat
> > > >> Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > > >> Subject: Re: DIY windshield de-icing solution?
> > > >>
> > > >> Pat
> > > >>
> > > >> Do you use any old type of space heater?
> > > >>
> > > >> I could see something like this working to heat up the interior of
> > a tin top
> > > >> and making it more pleasant before take off.
> > > >>
> > > >> T.
> > > >>
> > > >> On Feb 9, 2014, at 9:18 PM, Project Pat <psdooley@VERIZON.NET> wrote:
> > > >>
> > > >> Sorry I didn't read the whole thread, but has anybody mentioned a
> > space
> > > >> heater inside the van? Set on a timer to turn on 20 min before you
> > leave
> > > >> the house. The inside will be toasty warm and hopefully the ice on the
> > > >> glass will melt.
> > > >
> > > >
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