PoP wrote:

I wondered what the other experts here think about the following
idea.....

During the winter months my garage does get a bit on the cold side
when the temperature plummets. It isn't attached to the house and has
no heating.

No big deal when I'm not working in there, and when I am I can always
use a fan heater to warm up the corner I'm working in. But what I'd
like to do is arrange things so that the car engine (Freelander -
plenty of room underneath!) isn't stone cold when I go out in the
morning - it can take a while to reach operating temperature and on
short journeys I'd reach the destination before the heater is working.

What I was thinking about was to put a couple of tubular heaters under
the engine bay, on a timer that comes on at about 3am. These things
are insulated against moisture and so on, and at 120W each they don't
get particularly warm:

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Ind...ers/index.html

What I'm thinking is that the little warmth they do generate would
rise into the engine compartment, taking the chill off the engine so
that once I start up and move off it doesn't take so long for normal
temperature to be acquired.

Does this sound like a plausible idea, or has Dr Strangelove got hold
of my noggin?



Used to be able to buy these thins at halfords. They do work. Up to a point.

Trouble is you want an engine water temp of about 90C. the difference
between coming up to that from 0C or 20C isn't huge.

What you REALLY want is a immesrion heater in teh radiator, switched on
ten minutes before uyou start teh engine :-)


PoP