Some mornings it seems like I have to run the truck longer than I want to heat the cab and defrost the windshield. Just wondering if there is a way to add an electric 12 volt heat strip to the heater core like they do on household units that use an electric heat strip for emergency heat on a heat pump.

 

Do you have any idea how much electrical power it takes to generate a usable amount of heat like that?

 

If he did, he wouldn't have asked. There's nothing wrong with asking an honest question, even if it seems silly to someone who knows more. Sorry, I just thought your response was a little rude.

 

Yeah, I figured it would draw some juice, but I've seen electric units for trucks on ebay and amazon that wire directly to the battery. Didn't really put much thought into it beyond the fact that if there were entire units available maybe there were heat strips out there too. Guess it would take about 100 amps at 12 volts (1200 watts) to get any amount of heat. That does sound like quite a chunk of juice, but with a decent alt. wouldn't it be possible or do I need to go back to school on this one.

 

You have a diesel, so you are going to have this problem, they don't warm up unless you are using the engine. At idle it takes forever. You do have a plug in coming out of the truck to plug it into 120v correct? Just use that and plug the truck in at night. Some people get those large timers from Lowe's that can control your water heater, and use one of those to control the power to the plug in. That way the timer will fire up the heater a couple of hours before you leave, and it will been already warmed up when you get to the truck.

 

You hit the nail on the head Franklin, they don't warm up until they start doing work, which means it takes forever to defrost sitting in the drive fast idleing, unless I drive with my head out the window while pulling something. The plug in method works so,so, and it runs my power bill up if I use it all the time even on a timer, that's why I was wondering about an electric heat strip. Thought maybe they might exist and be feasable, but if they don't exist or they would take a couple hundred amps or more to run then they obvioulsy would not be an option. Just curious.

 

If you had the money, what you really need is one of those little furnaces I saw on one of those truck shows. That's exactly what it is, a little furnace that runs off diesel. It has a little pump, and is tied into the cooling system. It also has a little brain that controls it, and it's tied into the defroster system. You have to run a line to the diesel tank to run it. It fires up in the morning and heats the coolant up, and when that's hot, it turns the defrost on and clears the windshield, all while the engine is off.

I don't know the name of it, or who sells it, maybe someone else knows or can find it on the internet. It seemed like it was made for a commercial truck, but they were putting it on a diesel pickup. It sounds expensive though.

 

When I had to start my F250 up at sub-zero temps at 0500, I had 2 separate 110 VAC cords to the truck - one to the engine block heater, and the other to a 1500 watt AC heater/ fan on the floor of the cab. The floor heater was timed to come on 1-2 hours before I needed to start the engine, and this would always be enough to defrost the windshield and thaw out a good part of the cab. Just be sure nothing is close enough to the heater to get burnt or melted.
In am, pull the cords, start the engine and take off immediately. By the time your cab starts to cool off, the engine should be generating enough hot air to keep your windshield defrosted. However, at -25 deg F or so this may not occur fast enough even then.
1500 watts x 2 hours = 3 kilowatt hours. I pay 10 cents per kilowatt hour to my local electric utility, so the juice needed to warm up the cab cost 30 cents every morning I used it. I don't imagine having your engine run hard enough to generate an extra 100 amps for 2 hours could be done as cheaply as that, at current diesel prices.

 

Espar - AIRTRONIC Technology
Don't know how much they cost. See this link for a partial discussion: http://www.overdriveonline.com/cold-remedy/?pg=2 They are designed to run in cabs, powered by 12 VDC & most energy output coming from diesel tanks. Wide variety of applications & heat outputs.

 

That was the coldest morning I ever had to run at, I drove 55 miles at 55 mph to get to twork, the preheated cab actually cooled off once I got moving and the air inside got very cold despite the defrost running at full blast. The engine never warmed up to the normal level. Defrost air was just barely enough to keep the inside of the windshield clear. The side windows kept frosting up (from my breath).
That year I had paid for a $200 expedition type parka (meant for places like northern Alaska, that was in 1986, similar parkas now cost $600). I wore that over several layers of clothes & was comfortable enough outdoors at -25 as long as the wind wasn't bad. I solved that particular morning's defrost problems by opening my driver's side window enough to draw my moist breath out the side rather than have it build up. The cab got a little colder, I did not feel it since I was prepared and fully suited up for severe cold.

 

Speaking of all that, I do run a 1/8" thick piece of plywood slipped down in front of the radiator to help the truck warm up in the winter. I kept trimming it down till it ran the temp I wanted, and it ended up covering about 1/3 of the radiator.

 

Good idea. I never had to go to that extent. The weather I mentioned was the coldest I ever had to deal with, most of the winter wasn't nearly that bad, and nothing like that has happened in the last 20 years or so. At those temps it is best to have clothing that will keep you alive should your vehicle stop running or catch on fire.
After I wore out that 1986 parka in 2006, I paid a visit to the factory in Grand Junction CO and bought a new one for about $235, which included a big discount because it was still August.

 

Roadpro RPSL-681 12 Volt Direct Wire Ceramic Heater