heater from water based to hot air based

[Hanns Per]

Does anyone have experience in taking away the heater system based on water and installing a heater system with the heat comming from the hot air from the exhaust pipes?

I want to get rid of complexity and weight and still have some heat if necessary.

Hanks

Hanns Per

 

HPK

[Bob Corb]

I could be done but you'd need to install some sort of heat exchanger like an old air cooled VW to get enough heat out. You'd still need a lot of ducting and a blower anyway so you probably just end up losing the weight of the little aluminium water-air heater and replacing it with a heavier steel device on the exhaust.

 

A simpler solution would be to fit a cigarette lighter socket under the dashboard (which would also double up as a socket to connect a battery conditioner) and connect a heated waistcoat to it?

[ianrm]

my first car was a Fiat 500 and that had a very efficient hot air heater system, switched on by turning a lever on the tunnel that diverted the engine cooling air into the car. The heat was varied by opening or closing it a bit. It did smell of oil a bit though!

 

You might have to souce an air cooled engine (and put it in the boot) for it to work in the caterham

[Mick Day]

Isn't RiF working on something like this?

[Sheds Moderator]

Mick, RiF is working on a tunnel cover that ducts hot air from under the bonnet into the cabin. You could do the same by taking off the pedal box cover but if there was an underbonnet fire things would be nasty. 😳

 

I'm sure the air/air heater can be done, the question is whether it's worthwhile. I'd rather buy a bigger coat.

[Golf Juliet Tango]

I'd rather buy a bigger coat

It's warmer boots or socks I need BOSS. Walking boots are warm enough but too bulky for driving 😳, nor are they really flexible enough!

I'm not sure about plugging myself into the electrics, but a small heater under the feet would be good.

I did mask off part of the grill to reduce the cooling of the radiator for the winter, so that more hotter water came to the heater. Next year, more masking for more warth during the winter months.

 

Back on track... Hans, I agree with Bob, I think that the standard approach is fairly simple and I didn't think it weighed that much.

 

GJT

Celerior quam currus festinans...

[Mark w]

My heater is weightless

 

 

I havent got one

 

 

Throw it away and solve all the problems in one go 😬

[Mr Locust]

A former colleague with a (very) early Westfield had a lightweight fabrication attached to the outside of the rear primary which was attached to some aluminium ducting. The ducting contained a PC case sized fan and drew air over the manifold and into the car.

 

A lot of cars used to use a similar idea for the engine air intake.

 

Surprisingly effective if a little crude but it took a few goes to get right. Be careful about fumes in case your car has an exhaust leak, open breathers etc, the system I saw drew air from the nosecone then over the exhaust and into the car and did not draw air from under the bonnet.

 

Ian

 

Green and Silver Roadsport 😬

[Barrie]

Most light aircraft have a similar system,very good even at low speed My leaking pedal box cover works quite well after a few miles and the missus is happy with the heat from the front end as well

I was thinking of rigging somehting up myself,anyone have any ideas ?

[Golf Juliet Tango]

I tried the "no-pedal-box-cover" solution, as suggested by Norman much earlier during the winter and decided that it was too draughty and certainly not warm enough! Maybe a Supersprint Crossflow is less good as a heater than Norman's BDR!