More electrical questions

[Rob]

Quoting: F Body

Ah happy days, never did me any harm

Sounds to me like you're still trying to come to terms with it.....

A little counselling for your post traumatic stress maybe...

[Roadkill]

That's incredible.

I've read this whole thread and actually understand it . . . mostly.



2 x 1500W seems a alot for a heater that is basically  meant to warm up about 8 litres of water . . . .



What's a kettle put out ? - That Boils 2 litres in 2 minutes !



Thinking back to my time on site we used to put around 1000 - 2000W on a 110V transformer, all day, everyday - no problems.

That said you're supposed to give them a break every hour or so I believe . . . .

I could only suggest running each one from a separate Transformer . . . . Seems a bit overkill, though.

[Titsy]

Quoting: Roadkill

What's a kettle put out ? - That Boils 2 litres in 2 minutes !

About 1kW, but in this case you are heating big arsed cold lump of iron too...

[HardRockCamaro]

A kettle puts out 3000W.

[Jamieg285]

OK, some further information:

They are only 600W, drawing up to 6A each.

I take it the sums will still come out saying x4, but series is still an option? (I'm trying to contact the manufacturer to find out if this is possible).

If I have to go down the transformer route, what size would I need now?  I take it a 1500Av one would be enough?

[Titsy]

Quoting: HardRockCamaro

A kettle puts out 3000W.

I stand corrected... I didn't think they were as bad as that...

[Gator]

i still dont understand................why ?

all this hasstle to fit arctic block heaters in the UK

[55starchief]

Quoting: Gator

i still dont understand................why ?

My buddy has them on his motor

He lives in manitoba canada and the temp is -20C

[F Body]

Quoting: Gator

i still dont understand................why ?

all this hasstle to fit arctic block heaters in the UK

From an Engineering point of view 90% of engine wear happens when the engine is cold ( hence F Body rule No.1 - Never abuse a cold engine ) a nice warm engine also means no de-icer and a toasty interior from the off

[55starchief]

Quoting: F Body

no de-icer and a toasty interior from the off

I cant see that with those block heaters, there is no pump on the system so all your doing is heating the block and saving maybe 5 mins off of a full cold start. At least the kenlowe system has a pump and circulates the water through the heater matrix to warm the car.

The main reason for block heaters is for area in north america where it gets crazy cold and the antifreeze wont give full protection

[Gator]

cold engine wear is due to the oil settled in the sump and not yet pumped to moving parts isnt it ?

G is right block heaters are for artic conditions and absolutely pointless here imo is MK in the grip of an ice age

i shall be watching out for white maros with snow chains on

[55starchief]

I can see what he is trying to achieve but in this instance i think the soloution chosen wasnt the right one for the problem.

If you consider the actual amount of water in the block that will be heated and then the 1st time the motor is started all the rest of that ice cold water in the radiator and heating system that will be pumped around.

Secondly the choice of the supplier ie coming from the USA with a different voltage and the need for stepdown site transformers which by the way are highly nickable

[F Body]

Quoting: 55starchief

f you consider the actual amount of water in the block that will be heated and then the 1st time the motor is started all the rest of that ice cold water in the radiator and heating system that will be pumped around.

I thought that the thermostat would open once it's hot and the water would flow round the system, albeit slowly just like it does when you turn your engine off

[55starchief]

Quoting: F Body

I thought that the thermostat would open

Most stats open around 160˚F and even with 2 of those block heaters they will only get to about 110˚F

[Jamieg285]

Reduced engine wear was one of the considerations when choosing these, but the main one was to reduce fuel consumption.  My daily journey to work is only 4 miles, and I need to warm her up in the mornings.  By minimizing the warmup and choke times, they should lower the fuel usage and would have paid for themselves quite quickly (that was until I found I needed a transformer)

[Jamieg285]

The manufacturers have confirmed your thoughts that they are not suitable for running in series, meaning that if I am going to run them I will need to get a transformer after all.

If I am running 2 heaters (in parallel), rated at 600w each, what would be the minimum spec transformer?

[Titsy]

Quoting: Jamieg285

Reduced engine wear was one of the considerations when choosing these, but the main one was to reduce fuel consumption. My daily journey to work is only 4 miles, and I need to warm her up in the mornings. By minimizing the warmup and choke times, they should lower the fuel usage and would have paid for themselves quite quickly

Ermm... Electricity isn't free... you're looking at 28p per hour with the 3000w setup in ideal conditions, more like 40p if you factor in efficiencies... How long will it take to warm the engine>?

How many MPG are you seeing?

[Titsy]

Quoting: Jamieg285

If I am running 2 heaters (in parallel), rated at 600w each, what would be the minimum spec transformer?

1.2kVA OUTPUT power
I would say 1.5kVA OUTPUT power to give a margin of error...

[art b]

surely cheaper to let it tick over for a few mins to get the same result
seems a lot of grief to plug and unplug it each day...!

id forget, and would drag the tranny down the road to work.....lol

[55starchief]

Not forgeting the fact its not CE marked and that the insurance company might not be happy with it

[Gator]

Quoting: art b

surely cheaper to let it tick over for a few mins to get the same result
seems a lot of grief to plug and unplug it each day...!

id forget, and would drag the tranny down the road to work.....lol

i bet it wouldnt be the 1st time you have been in drag with a tranny

[art b]

[Jamieg285]

Quoting: Titsy

How many MPG are you seeing?

A month or so ago, it dipped to abput 8mpg.

I've put a smaller carb on, stopped the leaks in it and am now getting about 11mpg.

When it's this low, even 1 or 2 mpg improvement makes a big saving.