Will 12v heater work?

Will a small 100-150 watt 12 volt heater work at defrosting windshield and/or add a little heat? Looking at inexpensive ways to get heat into the car this winter (no remote came with the used 2012 model). I tried searching and it came up with 410 items, and they didn't make any sense.

thanks! board is a treasure trove of info! Bob

The problem with all 12 volt accessories is lack of power

A minimal heater would be one of the little 120 VAC ceramic box heaters like you use around the house - Stick one of those in the car on high in the morning and half an hour later you'll have a pretty comfy, defrosted car. Most of them draw about 12 or 13 amps from the wall, which is 1500 watts, give or take

I tried one of the 12 volt cigarette lighter heaters last winter - No 'heat' that you'd notice and it won't 'defrost' anything, but if you start out with a warm, defrosted car, it may delay the windows fogging up long enough for you to get to your destination. I paid $6.88 for the one I bought, which is way more than it's worth

Don

A little 1800W ceramic heater on a remote-controlled outlet like the WeMO, EdiMax, InsteOn or others would provide better control (smartphone remote and scheduling) than our original radio remote, at the cost of an extra box in the car and a second cord to unplug each morning. Tapping 120V off the J1772 inlet sounds simple, but could be subject to unforeseen consequences. Preheating the car is one of the most luxurious aspects of my miev.

Don said:

The problem with all 12 volt accessories is lack of power

A minimal heater would be one of the little 120 VAC ceramic box heaters like you use around the house - Stick one of those in the car on high in the morning and half an hour later you'll have a pretty comfy, defrosted car. Most of them draw about 12 or 13 amps from the wall, which is 1500 watts, give or take

I tried one of the 12 volt cigarette lighter heaters last winter - No 'heat' that you'd notice and it won't 'defrost' anything, but if you start out with a warm, defrosted car, it may delay the windows fogging up long enough for you to get to your destination. I paid $6.88 for the one I bought, which is way more than it's worth

Don

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But will they make the foggy windows clear up? I'm not concerned about keeping warm, just to be able to see out the window.

For $10 or so, you can give it a try. Mount the 'heater' on an empty soda can and stick it in the passenger side cup holder, aimed at the windshield and give it a go!

Don

If you are not concerned with staying warm in the car then you can just blow the outside cold dry air on the interior windscreen with the defrost position of air flow. This works well even on cold days but the problem of course is that you get cold. If it's raining or very humid outside then this is more problematic. You need some warm air to remove the moisture in the car or you can run the A/C which takes a lot less power then the heater to assist in the defrost.

I think the 12 Volt heater can be used as a hand warmer or to a lesser extent a foot warmer but that's about it. Energy drain bang for your buck, You are better off with heated boots /gloves/vest and bringing in outside air to clear the windows. The more resistant you body is to cold the better you will do in an EV in the winter if you need the range.

Fogging is a real variable issue it depends on the number of people in the car, the temp, the sun, and the humidity, A 12 volt heater with a strong fan will help but it will depend on all these things. For sure at one point you will need to bring some outside air into the car to clear the windows.

There are also threads on this forum about chemically treating the inside of the windows with anti fog products to help get rid of fogging.

Best answer is the fuel heater but it's a learning experience try a few things to see what works for you.

Don.....

I'm gonna try these, hopefully the fuse doesn't blow:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/honeywell-200-250-watt-personal-heater-0435100p.html#srp

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/BESTEK-300W-Dual-110V-AC-Outlets-Power-Inverter-with-Dual-USB-Free-Shipping-/162198445217?hash=item25c3c7dca1:g:XW0AAOSwAoRXFwd3

I've experimented with using a laptop running grid-computing projects to keep the car defrosted while parked overnight. The laptop pulls about 130 watts under full load. With the fans aimed at the windshield, it kept only a very small part of the windshield clear.

I've also kept a space heater in the car (much more effective than using the remote on level 1), and that does an excellent job of not only defrosting the car, but also heat soaking the interior. I used it extensively this past January.

As far as keeping the windows clear in the winter, I find that for one person in the car, simply leaving the vents set towards the windshield with the fan and recirculator off is sufficient. The recirculator cannot be used in the winter without fogging up the windows (maybe the A/C will help, but haven't tried it). Pre-heating with the remote also helps considerably.

Bottom line, you're welcome to try, but the max 120 watts you'll get from any 12 volt heater likely won't make a difference (fog is caused by humidity more than temperature). Running the cabin heater one or two clicks into the red with fresh air is sufficient for maintaining a bearable temperature and keeping the windows clear.

Hello! I think your 12v heater will work good, because in my casye i use same voltage heater but for my seat ( this one Wagan IN9438-2 12V Heated Seat Cushion with Lumbar Support )
So the voltage system i same - consequently, it will work!
I don't use the portable car heater but my neghboor used it , he says that this heater is good in winter when weather are very COLD !
Good luck to you rgalvinmi!

Heating a car full of air is a world of difference from a heated seat. A heated seat only needs to be a few degrees above skin temperature to feel warm, whereas a cabin heater has to heat the air up 30-70 degrees F depending on ambient temperature.

The human body produces 80-100 watts of heat on average. Two people in the car provide 160-200 watts of heat. The stock cabin heater is 5,000 watts.

Locker, welcome to the forum, but keep in mind that linking a product in the first post is a good way to get marked as spam. Since your post and link are both on topic, we'll ignore it.

Locker said:

So the voltage system i same - consequently, it will work!

Click to expand...

Because a 12 volt, 100 watt heater will warm your tush (which is already internally heated to around 98 degrees) therefore it stands to reason that it will also defrost your windshield (which is much larger than your tush and only at 30 degrees or so) is quite an assumption . . . . and one which has already been proven false by many of us who actually tried doing it

Don

Indeed- the 12V 'defroster' blowers are nigh useless. Something I've learned from my primitive EV conversions is that a steady stream of unconditioned outside air blown against the windshield will prevent fogging, but will not clear it very well, at least in the Northwet climate here around Seattle. So turn on the fan when you get in. That ounce of effort prevents a pound of cure.

PV1 said:

Heating a car full of air is a world of difference from a heated seat. A heated seat only needs to be a few degrees above skin temperature to feel warm, whereas a cabin heater has to heat the air up 30-70 degrees F depending on ambient temperature.

The human body produces 80-100 watts of heat on average. Two people in the car provide 160-200 watts of heat. The stock cabin heater is 5,000 watts.

Locker, welcome to the forum, but keep in mind that linking a product in the first post is a good way to get marked as spam. Since your post and link are both on topic, we'll ignore it.

Click to expand...

Oh. Okay. Sry for that! And thaks for advice.
:roll:

That's OK.

Time to start thinking about this again for some folks. Winter is on its way.

I bought it. It is excellent. I'll leave you a link where you can order it.

https://lakoijednostavno.com/shop/grejalica-za-auto/