Engine cold weather heater?

[jmblake]

I was sitting around last nite watching it snow and had a thought. I have a 10gal Atwood DSI hot water tank witch is gas and electric and it also has the heat exchanger for hooking up to the engine water to heat the tank. I don't have the heat exchanger hooked up, but what I was wondering is could I use the heat exchanger in the hot water tank to heat the engine in cold weather like the Aquahots do. If I installed a circulation pump and what ever you use to heat the block of the engine, Would I get enough heat from the 10 gal hot water tank to do anygood. I don't know if I explained what I was thinking very well but it's just thinking. Thanks Jason

[James77MCI8]

Should work

[Tom Y]

Jason, I would think it would take to long to heat the engine.  Tom Y

[Stormcloud]

It may not work as efficiently as a normal engine block heater, and it may take somewhat longer to warm the engine block ,but it will work.

I would hazard a guess that you have a 1500watt heater in your tank. I have a 1500watt engine block heater in my 8V-71.

2 hours with mine plugged in makes a world of difference for cold weather starting.

Because you are heating water, then transferring that heat to the coolant, then circulating it to the engine block, yours will take longer and you will lose some heat in the transfer..

[jmblake]

Stormcloud,
Yes I do have the block heater I was thinking of when i don't have power because I don't have a generator yet, I could use the propane from the hot water tank. Jason

[pvcces]

Jason, look up the specs for the recovery rate of that heater while it is running on propane. I expect that it will be high enough to warm your block fairly quickly.

I seem to recall them running 12 or 13,000 BTU, which would be about twice that of a 1,500 watt block heater. A 1500 watt heater is about 5,100 BTU.

Good luck.

Tom Caffrey

[jmblake]

Ok, if this would work how do you tie it in to the engine block? Tie it into the coolant system or is there some where on the block to install something similar to the electric heater? Jason

[pvcces]

Jason, why don't you connect it into your defroster heater circuit?

Tom Caffrey

[jmblake]

Tom
I thought of that idea but wasn't sure. Would that work to put in a circulating pump into that loop? Would the pump block off that circuit while going down the road or would the engine pump push the coolant past the circulating pump? That would be the easiest solution. Thanks Jason

[pvcces]

Jason, if you use a centrifugal circulator, you already know the answer. Unpowered squirrel cages do not block flow; they will reduce it some.

Good luck.

Tom Caffrey

[JohnEd]

I think most buses have a booster circulating pump to move coolant to the front heater/defrosters.  It runs off of DC and you could install a manual override to force it to circulate coolant without the defroster fan being energized and cooling the coolant.  You wsant the coolant to be inserted into the heater on the return to engine side of the defroster circuit so you don't heat water for washing BEFORE you clear the windshield.

I would cycle the thing and not just let the heater run while the coolant circulated.

John

[Van]

Ours has two, still gonna have to see if they work or not.