winter plug in alternative

[hugeredford]

Borrow a miller welder/gen and let it run all day. that noise will change your bosses mind in a few hours

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

personally i dont think batteries/inverter will have the nuts to do the job. -30C = -22F. that's dang cold.

I agree about the batteries probably being too weak when it gets that cold.

I was thinking in an August frame of mind when I recommended it earlier.


Don't get a gas-burner; besides being sort of the Communist Hillary thing to do, your diesel should fire at any time that a gasser will, providing everything is in good order.


My main reason for liking a warm engine is because it just isn't good for one, be it gas or diesel, to be cranking ice cold.

 

[pointeca]

Thanks alot for all the help guys, I really appreciate it. I will be looking into some of those ideas next week when I get some time off.

 

[fsr7]

I don't know where you're working at, but here in colorado when its cold I've seen people put solar panels on the roof of diesels - you can buy grids that have a female 3 prong outlet right on them so you can just leave the truck "plugged in" all through work - even when its freezing out here, there is enough sun to keep the engine nice and warm all day. Just a thought.

 

[SASKR]

Pointeca, please post the particulars of your truck. Like year, model, engine,tranny, etc. Up here in Canada, there is a product ( Commandstart, Prostart, Articstart, you get the idea) basically it is a remote starter for your vehicle. The better quality (more expensive) models have a cold start feature, some based on engine temp, some based on a timer, which will start your vehicle for you let it run for some time (5 - 15 minutes) & then shut it down. We have 4 vehicles with remote starters on them in the yard. For winter set the defroster to windshield, set the fan to high, when the remote starter engages the window will have a head start @ defrosting. In summer you can set the AC on high & have the cab cooling down before you hop in. There are diesel compatible models & manual tranny models available too. Hope this helps. Cheers Rick

 

[krawlr]

I would check with Bulldog security. I'm pretty sure the deluxe versions have a feature that fires up the engine for a few minutes every hour or so when the temps get low.

 

[pointeca]

Thanks to everyone for your ideas, I think I'm just going to buy a portable generator, and try that for now.

 

[Johnboy]

I know this is an old thread but I've been searching ideas as I'm about to move to AK.
I was thinking about a hot water heater for an rv and a small electric coolant pump.
Any thoughts?

 

[RLDSL]

I know this is an old thread but I've been searching ideas as I'm about to move to AK.
I was thinking about a hot water heater for an rv and a small electric coolant pump.
Any thoughts?

RVwater heaters take up a lot of space, burn a lot of fuel and are not designed to hold 13psi system pressure All in all not a very good idea. For where you are going, get an Espar, You will not regret it, the thing may save your life. In northern Europe those things are standard equipment on most new diesels. It will fire up and heat the cooland and circulate it through the vehicle and if you rig it to the blower fan it will clear the window and heat up the cabin and you can use it to keep warm for days on end if stranded out on the road in a blizzard, it sips fuel. Kind of a no brainer for that climate.

 

[Exekiel69]

Since this thread is so old I hope the OP has a better boss by now, I can't help to think what an a$$hole of a boss.

 

[OLDBULL8]

Three years ago there wasn't many electric cars. now Obumer is gonna make those aholes put in receptacles for the Volt, gotta keep making them so they get there taxpayers $4000 bonus. Not much difference plugging in to charge or start.

 

[HammerDown]

Your boss is a massive A** Hole / ********...how is it unfair if no one else has a diesel?
PS...Deep-Cycle Marine batteries may work better, as they're designed to be drawn down and recharged.

Crap...I had no idea how old this thread was! The boss is still a ***** and I would have Hammered his wife and daughters just for the heck of it

 

[88beast]

id make one by getting a small propane burner (like for a grill but the stovetop burner) and hook it up to a tank and all in an enclosed box with 2 air ports give the intake port a computer fan to keep air moving and insulate it
then put a thick heavy metal pipe in the flame taht goes out both sides and attach coolant hoses
id think thatd cost 500 or less depending if you want temp control and a timer