How to warm up the car interior in winter
Content
Driving in a static position in a car interior frozen overnight is simply dangerous to health. But it is in the morning that there is not enough time for high-quality warming up of the car interior. In such a situation, it is better to take the necessary measures in advance.
Do I need to warm up my car in winter?
By itself, the car does not need a mandatory full warm-up. This does not mean that it is possible in severe frost, having barely achieved a more or less stable rotation of the engine crankshaft, immediately start moving in normal mode. But waiting for the complete warm-up of the units and the body to the nominal operating temperature is also highly undesirable.
When the engine is running at idle, warming up is very slow. A lot of time will be unreasonably spent on the rise in temperature, resource and fuel will be used up. In addition, the transmission does not warm up in this mode, and a modern engine is so economical that it may not reach operating temperature at all without load.
It is much more profitable to start driving at low speed and low gears after a few minutes, when the pointer arrow only moves from its extreme position, then warming up will accelerate, part of the load will create cold oil in the units, and more heat will enter the cabin.
What needs to be done to quickly warm up the cabin
During the first kilometers, you need to gradually add the load, which will further accelerate the heating. This will not damage the engine at all and will not create conditions for uneven thermal expansion of parts. The accelerated temperature rise of oils and greases will reduce wear.
We use a standard interior heater
If there is a valve for controlling the flow of fluid through the heater radiator, it should be fully opened. Heat will immediately begin to flow into the cabin, and the temperature of the passing air will rise gradually, which will protect the glass from critical drops.
With uneven heating, cracks often appear on the windshield. Therefore, it is better to direct the entire air flow to the feet of the driver and passengers, which will save their health and save expensive glass.
Additional heating systems
If the car is equipped with additional electric heaters for seats, windows, steering wheel and mirrors, then they must be turned on to the maximum mode.
An engine running at medium speed will be able to provide the heating elements with energy, and they, in turn, will set an additional load through the generator, the motor will quickly reach the nominal thermal regime.
Electric air heater
Sometimes additional electric interior heaters are installed in the car. They differ from the main stove in that they enter the operating mode almost immediately, without waiting for the engine to heat up. Therefore, it is categorically undesirable to direct the air heated by them to the same glasses. The desire to quickly defrost them can result in cracks.
To help with the transparency of the windows during the start of the movement, a simple method of ventilating the passenger compartment, which must be applied in advance, before parking the car, will help.
The cabin must be ventilated by lowering the windows, otherwise the decrease in the temperature of the moist air accumulated inside will lead to the appearance of a dew point when excess moisture settles on the windows and freezes. Outboard cold air has low humidity, and the glass will remain transparent in the morning.
Warm up while driving
Moving at a low speed, you should not expect an intense natural air exchange. To do this, you will have to turn on the fan at maximum speed in the internal circulation mode. The intake of outside air will only delay the process.
Engine speed must be maintained at an average level, choosing a gear in manual mode, even with an automatic transmission. Otherwise, the machine will start saving fuel by dropping the speed to a minimum, which will not ensure good circulation of antifreeze by a standard cooling pump. On some machines, an additional electric pump is mounted, whose performance does not depend on the crankshaft speed.
Optional Equipment
In regions where the temperature in winter is constantly kept at minus 20 degrees and below, the performance of standard systems may not be enough, and additional measures have to be taken. The same applies to cars with a significant interior volume, especially with diesel and turbocharged engines that have high efficiency and generate little heat during operation.
Fuel preheater
Additional heating is provided by installed systems, often called "webasto" after one of the most common manufacturers of such devices. These are units that take fuel from the car tank, set fire to it with electric and glow plugs, and the resulting hot gas is sent to the heat exchanger. Through it, the outboard air is driven by a fan, warmed up and enters the cabin.
The same systems provide warming up of the engine before starting. To do this, antifreeze from the engine cooling system is driven through them with an electric pump.
The device can be turned on remotely or according to a set timer program, which guarantees a warmed-up engine ready for a quick start and a warm car interior by the right time.
Electric preheater
The same effect can be achieved by passing coolant through an electric heater. But it consumes too much electricity, which practically eliminates its power supply from a regular battery and means the need to supply mains voltage to the car. Otherwise, the control and functions will be the same as in the case of a fuel heater.
Remote start
The car security system may include the function of remote engine start. When the car's transmission is set to the neutral position and the parking brake is applied, a command is given from the control panel at the right time to start the engine, after which the regular heater starts working, the controls of which are pre-set to the maximum efficiency mode. By the time the driver appears, the engine and interior of the car will be warmed up.
If the frost is so strong that starting the engine becomes difficult or impossible, then the system can be programmed to periodically turn on. Then the temperature does not drop to a critical value and the car is guaranteed to start.
Additional measures for comfortable operation of the car in winter can be:
- thermal sealing of the engine compartment by closing the radiator with a shield and the use of “auto-blanket”-type means of heat-insulating and fireproof materials over the motor;
- periodic switching on of the air conditioner in winter to reduce the humidity in the cabin;
- the use of seat covers with electric heating, if this function is not included in the package;
- obligatory use of only winter fuel for diesel engines;
- installation for the winter of candles of a more “hot” design, with a reduced glow number;
- regular recharging of the battery by an external source, and in severe frosts, storing it in a heated room.
The desire to increase the temperature should not lead to the opposite problem - overheating of the engine. In winter, it is necessary to carefully monitor its temperature just as carefully as in summer.
Low outside temperatures will not save you from overheating if the cooling system is malfunctioning, and the engine is running with increased load due to difficult driving conditions on winter roads.
