Does anyone know of a devise that will turn the engine
heater on if the temp gets below a set temp or off if it is above a set temp?
If not I will design one and build one.<span style=""> </span>Please
let me know before I go threw the trouble of making one my self.

Hmm, have you examined the temperature regulator of the climate controls yet? There must be a stepper motor or something like that which opens or closes the valve controlling the amount of water that runs through the heat exchanger of the cabin heater. The regulator must somehow control that stepper motor.

The regulator could be a point to hook in a thermostatic device. In a simple approach, the thermostatic device could utilize the stepper motor to either fully open or fully close the valve.

Another possibility would be to put your own valve into the tubing that routes the coolant water into the cabin heater. Then, use a thermostatic device to control that valve while keeping the temp regulator set to hot.

See here (http://www1.conrad.de/scripts/wgate/zcop_b2c/~flN0YXRlPTE0NDUzMDY5NzA=?~template=pcat_product_d etails_document&product_show_id=000000000000854714&p_back_template=pcat_suchergebnis&p_load_area=312028&area_f_infobox=312028) here for a thermostatic device.


But if you intend to set up a comfortable cabin temperature that way, things become more difficult. That requires measuring temps at different places/heights within the cabin, switching between the air outlets, running the blower at appropriate speeds and variably controlling the amounts of water running through the cabin heater.

Otherwise, the cabin will be too hot at some heights while too cold at others, or it might take utterly long to get it warm at all, or the overall temperature will greatly vary between too cold and too hot all the time --- or any other combination of that, but never comfortable.

I've owned a '96 Cadillac Eldorado with automatic climate control. The system was thought out very well, but MOTT it was either too cold or too hot and almost never comfortable: I could never get the right temperature at the right heights because it was impossible to make the air come out through the outlets I wanted it to come out through. The outlets were choosen automatically, with no manual control :( And you couldn't set it to more than 32C, but I often want the air to be as hot as possible.

I ended up setting it to different temperatures very frequently, but nontheless wasn't exactly successful. It took awfully long each time to get to the temperatures I wanted, and it was difficult to maintain them.

With manual control, I can heat the cabin quickly to the temperature I want and then keep it at that with minimal changes.


Anyway, if you find a solution, I'd be interested in it because I'm about to install a parking heater. When running the parking heater for extended periods of time to heat the cabin, thermostatic control could be useful.

Hm, I just got the idea that it might be easier and give better results to control the blower rather than the amount of water. Just run it faster when it gets cold, slower when the desired temp is reached. That should be the easier way, and it can save quite some battery power with the parking heater :)
Edited by: 0lee

... something like this:

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=76071& (http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=76071&item=4505430134&rd=1) item=4505430134&rd=1

Espar (Eberspächer) makes them as well. Maybe you can get something on ebay.com and use it to control the blower (via a relay).

I was thinking more along the lines of a devise that just controlled
the turning on and off of the engine block heater when the outside temps started
to get around 0 degrees.<span style=""> </span>Just a simple
way to help control the amount of electricity that was being used and to help
keep the life of the heater.<span style=""> </span>I just do
not want to plug this thing in and have it run all night long if it does not
need to. <span style=""> </span>I also do not want to turn it
on in the morning if it is that cold.<span style=""> </span>I
already have the circuit worked out I was just wondering if there was something
out there or should I round up the parts. Thanks for the response.

I just use a timer. I set it to come on at about 4:00 am. I leave for work about 7:15 am. That gives it about 3 hours for the block heater before it gets fired up in the morning.

Same here. I went and bought an outside light timer (made by
intermatic, I believe) and rated for 15 amps. Less than 20 bucks.
. .



I run mine for three or four hours, also.



Dennis

&gt; turning on and off of the engine block heater

Ah, ok, then I'd also say a timer's the most simple solution :) I've still one laying around on my desk right now I planned to use but never did --- it did cost about $2.50 at some super market, battery included ...