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interior cab warmer

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Old Nov 13, 2010 | 06:29 PM
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From: NY
interior cab warmer

I've searched but didn't really find anything. Anyone hook up an interior 110v car warmer to the heater block cord? My heater block is on a timer, this way both heaters will go on 3 hours before i leave. I was thinking of this
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...5513_200395513

I know there are safety concerns, like using a 20 amp heavy duty timer instead of the 15 amp I have now, and mounting it in a place safe in the truck.

It's not that cold in NY, but I'm a sissy
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Old Nov 13, 2010 | 08:57 PM
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Personally I would be wary of putting that in the truck for 3 hours before you hop in! Maybe on a second timer for 15-20 minutes. How about a remote starter? I used to have a cheap one that worked well, start the truck 10 min before you leave and after having it plugged in for 3-4 hours it warmed up pretty good on the single digit nights.
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Old Nov 13, 2010 | 09:54 PM
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900watts? I think you could throw a turkey on top of it and have a quick breakfast before you head in for work.
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Old Nov 14, 2010 | 02:39 AM
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It has a thermostat on it, so it should be fine as long as it has a high enough duty cycle, if one at all. When I bought my 12v, it had a heater mounted on the console on the floor. I never used it (Espar is way better), but I never seen any melted plastic in the truck, so it must have been safe enough.
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Old Nov 14, 2010 | 06:24 AM
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Thanks for the responses. Tate is correct, it has a thermostat so it will only get as hot as I set it. I think the mounting point is the whole thing, and just like anything else common sense should do the trick. I'll give it a shot and let you know how it turns out.
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Old Nov 14, 2010 | 01:35 PM
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From: Yuba city Kalifornia
I use a 1500 watt room heater in my 01 for the wife. she hates getting in a cold truck , it just sits on the floor, and I plug it in for her, when she is all done getting dolled up,,the truck is clear and warm for her. It makes me points in the morning
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Old Nov 14, 2010 | 06:22 PM
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I've always had a garage, it really spoils you! I actually tried squeezing this dually through a standard garage door, wasn't happening

I think the combo of the block heater and interior warmer will work good enough......till I build a bigger garage!
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Old Nov 18, 2010 | 06:35 PM
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Grandad lived in Niagra Falls and used to run a 60W bulb in the Caprice all night so it was defogged and warm in the a.m.

Just a thought.
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Old Nov 18, 2010 | 07:18 PM
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Not a bad idea sixslug, I received my Kats heater today though. Didn't install it yet but I did plug it in. It's a coil that heats up with a fan to circulate, should work good. I couldn't find a good place to install it though under the dash, I'll have to look around for a safe place to stick it.
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Old Nov 19, 2010 | 11:53 AM
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There is a lot of room under the seats, maybe facing forward?
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Old Nov 19, 2010 | 12:22 PM
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From: On the Farm, Manitoba
I have used 850W interior car warmers since 1975. I install an extension cord through the grill and plug in the block heater along with another extension cord that runs through the firewall and into the cab. I then plug in the interior warmer and leave it on the floor. The warmer can easily be removed if you have a passenger and for the summer. I have found that the fans sometimes fail and can over heat that's why I only use metal ones. I park inside at home but when I worked I needed to be plugged in, if you use too large a heater and the block heater it will blow the CB in most parking lots.
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Old Nov 19, 2010 | 04:17 PM
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Sixslug - I thought of under the seat, but got worried that I would accidently push something under my seat that could cover the heater, plug it in and the next morning find a charred interior. But I would love to stick it thee out of the way. Maybe if I make a metal grill to go over it so nothing can really touch it. It definitely seems like the easiest and best place.

Busboy - I'm planning on running both my block heater cord and the interior heater cord to the Morinco I just got, than wire both into the Morinco. I'm using a 20 amp GFCI circuit, with the total watts of both heaters being 1650. It's the morinco plug I'm cutting it close with, being only 15 amps it maxes out at 1800 watts. I've also got to upgrade my timer to a water heater timer to handle the new load.
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