Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryland
one person had a ground loop of pex full of anti-freeze with a small pump and quick connect fittings on either end, the tractor or truck then had the same kind of connections hooked up to the engine so you could pump 50 degree fluid from below the frost line in to the engine.
|
Wow, a ground source block heater!
Recently, I've also been thinking about how all the thermal energy in a car goes to waste once it gets parked. I've heard about people draining their oil and/or coolant and taking it home for the night, I've also heard stories about pouring boiling water over the engine or making a small fire under it (truck drivers in Russia). If the car gets used regularly, then insulating the engine bay, plus a coolant thermos
a la gen 2 Prius, would be the best way to go, without the hassle of draining, connecting, etc.
But a car that doesn't drive regularly is more problematic. I think that draining/refilling would be a mess, especially if the drained fluid would be
HOT.
As for heating by other means than an electric block heater, I remember there was a discussion over at EcoModder where someone proposed solar set-ups for heating the engine, but the general consensus was that it had a very unfavorable cost/complexity-to-gains ratio. Maybe if it was for a whole fleet of large trucks, but not one small car.