Welcome to more Heater Talk

From what I’ve read from the most recent heater posts are 1. Not to purchase an electric heater and 2. The defroster doesn't work too well or isn’t even hooked up in most cases.
I've read most of the PDF installations for 2 or 3 of these heaters and it appears that there is no way to turn off the plenum to the defrost ducts. My question is does there have to be constant heat to the windshield in order to see clearly? Once the jeep warms up wouldn't the windshield remain "defrosted?" It'd be great to redirect the heat back into the cab once the windshield was cooked.
Now I have no intention on driving in sub 0 weather in my Ft. Lauderdale best (mind you my best is nothing compared to Billy's Hollywood best). And I can only imagine the amount of heat retained by the Supertop’s thick vinyl and submarine grade cowls supplying an air tight seal around the doors is enough to warm the smile off Opus the penguin.
People of the North I guess what I'm trying to ask is – will I be able to function well enough to drive with any of the aforementioned heaters:


http://store.summitracing.com/defau...eywordSearch&DDS=1&N=115&target=egnsearch.asp

(or www.summitracing.com and search for "heaters")

*note the Summit heater (PN #SUM-991102) is the same price as the Flex-a-Lite Mojave($150), same dimensions, dumps out almost twice as much cfm (whatever that means) and more than twice the BTUs (which I know means delicious heat) .

The Summit heater, although it blows harder and delivers twice the heat doesn't have a plenum to direct heat to the windshield. Which brings me back to my original question - do I need heat for the windshield constantly? Or will the cab warmth be ample enough to drive with a clear windshield? Alternatively, I could attach a small electric heater only to defrost the windshield with a toggle to turn that off once the windshield is defrosted. Or is this simply too involved? Perhaps if I donned myself with a thick jacket, some hearty gloves, a hat and a not so frightened of the cold attitude I could grow a pair and get through this winter unscathed.

Winter ends by mid-March right?

Thanks for the info, Marc out

These are pics of the Summit heater's ducts, the heater itself, the Mojave and its plenum.

 

Once the cab is warm,. a small automotive fan would be enough to keep the w/s free from fog.

I would combine pics 1 and 2 and keep heat to the ds w/s at all times and one to the floor. That is just me though.

There are enough times that I have to use the defrost during a snow just to keep the w/s clean in my new vehicles, so not having the capability to do so would make me nervous. Ultimately, it's your decision. This is just my .02

 

I'm thinking (never having lived in the frozen North) that the type of vent fan used in boats to clear fumes from engine compartments and used by NASCAR to blow on all kinds of things would be small, easy to install and be switch operated and cheap. You could use it to suck warm air from by the heater and blow it on the glass.

 

I use the stock heater but also one of the little $20 electric dash mount defrosters. My window (at least driver side) stays clear no matter what the conditions.

 

Mop can ya post a pic of this when you get a chance?

 

well...my digicam is MIA, but it is one just like this.

http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/12volcerheat.html

My dash had a small hole directly above the steering column that I used to hold the heater on by a single bolt. The "fan" setting alone is sufficient combined with heat from the stock defrost. The "heat" setting is nice for initial defrosting before the JEEP warms up.

 

I'm in the same exact boat, errr, Jeep....cold Jeep. I in no way have to depend on my Jeep for anything other then just having something different to drive to work, so the actual amount of cold weather driving I'd do is pretty minimal. I'm debating as to if I need a heater at all. Yeah, it would be nice I guess and if I had a heater, I might drive around a little more, but could I just bundle up and tough it out? Is it worth $150 for a new heater?

Guess it just comes down too how much winter driving I really want to do. Tell ya what manden68, I'll tough it out if you do. I'm in Kansas, which means cold and windy, but not much snow.

Dondo

 

I keep hearing that the defrost vents for the windshield are useless anyways, so whats the point in using them at all? I am investigating a heater setup for my 5 right now as the recent trip to oregon has made me want to do some snow wheeling.R)

I like that mini heater defroster setup!

Kevo

 

So I'm going with the Summit heater:
http://store.summitracing.com/defau...eywordSearch&DDS=1&N=115&target=egnsearch.asp

and this inline tank heater:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/...101/Ntk-AllTextSearchGroup?Ntt=engine heaters

I'm going with the tank heater in conjuction with the Summit heater for obvious reasons. Now I need to find a respectable outdoor timer to turn the inline cooler on a couple hours before I jump in.
I wonder how many times I'm going to drive off still plugged in?

 

Heated seats are the best!!! I can't believe noone has mentioned them.

http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/afcarseathea.html

 

I thought about that. I am really surprised that the Beard suspension seats, like what I have, do not offer any seat heaters, even with all their other options.

I could easily slip those in as its just an exterior cover, however $359 for the pair is a bit much right now.

Kevo

 

use something very similar on the old loco's @ work; but smaller metal tubing and blows air on the glass.