Heat And Defrost Your Car Or Truck

Xtreme Heater in the Cab of a PickupCar and truck engines in cold climates are typically equipped with a block heater or recirculating water heating system to keep the motor warm enough for easy starts and reduced wear that can be experienced with cold startups, but what about the interior passenger compartment or truck cab?

There are many reasons you may want to heat the interior of your car or truck, including pre-heating the car such as to reduce the time it takes to warm up the cabin using the vehicles heating system. Pre-heating the interior can also reduce or eliminate frost and ice build-up.

A customer in Alaska contacted us for just such a solution a number of years ago. His pick-up was parked outside and he was spending too much time scraping the windows and freezing his rear end off every morning getting out to work. He had a block heater so the engine was fine, and heat would blow through his vents as soon as the truck was started, but the passenger compartment often wouldn’t warm to a comfortable temperature before he arrived at work.

Before contacting Xtreme, this customer had tried household space heaters without success. First, they drew too much power from the circuit that also supported his block heater. He also found that the exit air temperature was too hot. There was no place in the vehicle to place a space heater that met the guidelines for distance to objects, to prevent a fire.

As we talked through the problem, we decided in his climate, and with a crew cab truck, an Xtreme Medium, XXHEAT heater would offer the best balance of heat output and power usage. He placed his heater on the center console of the front seat and plugged it in. He called back a few weeks later to report that the heater was keeping the cab of the truck warm, and that what little snow and ice he occasionally found on the windows was easy to brush off.

We’ve since sold heaters for this purpose to customers keeping their automobiles, pickups and service vehicles warm and ready during the winter.

VW Bus with Xtreme Engine Compartment HeaterAnother customer came up with a unique way to keep his VW Bus engine warm.  The Volkswagen Bus, like the Beetle, has an air cooled engine, so a recirculating pre-heater wasn’t going to work in this case.

VW Bus with Xtreme Engine Compartment HeaterProfessionals that carry water and/or chemicals in their work van, such as mobile detailers, pest control professionals and mobile pressure washing companies use Xtreme Heaters in their work vehicles to prevent freezing of tanks and hoses in their vans.

Benefits of heating your car or truck interior with an Xtreme Heater:

  • Keep windows clear
  • Start with a comfortable car or truck while the engine heats up
  • Xtreme Performance without the extreme heat of consumer grade heaters
  • Fully automatic
  • Low power draw compared to consumer space heaters, can typically be run with a block heater
  • Can be permanently mounted or remain portable

Mobile Auto Detailer Van with Xtreme Heater

Downsides of a space heater in your car or truck:

  • Too Hot
  • Requires more power
  • Thermostats not the best
  • Remote thermostat cost and convenience

Downsides of 12v Heaters in your car or truck

  • Extreme Battery Drain
  • Low power unless direct wired
  • Few are automated (no thermostats)
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