Your car’s heater is a vital part of your car. You know how much of a lifesaver it is during winter. However, it is one of the most painful things to replace. Mostly because of the costs involved and also because of the hassle it puts the owner through.
You will find many mechanics even suggesting to bypass the heater core. If your car’s heater is down, then you might be tempted to but I don’t suggest you do that. I understand if the cost seems too much but you can save up for it while using alternative methods of heating. But you should know that the solutions are not permanent and there are some things to keep in mind.
Residential heaters are not a good option for using in the car, even the portable ones. While there are many portable propane heaters that are safe for the indoors. You should never use them in your car. This is a very dangerous thing to do and should be avoided at all costs. There is battery operated heaters for cars that operate with 12-volt batteries. You can use them but it really depends on your alternator. If you have a lot of accessories attached, then it might not be a good option for you.
All in all, no portable car heater can really replace an actual car heater. They are only good as a substitute. You can use these alternate options to not drive in the icy cold. Here are a few points on each of the type of portable heaters.
Portable Residential Heaters
You can think that portable space heaters should work great for your car. They do heat up a lot of air was made for large spaces. But that is the problems. These portable heaters were made for big spaces and not confined small space.
They can make your car warm and toasty but it comes with a big risk. You can even see warning signs on the residential space heaters about keeping it away from upholstery. Keeping it in the back is not a good option as well because the rear-end is subject to really hard bumps and rigors. You won’t be able to keep an eye on it.
Another big problem you will find with these heaters is the wattage. Your car is not really able to provide the juice needed for the heater. For this, you would need to use an additional electric inverter to convert the electricity from the car cigarette lighter. On top of this, your alternator might not be able to keep up with the demands as there are plenty of other accessories connected to your car.
Portable Propane Heaters
I know that there are some safe propane heaters that you can indoors but there are distinct differences between the indoors and your car’s interior. These heaters are usually depended on an open flame. So, putting it inside a car is not a good idea.
This might cause carbon monoxide poisoning as it will keep burning even in a confined space. Along with that, there is the risk of tilting it or dropping it while driving which is a dangerous scenario. So, my advice is to never use portable propane heaters inside the cars.
12 Volt Battery Operated Car Heaters
The battery operated car heaters are the best and safest option for your car as an alternative to your car’s heater. If you use the ones that use your car’s cigarette lighter, then you won’t be getting the heat you used to get from the factory heater. This is because that point cannot give you that much power.
You can try to get power from the battery directly but you would need to use an inline fuse for safety. Even if you do that it will be hotter but not factory heater quality. Also, this will hamper your mileage as we. But as I said as an alternative and short time solution these will work perfectly.
Bottom Line
So now you see that battery operated heaters are a good substitute but not a replacement. Trust me these won’t be sufficient enough to provide the service you require. However, if you cannot immediately fix the heater and want to use something while you get your heater fixed then the battery operated car heaters are the best solution for you.
