Diesel fuel at low temperatures becomes thick and unusable. To solve this problem, they either buy high-quality diesel fuel of winter grades, or install preheating engine switch for diesel. However, the two options can be combined, and even in severe frosts be ready to travel.

Why install a heater

It is incomparably more pleasant to sit in a warm car when it is cold outside, windshield covered with hoarfrost, and fingers stiffen from the cold even in gloves. You can turn on the heater in the cabin, providing comfort to the driver and passengers, but what about the engine? Previously, blowtorches were used to heat it, today special devices are increasingly being installed.

Preheaters provide several benefits:

• remove the load from the engine at start-up, reducing its wear;
• contribute to extending battery life;
• prevent excessive fuel consumption;
• allow you to heat the interior.

Heaters are installed on cars with both diesel and gasoline engines, but they are most popular with diesel engines, since diesel fuel is more sensitive to negative temperatures. When cooled, the paraffin contained in it begins to crystallize, and the fuel thickens.

Types of heaters

Most of Russia has a continental climate with extreme temperature fluctuations and cold winters. Therefore, there is no need to explain to drivers how important it is to have a heater in the car. Many of them are faced with a situation where the engine will not start in severe frost.

Heating of diesel engines can be carried out by heating:

• coolant (antifreeze, antifreeze);
• oil in the crankcase;
• filter fine cleaning;
• fuel line.

V different types heating devices use gasoline, diesel or electricity. The most expensive hybrid models heat the engine and interior of vehicles. More simplified equipment is designed to heat only the engine or only the air in the cabin. The heaters work either from a 220 V network or from a battery, that is, autonomously.

preheater cost diesel engine varies depending on the manufacturer, design features and other factors. When buying, you need to pay attention to profitability. The heating of the diesel engine should be fast, but at the same time fuel consumption or electricity costs should be moderate.

The weight and dimensions of the device matter. It should fit under the hood and not make the car too heavy.

In order to fire safety the fuel in the heater should burn out completely. This condition also contributes to the greatest performance of the heater.

Autonomous heaters

In autonomous devices, the fuel is burned in the combustion chamber, as a result, the coolant is heated, the circulation of which is provided by a pump built into the heater.

All stand-alone diesel engine preheaters are now switched on remotely.

This means that you can program the start time and come to the car when the engine is completely ready to start. In some models, the device is turned on both using the remote control and by calling with mobile phone through the voice menu. It is possible to connect the system to an alarm system.

Fuel in autonomous heaters is mainly supplied from the tank of the car, but another power supply option is also possible when installed additional tank for 8-10 liters. This tank is filled with fuel. best quality or add additives that are guaranteed to ensure the system starts.

In Russia, among autonomous heaters, models of German trademarks Webasto (Webasto) and Ebershpacher (Hydronic) and domestic devices Planar, Binar, Pramotronik, Teplostar.

Features of liquid heaters

Liquid heaters are installed on cargo and passenger transport v engine compartment. They are best suited for diesel engines. They are also used as heaters to keep the driver's cab at an optimal temperature. Often, such heaters are installed in buses to heat the interior, creating comfortable conditions for passengers.

The liquid heater can work in any conditions. It must not be used only in a closed, unventilated area.

Any liquid heater is a heat exchanger connected to the car's cooling system. There is a burner inside the heat exchanger. Power supply is provided by the onboard network.

The preheating system works as follows.

1. The electrical circuit is closed, the electric motor is turned on, which starts fuel pump.
2. The pump pumps fuel into the burner, where the combustion of the fuel mixture takes place.
3. The liquid in the cooling circuit heats up.
4. The pump pumps hot fluid through the car's engine and radiator.
5. When the temperature limit is reached (usually around +30 ℃), the car's regular fan turns on, which warms up the interior.
6. The heater is controlled by a thermal sensor.

The engine can be warmed up to 70-80 ℃ in half an hour or an hour, depending on the ambient temperature. During the operation of the device, the lubricant is heated, which makes it easier to start the motor. As soon as the temperature drops, the heater robot resumes. This cycle is very useful in harsh winters.

If you decide to install autonomous heater, then the car must have good battery. The battery should have enough energy to warm up the engine and then start it.

Although the cost of autonomous liquid heaters quite high, the money spent pays off. After all, with a cold start of the engine, its service life is reduced by almost 2 times.

Heaters powered by electricity

Electric heaters are connected to the 220 V network using a cable. There are three types of devices:

• external;
• invoices;
• embedded.

The latter type is installed in the cylinder block, after removing the anti-ice plug. After being connected to the network, the spiral heats up, heat is transferred to the block and antifreeze.

Coolant circulates naturally without additional pumping. Because of this, heating is slow. But the advantages of such a device are in the price. You can use the devices in places where there are sockets (garages, equipped parking lots).

If we compare built-in heaters with overheads, then the former are considered more efficient, since they are in direct contact with antifreeze. But overheads also have their advantages. They do not affect the standard cooling system, therefore, after their installation, a guarantee for car repairs is valid.

The most popular manufacturers of electric models are the northern companies DEFA (Norway) and Calix (Sweden).

Sputnik is considered a popular domestic electric heater thanks to affordable price and good heating. The Tyumen company produces Severs overhead electric heaters, which are connected to the motor through pipes. The heater is equipped with a thermal switch and a temperature controller, and also has a built-in valve through which the coolant circulates in pulses. This greatly improves the efficiency of the device.

Heating of diesel fuel

For heating diesel fuel, devices powered by a battery are used. They prevent the formation of crystals in diesel fuel. The heater can be prestarting and marching, that is, working in the process of vehicle movement.

Tape heaters are applied to open sections of the fuel line. These are quite easy-to-use devices that can be installed on any vehicle.

Flow heaters are more efficient. They are embedded next to the fine filter. The fuel heats up as it passes through them. The next view - bandage filter heaters - is mounted from above. To heat the fuel at the time of its intake from the tank, nozzles are used. The heaters of the heat intake work both in the pre-launch mode and in the march mode.

The device indicated in the title of the article allows the engine of a car or other vehicle without running it. Such a device is used to preheat the engine, facilitate starting the engine, and in some cases to warm up the air in the vehicle interior.

The importance of the engine heater in Russian conditions is difficult to overestimate. The device is especially relevant for owners of cars with a diesel engine. On numerous forums, you can often read that "diesel fuel is frozen." However, car owners with gasoline engine such a device also does not interfere in the conditions of the Russian winter. The heater brings the oil temperature to an acceptable level and the car starts easily.

Electric heaters

This type of heater is non-autonomous. This type of device was invented in 1949 by A. Freeman. The invention is patented. The heater is screwed in instead of one of the bolts of the engine block, powered by a 220 volt outlet. In some machines, such devices are included in the package.

It is clear that electric heaters are popular in northern countries: Canada, Scandinavian countries. In Russia they are also used.

This type of heater is rather complicated. It has the following components:

• a heating element. Usually, its power varies from 500 to 5000 watts. The heating element is placed in a sealed heat exchanger, which is mounted in the process holes of the engine cooling system, or is connected to the cooling jacket using pipes.
• ECU with timer. The timer is needed to control the time of turning the heater on and off.
• block for recharging batteries, if they are provided for by the design of the heater.
• a fan necessary for heating the passenger compartment or the engine compartment of a car.
• there are models with a pump that contributes to uniform heating of the engine.

The principle of operation of an electric heater is simple and based on the most well-known laws of physics.

The heating element acts on the coolant. It starts to circulate until it warms up completely. The heating element must be installed at the bottom of the cooling system, since, according to the same laws of physics, warm liquid rises, and cold liquid falls down. If the heater is equipped with a pump, then the location of the heating element is not important.

Autonomous heaters

Autonomous liquid heaters are installed under the hood of the car and operate on one of the types of fuel: gasoline, diesel fuel, gas.

Components of a liquid heater:

• a fairly complex control unit that controls a number of parameters: temperature, fuel supply, air supply;
• a pump responsible for supplying fuel;
• air blower;
• a boiler with a fuel combustion chamber placed in it;
• a pump responsible for the circulation of the coolant;
• the system can also be equipped with a relay that turns on the cabin fan of the stove. In this case, not only the engine is heated, but also the interior, which is very convenient;
• timer, remote control remote control or another heater control module.

The principle of operation of this type of heater is also quite clear. The system is started remotely or using a timer. The fuel pump comes into motion, pumping fuel from the car tank into the combustion chamber, another pump pumps air. The spark plug ignites the fuel. The heat is transferred to the coolant, which begins to circulate thanks to the third pump. As soon as the liquid heats up to a certain temperature, the interior fan turns on. The interior of the car starts to heat up. If the coolant reaches a high temperature, the system shuts down.

The average fuel consumption when using such a heater is 0.5 liters of gasoline per hour. It is better to spend money on gasoline than in the morning to "conjure" at the car with a blowtorch and other improvised means, trying to start the car.

The disadvantages of liquid heaters include the following: in its operation, the system uses the energy of a battery installed on a car. If the battery is weak, then the liquid heater can "plant" it completely, and the car will not start in the morning.

In general, this type of heater does not have serious disadvantages, but it has great advantages.

Thermal accumulators

Toyota Prius is equipped with such devices. What are they? A heat accumulator is a thermos in which a certain volume of warm coolant is collected. When the engine is started, the collected liquid is injected from the heat accumulator into the cooling system. On average, the temperature of the entire cooling system fluid rises by 10-15 degrees, which makes it possible for the engine to work without much load. By the way, thermal accumulators can keep the coolant warm for up to 2 days.

Obviously, the method has the right to life. Moreover, when using such batteries, it is not required to spend additional electricity or fuel.

Diesel fuel heaters

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, diesel fuel is not very friendly with low temperatures. Therefore, heaters are also used to dissolve paraffins formed in diesel fuel.

Diesel fuel is heated by two types of devices: some of them are mounted on the diesel fuel cleaning filter, and others - on the highway fuel system or crash into it.

Popular models of starting heaters

Webasto Thermo Top E

People who are at least a little interested in cars have probably heard the name Webasto. Yes, this is perhaps the most popular brand of heaters.

The Thermo Top E model is a preheater-heater, that is, it heats up the coolant, the engine and the air in the cabin. Produced in Germany, like other Webasto products.

Thermo Top E is a classic example of liquid heaters, which have already been discussed. The device is relatively compact, suitable for installation even in small cars. It is important that even at the time of its start-up, the heater consumes a very small amount of electricity. Thus, you do not have to worry about the level of the car battery.

The upgraded version of the heater timer allows you to turn on the heater for a period of 10 minutes to 1 hour. With a frost of 10-15 degrees, the heater may well cope with its task in 15 minutes.

In the hot season, the heater can ventilate the car interior, which is also very pleasant, especially for owners of those cars that do not have air conditioning installed.

Everything is good in Webasto, except for the price. Not every Russian car owner decides to spend money on a heater from this company.

Teplostar 04TS

Teplostar is a domestic heater manufactured in Samara. The model, in general, is very good. With the help of 04TS, the coolant and the interior are heated, there is a remote control that operates at a distance of up to 150 meters. That is, if the car is under the windows of the house, then it will not be difficult to start the heater from the remote control. The remote control has only one drawback: it is not equipped with a feedback system. There is a danger that if the heater fails, the owner of the car will only find out about it in the morning, sitting in a cold car.

It is gratifying that Samara manufacturers of heaters have paid Special attention device security. Before starting, the ECU checks the operability of all systems. If something does not work correctly, error codes are displayed on a special display. If for some reason the combustion in the chamber stops, then the fuel supply stops. This is very important and valuable.

Severs 103.3741

Severs is a heater that is also produced in Russia, but it is non-autonomous and operates from a 220 V outlet. The device has a thermostat that protects against engine overheating. Heating up to 60 degrees is carried out in 1-1.5 hours. At a temperature of 85 degrees, the system stops working. If the coolant temperature drops to 50 degrees, the heater starts its work again.

It is noteworthy that the heater has protection against moisture and electric shock.

The only downside of Severs is that he needs an outlet. For car owners who have their own garage, the device fits very well. But for the rest it is of little use.

Defa Warm Up

Non-autonomous heater, which is produced in Norway. Warms up the engine, interior and, attention, can recharge battery. The latter is very important, since in the cold the car battery loses its power significantly.

It has basic and universal kits that can be combined as you wish.

Compared to the Severs heater described above, Defa is, of course, a little expensive. But the functionality justifies the price.

Autoplus MADI UAPD -0.2-2

The device from the company Autoplus is a heat accumulator. It can be easily installed on a car of any size. All operation of the device is automated. The driver does not need to do anything. It is noteworthy that any car owner can install a heat accumulator on a car on their own. No special skills are required here.

Nomacon PB

Nomacon is a preheater diesel fuel. It is mounted on a fine filter. In fact, competitors to this heater on domestic market no. But Belarusians keep enough low prices to the device, while maintaining and high quality equipment.

Results

Having considered the types of preheaters, having familiarized themselves with their main models that are popular, one simple conclusion can be drawn: in Russia, preheaters can and should be used. What exactly? It’s up to everyone to decide based on preferences, type of car and budget.

In place of unsafe methods of warming up a car with the help of open sources of flame and a soldering iron lamp, it has long come preheater engine. This unit allows you to pre-heat the engine before starting it in the cold season, as well as heat the air in the cabin and defrost the windshield. Thus, the internal combustion engine heating apparatus makes it possible to increase the operational life of the power unit. Patented units operate in temperature conditions from 0° to -45°С.

Device Features

Starter heaters for cars are small devices, the purpose of which is to preheat the engine without starting it. Also, thanks to this device, the passenger compartment is heated, the windshield and wipers are defrosted.

The principle of operation of any device

The design of the device includes the following parts:

• fuel pump;
• heat exchanger;
• thermal chamber;
• circulation liquid pump;
• fuel drive.

The purpose of each constituent element of liquid preheaters is the same - to run a heated coolant through the cooling system to warm up the engine.

In addition to these details, the package includes a thermal switch that activates the operation of the built-in fan, an electronic control module, and a switch.

Installation of the device is carried out in the engine compartment of the car. Installing the preheater is quite easy:

• the heat exchanger is attached to the small circuit of the engine cooling system;
• the electronic module is connected to the car's electrical network.

Despite the ease of installation, it is recommended to entrust this matter to a certified specialist. The point is in the guarantee, it will cease to be valid if the installation is carried out by a person who does not have permission or a corresponding document for these works. First of all, these nuances relate to Russian-made products.

VIDEO: About the benefits of an engine preheater

Varieties of devices

It is difficult to overestimate the need for a heater for a car used in the Russian winter climate. The device will be especially in demand for diesel engines when, as the temperature drops, the fuel acquires a thick, jelly-like consistency. But for owners of cars operating on gasoline, the device will also not be superfluous. The unit facilitates the first institution of the engine in cold conditions and warns it against imminent wear.

Electric 220V

The electric pre-heater of the engine does not belong to the class of autonomous devices. The device is fixed instead of one of the bolts of the cylindrical motor block, and the device functions only when connected to a power source with a voltage of 220 V. Most modern cars already have this add-on in the configuration, but as a rule, it is characterized by reduced power, which forces car owners to resort to installing another device.

This type of preheater is most in demand in northern countries such as Canada, Scandinavia, etc. The fact is that in the European republics the infrastructure is slightly better developed than in Russia. There, almost every parking lot has separate sockets, which is so necessary for the operation of the unit.

Equipment for passenger cars has a complex structure, which includes:

• heating element with a power rating of 500-5000 W;
• the electronic unit control, equipped with a timer;
• battery charge module, if available;
• fan - needed to heat the cabin or engine compartment;
• pump - not present in all modifications and is used for enhanced circulation of the coolant for uniform heating.

It is not difficult to figure out how the preheater works - the principle is based on the simplest laws of physics, when a warm liquid begins to circulate through the main due to the temperature difference.

The heating element of the diesel engine preheater transfers the thermal energy of the liquid at the moment when it circulates through the system. The heating element in this case is mounted in the lowest region of the cooling system so that the heated antifreeze rises up, while the cooled one goes down.

If the package provides for the presence of a liquid pump, the installation location is not important.

Autonomous preheaters

Autonomous engine preheaters are mounted in the engine compartment of a car and operate using the following types of fuel:

• petrol;
• diesel;

The design of an autonomous engine preheater includes the following parts:

• control module that controls temperature regime, the level of supply of fuel, oxygen, gas;
• fuel pump;
• oxygen blower;
• miniature boiler with built-in combustion tank;
• liquid pump;
• there may be a relay, timer, remote control device, etc.

The principle of operation of the preheater consists of several steps:

• the system is turned on by one of the start methods;
• the fuel pump is activated, transferring gasoline, diesel fuel or gas to the combustion chamber;
• the spark plug helps ignite the incoming fuel;
• the flame heats the coolant;
• the coolant circulates through the system due to the operation of the pump.

When the temperature of the antifreeze reaches the desired value, the fan starts in the car interior. The average fuel consumption when using an autonomous liquid starting preheater is 500 ml/h.

The disadvantages of the device are big expense electricity. And since the device is powered by a car battery, it is likely that in the morning it can be completely discharged.

Thermal accumulator

This is a fairly new invention that can be seen in such a car model as the Toyota Prius. The device is a thermos in which the required volume of heated coolant accumulates. At the time of starting the engine, this liquid enters the cooling system, which makes it possible to slightly dilute cold antifreeze or antifreeze.

In general terms, in this way it turns out to increase the temperature regime of antifreeze by 10-20 ° C. This allows you to operate the car without much load on the engine.

Such batteries can retain heat for up to two days. An inefficient, but very convenient method of warming up the engine does not require the use of fuel or electricity for operation.

The best models of engine preheaters

To determine exactly which engine preheater is better, it is recommended to compare the devices of the most popular brands.

The most popular brand, since the devices of this manufacturer are able to heat up not only the coolant, but also the engine, interior. The German modification of Termo top E is a liquid apparatus equipped with a timer.

At a temperature of -15°C, the unit regularly performs functions in no more than 25 minutes. The main disadvantage of the device is the price, which is 40,000 rubles.

The unit of a domestic manufacturer can warm up the coolant and the interior. The package includes a remote control that operates within a radius of 150 m. The main drawback of this is the lack of feedback. In more detail, if the heater fails, the driver will not know about it until the moment he discovers that the car simply does not start.

The manufacturer paid special attention to the security system that controls the operation of the entire device. If a malfunction is detected, the device will report this to the owner with an error code.

Severs 103-37-41

The non-autonomous unit operates only from a voltage of 220 V. The device is equipped with a thermostat. Heating to a temperature of 60°C requires one hour of equipment operation.

Benefits of preheaters

Professional drivers no longer question the mandatory equipment of any car with an engine preheater, regardless of the type of the latter. And if in Europe this type of equipment has been used for more than 20 years, then in Russia it has only now begun to become widespread. Previously, it was used mainly by drivers of heavy trucks and diesel vehicles.

The benefits of PPPD are unconditional both for the motor itself and for the driver, in particular, fatigue is reduced, operating comfort is improved, the need for daily “witchcraft” in the form of blowtorches is eliminated, removed batteries and other manipulations.

Most importantly, the device increases the operational life of the car - one cold start engine equals, on average, 100-120 km of run in the warm season.

So, if we briefly describe the advantages of using DAAs, we can form the following theses:

1. Reducing the amount of fuel consumed. On average, during the winter, a car starts 300-500 times, depending on the type of work. One cold start consumes up to 500 ml of fuel, respectively, in just 3 months of winter, you can save about 150 liters of fuel (5500-6000 rubles).
2. Reducing the load on power unit. More than 80% of the load on the engine occurs at the time of its cold start, when the viscosity of the oil is very high, it does not have time to lubricate the parts in time, respectively, the friction of moving parts occurs dry. On average, one cold start corresponds to 100 km of run under normal conditions. Considering that there are more than 300 of them during the winter, it is easy to calculate how many kilometers your car will “wind” in just one season.
3. Increasing the safety of driving. At sub-zero temperatures, human heat transfer increases. He tends to sleep, fatigue increases, attention is scattered. All this is a direct road to an accident, when it is impossible to respond to the risk in time. Warm salon, clean windshield, heated seats - the key to not only comfortable, but healthy driving at any time of the year.

VIDEO: We study the range - what is better to choose?

Article about starting heaters automotive engines- their types, purpose, functioning. At the end of the article - a video about which preheater to buy

The content of the article:

When creating new car models, designers make sure that the cars serve for a long time and are highly reliable. High-quality full-fledged operation of the engine for decades is not a fantasy, modern cars have a very decent functional resource.

In order to ensure long-term operation, a device such as a pre-heater is provided. We will find out what its benefits are and how to choose the right model.

As the name of the device implies, it is necessary in order to warm up the engine before it receives a full load. The operation of the motor "cold" leads to the following undesirable situations:

• the oil thickens in the cold, and the oil pump cannot cope with its supply in the required volumes;
• the lack of oil supplied to the engine leads to the fact that those engine parts that should move in the lubricant actually function “dry” and thus quickly wear out, becoming unusable;
• the air-fuel mix in the cold ignites more difficult and burns more slowly;
• slow combustion of the air-fuel mixture leads to burnout of the cylinder block gasket, pistons and engine valves.

As follows from the above list, starting the engine in the cold is not only difficult ( fuel mixture“does not want” to ignite), but it is also extremely detrimental to the entire engine.

One way to get the car working in the cold is to start the engine and hold it for a while. idling, thus warming up the engine to normal operating temperature. However, in this case, the problem is still not completely solved: engine wear increases even when it is idling if the car was started in the cold.

Statistics collected by automotive design bureaus show the following disappointing figures: during the initial start-up of the engine in a cold state, its wear increases ten (!) times. It is believed that one cold start can be safely compared in terms of the load on the motor in terms of the degree of load and wear to a couple of months of operation of the machine under normal conditions at a stable temperature of +25 degrees.

It was in order to avoid the maximum number of negative phenomena and save the engine resource that preheaters were developed.

Let's make a reservation right away: in a climate where the daily temperature does not fall below +10 all year round, there is no need for this device. It is also not required if you do not operate the car at all in winter. But in fact, the realities of our country are such that it is still not worth using the car without a preheater.

This device is designed to set the desired temperature for the operation of the car engine, so that even in cold weather, the operation of all systems is carried out smoothly and without destroying car parts.

The pioneers in the development and use of the heater were the countries of Northern Scandinavia and Northern Europe, where climatic conditions, although not as severe as in our territory, nevertheless spoil a lot of nerves for car owners, forcing them to invent numerous ways to start the engine in the cold, avoiding while damaging the engine.

A modern pre-heater performs the following functions:

• warms up the engine to operating temperature;
• makes starting the engine in cold weather easier;
• heats the car interior;
• warms engine compartment, thereby increasing the temperature of not only the fuel in the engine, but also other working fluids, as well as parts associated with the engine.

The use of a starting heater leads to the following results:

• a noticeable reduction in the degree of wear of engine parts in winter period car operation;
• fuel economy;
• interior heating, elimination of frost on the windows by the time the driver gets behind the wheel;
• for diesel engines - the possibility of additional heating of the engine.

The main advantage of using this device is that the driver is guaranteed to start the engine and drive away, regardless of whether it is frosty or not.

After we figured out the benefits of preheaters, it's time to pay attention to their diversity and figure out how to choose the right model.

First of all, you need to understand that heaters are:

• for car interior;
• for the engine;
• combined (heating both the engine and the car interior).

Consider the main types of heaters, their advantages and disadvantages.

Electric type heaters

In fact, this is an analogue of a conventional boiler, which is built into the cylinder block. Its task is to warm up the coolant. The principle of operation is based on the fact that the warmer coolant rises, providing uniform heating of the entire volume of liquid.

Electric heaters are in good demand in Europe, but not very popular in our country. The reason is simple: in Europe almost every car parking equipped with electrical outlets, and the only question is whether the owner forgot to connect the heater.

For our country, the use of an electric heater is relevant if the car is left overnight in a garage equipped with a power outlet.

If you opt for this type of heater, it is best to choose a model with a temperature sensor. In this case, the system will automatically turn off when it reaches the set temperature level, and turn on again when the temperature drops.

There are also models equipped with a work timer, but they are not as effective because they do not rely on temperature indicators.

Air preheaters

Air-type heaters are of dependent and independent types. Dependent air preheaters are powered by a running engine. As a rule, an independent heater is only enough to heat the engine itself - it is not able to heat the interior of the car.

The design of the air heater is relatively simple. It consists of a radiator system filled with heated antifreeze and a fan that supplies heated air. This device heats up the cabin air very quickly. V modern models temperature is maintained by a temperature sensor.

The scheme of this type of heater includes an autonomous engine that pumps fuel into the combustion chamber, which is mixed with air and ignited by a spark plug. Such a heater uses from 0.25 to 0.5 liters of fuel per hour of operation, depending on the outside temperature and the size of the heated area.

Engine preheater built into the cooling system

The principle of operation of this heater is very similar to the operation of an autonomous air heater. The fuel ignites, the heat exchanger heats the coolant.

One of the important issues when choosing the type of heater is its location. If the heater is to be mounted under the hood of a car, one should start with an analysis: is there free space there? Not all car models allow you to squeeze at least something extra under the hood.

Modern manufacturers of heaters launched a serious struggle for the miniaturization of their devices. However, it’s not worth it to go for absolutely miniature models: they have less power, and in our climate this can be a waste of money.

The most common option, from which, in fact, the production of pre-heaters began, is a unit with manual control. That is, before you start the engine, you need to manually activate the heater. After five to ten minutes, the engine will warm up, the cabin will become warm.

There are also models equipped with a timer. If the owner of the car drives it at the same time, you can set a timer to start and don’t worry anymore: by the right moment everything will be warmed up, all you have to do is get behind the wheel and start off on the road.

Another option is remote control heaters. The disadvantage of such a model is in the small radius of the signal transmitter. The declared one kilometer radius in urban areas is greatly reduced due to the density of buildings and poor signal transmission.

Summing up the above information, we can say the following:

1. A pre-heater in our latitudes is a necessary thing.
2. If there is access to power, electric models will solve the problem perfectly.
3. If it is problematic for a car to access electricity, it is better to opt for an autonomous heater built into the cooling system.

The use of a starting preheater will allow the car to do much longer without expensive engine repairs.

Video about which preheater to buy:

The portal site is trying to find an answer to the question "How to survive the frost" by installing an Eberspacher autonomous liquid preheating system on one of the editorial cars.

Domestic car owners solve the problem of cold engine start different ways, up to frankly dangerous ones: I have repeatedly observed a picture when drivers put under the crankcase ... a lit blowtorch. Some, for example, take less drastic measures, leaving the car unplugged overnight. There are still those who still decide on a little refinement by installing electric heating of the engine. But this is also a half-measure - the car turns out to be tightly tied to a nearby outlet in the garage or in the parking lot.

But the engineers have long thought of a way to forget all these troubles forever by creating an autonomous engine preheater. Moreover, many car owners are aware of the existence of such a device, but for some reason they often ignore its installation. But in our northern country, where in some regions winter sometimes lasts seven to eight months, such a thing is not only useful - it is obligatory.

So what is this heater and why is it so good? Let's try to figure it out.

Today, there are two main players on the market: in addition to Eberspacher, there is also one that is more familiar to domestic motorists. In general, the name "Webasto" in Russia has practically become a household name. However, the choice between the products of the two German firms is not fundamental. And the preference of the editorial staff in favor of the Eberspacher heater was determined solely by a slightly better price.

At its core, this device is a small engine internal combustion, which is installed in the engine compartment of the car, connecting to the cooling system. Actually, it is not the car engine itself that is heated, but only antifreeze, which the autonomous pump of the device drives along the small circuit of the cooling system through the radiator and motor.

Autonomy lies in the fact that the heater takes energy for its work from the same place as the main power unit - from fuel tank. Moreover, it can work both on gasoline or diesel fuel, and on gas - depending on the chosen model of the device. In our case, a five-kilowatt Eberspacher Hydronic 5S gasoline heater was chosen, which was supposed to heat a 2.5-liter engine.

At the same time, the heater control unit turns on the fan of the car's standard heating system and, through the air vents, heats the passenger compartment at the same time. As a result, by the time the device ends, the car owner, in any frost, gets into a warm car with defrosted windows and starts warm engine a car that you can immediately hit the road.

The heater can be controlled in three main ways: timer, remote control and mobile phone.

The first option is the most budgetary, but quite effective and convenient. The timer, which has a small display and a few buttons, is usually installed on the front of the car. With it, you can either immediately turn on the heater, or pre-program it to turn on for a certain time.

Main disadvantage simple models timers is that you need to activate the set time again each time. That is, if the night before you set the start time at 8.00 am, then the next evening you need to again press the confirmation button for turning on at 8.00, and so on every time. In more advanced and expensive timer models, the functionality is significantly expanded: it is possible to program the start by day of the week and many other options. Average cost of timers: from 2,500 to 8,000 rubles, depending on the model.

A more convenient way to activate the Eberspacher heater is with a remote control, with which the driver can move away from the car for a distance of up to one kilometer. But such a device will cost four times more than a timer. In terms of functions, the remote control repeats advanced timer models, that is, it allows you to program the start time and duration of operation in different versions, displays the heater operating modes (including errors that occur), as well as the temperature in the cabin, and much more. The average cost of remote controls: about 20,000 rubles.

The most technologically advanced way to turn on the starting preheater is using a mobile phone when a GSM module is connected to the preheater. The main advantage is that you can activate the heating from virtually anywhere in the world where cellular communication catches. The module can be controlled via voice menu, sms-messages or the Internet. The main drawback: the need to buy a separate SIM card for the heater and make sure that its account is always positive. The average cost of a GSM module with installation: from 10,000 to 18,000 rubles, depending on the model.

What you need to remember and know.

1) Depending on the volume of the car engine, starting heaters differ in power and, accordingly, in price. The larger the engine itself, the more powerful the heater is needed and the more expensive it will cost.

2) For passenger car the average cost of an Eberspacher kit (including installation) ranges from 35,000 to 60,000 rubles, depending on the model chosen and the number of control functions.

3) The average warm-up time of the engine is between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on the ambient temperature. As a rule, the heater sets the operating time automatically - as soon as the readings of the engine temperature sensor reach the operating values ​​(+75 degrees), the system turns off. On advanced models of timers and remote controls, the operating time can be set manually (up to 120 minutes). All this must be precisely taken into account in order to pre-set the start time of the heater and not be near an underheated or cooled down car.

4) When choosing a remote control as a control device, you need to pay attention that the signal range of 1000 meters is possible only in the line of sight. Radio interference, electrical wires, building walls, and other obstructions can shorten the signal range by two to three times.

5) The preheater can be turned on on the go. For example, in severe frosts when driving a car along the highway, when it is necessary to help the standard system not to lose precious heat and the efficiency of the interior heating system.

6) The heater takes fuel for its own operation from the car tank, but the fan is turned on to heat the passenger compartment at the expense of a regular battery. So it is necessary to always monitor not only the amount of fuel in the tank, but also for a full charge, otherwise there may simply not be enough energy to start a hot engine.

7) The average fuel consumption of Eberpacher heaters is 0.5 liters per hour.

8) If an anti-theft device with internal volume sensors is installed in the car, then when the passenger compartment is heated, warm air currents can lead to an alarm.

9) In addition to the comfort that the preheater provides, its installation has another important positive quality- increase in engine resource. According to some calculations, at negative temperatures, it is equivalent to a run of 70-100 km.

In general, installing an autonomous preheater is a great way to forget about the hassle of heating the car, frosted windows, a frozen interior and a cold engine forever. Yes, the option is not cheap, but in long frosty weather, the comfort and time savings that it provides easily offset the investment costs, and in the long run it can save a significant amount of fuel spent on warming up the car without a heater.

The material uses photographs from the sites webasto.ru, eberspacher.spb.ru, favorinet.net, khapov.ru, he.ngs.ru, boards.auto.ru