Car heaters - settle a debate please
Discussion
Hi All, can the talented and technical help answer a debate I'm having with my family please on the operation of car heaters? (It's a thrill a minute here).
Whenever we get in a car and it's cold, everyone puts the heater up to the maximum setting on the basis that this heats up the car more quickly. I wondered whether that is the case, or whether a car heater warms up to the set temperature at a constant rate irrespective of whether the system was calling for full power?
I suspect the answer is "it depends" but would be interested to know. Cars in question are a Tesla and an ICE Golf.
Thanks very much!
Whenever we get in a car and it's cold, everyone puts the heater up to the maximum setting on the basis that this heats up the car more quickly. I wondered whether that is the case, or whether a car heater warms up to the set temperature at a constant rate irrespective of whether the system was calling for full power?
I suspect the answer is "it depends" but would be interested to know. Cars in question are a Tesla and an ICE Golf.
Thanks very much!
as far as im aware, putting the climate control at a higher temperature doesn't heat the car up any faster.
my petrol car starts heating the car after about 5 minutes. my diesel car takes about 15 minutes before any heat is felt through the vents.
what you/your passengers need is heated seats!
my petrol car starts heating the car after about 5 minutes. my diesel car takes about 15 minutes before any heat is felt through the vents.
what you/your passengers need is heated seats!
Cars with ‘climate control’ will use a thermostat to heat the car up to a set temperature and then keep it there. With these cars there is no point in putting it up to max.
Cars without climate control just regulate the temperature of the air coming out the vents, so not putting the temp control to max will result in air which is not as not as it could be (once the coolant is up to temp).
Tesla has climate control, or sure on the golf (depends on age and spec).
Cars without climate control just regulate the temperature of the air coming out the vents, so not putting the temp control to max will result in air which is not as not as it could be (once the coolant is up to temp).
Tesla has climate control, or sure on the golf (depends on age and spec).
For cars with climate control:
Buy the car. Set the 'auto' dial to your preferred setting (which should be 20°degC) and you need never touch it, ever, ever again, until you sell the car.
And guess what - in Summer - 20 degrees, is the same 20 degrees that is also acceptable in winter. You still dont need to touch it.
For occasions where a quick demist is required, press the demist button, then turn it off again when finished.
People who constantly fiddle, or turn it up to max to make it heat up quicker, or dont understand the basic concept of 'climate control' (clues in the name), can get in the sea.
Buy the car. Set the 'auto' dial to your preferred setting (which should be 20°degC) and you need never touch it, ever, ever again, until you sell the car.
And guess what - in Summer - 20 degrees, is the same 20 degrees that is also acceptable in winter. You still dont need to touch it.
For occasions where a quick demist is required, press the demist button, then turn it off again when finished.
People who constantly fiddle, or turn it up to max to make it heat up quicker, or dont understand the basic concept of 'climate control' (clues in the name), can get in the sea.
I assume the thermostat sensor(s) are located in the front of the cabin (unless you have some sort of fancy quad-zone climate control). Therefore once the front has warmed up and the heating stops/slows, the back might still be a few degrees cooler and take a while longer to get up to the same temperature as the front?
So you could argue pumping it up to max would help warm the rear faster. Of course, when you then drop the gauge back to the actual desired temperature it will start to pump out cooler air to the front passengers...
So you could argue pumping it up to max would help warm the rear faster. Of course, when you then drop the gauge back to the actual desired temperature it will start to pump out cooler air to the front passengers...
144 years ago this year school became mandatory in the UK, and still we're turning out adults who don't understand how thermostatic control works.
If you car has proper climate control (i.e. you can set a temperature and press auto) then do that and only touch it to tweak the temperature based on your clothing and comfort. The systems programming will reach the desired temperature in the most efficient and unobtrusive way possible, taking into account engine coolant temperature (if applicable), outside air temperature and pressure, evaporator discharge temperature, cabin temperature, humidity, solar loading and even sun direction.
If you have a crap car then the temperature dial might just set the mix ratio of outside air to heated, or it might alter coolant flow through the heater matrix, or it might set a target temperature for the vent output air. In any case you will want to get a better car next time
If you car has proper climate control (i.e. you can set a temperature and press auto) then do that and only touch it to tweak the temperature based on your clothing and comfort. The systems programming will reach the desired temperature in the most efficient and unobtrusive way possible, taking into account engine coolant temperature (if applicable), outside air temperature and pressure, evaporator discharge temperature, cabin temperature, humidity, solar loading and even sun direction.
If you have a crap car then the temperature dial might just set the mix ratio of outside air to heated, or it might alter coolant flow through the heater matrix, or it might set a target temperature for the vent output air. In any case you will want to get a better car next time
snotrag said:
People who constantly fiddle, or turn it up to max to make it heat up quicker, or dont understand the basic concept of 'climate control' (clues in the name), can get in the sea.
This.Edited by GeniusOfLove on Monday 8th January 16:22
brillomaster said:
as far as im aware, putting the climate control at a higher temperature doesn't heat the car up any faster.
my petrol car starts heating the car after about 5 minutes. my diesel car takes about 15 minutes before any heat is felt through the vents.
what you/your passengers need is heated seats!
my petrol car starts heating the car after about 5 minutes. my diesel car takes about 15 minutes before any heat is felt through the vents.
what you/your passengers need is heated seats!
actually, a vehicle which can produce lots of instant resistive heating from a huge battery is required ....like an EV
stinkyspanner said:
Some Mercs have an electric heater element in the heater box somewhere so heat can be pumped into the cabin before the engine has warmed up
You get the same in a diesel Ford Focus. It's quite common because diesels take so long to warm up, it's usually a ~1kW PTC element so just enough to get tepid air into the cabin while the engine gets up to temperature, it's much cheaper than the other option of a fuel fired heater to get the coolant up to temperature faster.Contrary to what lots of people are saying with absolute certainty, I have a climate controlled MG ZT from 2004 which audibly increases the fan speed when you ask for a hotter temperature. This is whilst still warming up. If you ask for 20 degrees it doesn't blow as hard as if you ask for 25. Presumably it's trying not to overshoot and slows down when it starts to get close to temperature.
It doesn't seem inconceivable to me that other cars do the same.
It doesn't seem inconceivable to me that other cars do the same.
If I start our Skoda on the usual 20 degrees when it's cold outside, it initially doesn't run the fans at all, then as the coolant starts to come up to temperature it ramps the fans up to about 70% then gradually slows them down again once it gets the cabin up to temperature. I dare say it knows best so I generally leave it alone unless I need extra air-flow to demist.
Of course the fans themselves will generate some heat, I'd guess a couple of hundred watts running flat out, so there is some logic to running the fans faster to warm the car up quicker.
Of course the fans themselves will generate some heat, I'd guess a couple of hundred watts running flat out, so there is some logic to running the fans faster to warm the car up quicker.
Edited by kambites on Monday 8th January 16:53
Bennet said:
Contrary to what lots of people are saying with absolute certainty, I have a climate controlled MG ZT from 2004 which audibly increases the fan speed when you ask for a hotter temperature. This is whilst still warming up. If you ask for 20 degrees it doesn't blow as hard as if you ask for 25. Presumably it's trying not to overshoot and slows down when it starts to get close to temperature.
It doesn't seem inconceivable to me that other cars do the same.
Other sIt doesn't seem inconceivable to me that other cars do the same.
t ones maybe But yes, it's using a PID control scheme to not overshoot.
GeniusOfLove said:
Bennet said:
Contrary to what lots of people are saying with absolute certainty, I have a climate controlled MG ZT from 2004 which audibly increases the fan speed when you ask for a hotter temperature. This is whilst still warming up. If you ask for 20 degrees it doesn't blow as hard as if you ask for 25. Presumably it's trying not to overshoot and slows down when it starts to get close to temperature.
It doesn't seem inconceivable to me that other cars do the same.
Other sIt doesn't seem inconceivable to me that other cars do the same.
t ones maybe But yes, it's using a PID control scheme to not overshoot.
t cars do something similar. So the OP's family are correct. If you just want to get to X degrees as fast as possible, turn it up high. If you want to make sure you don't accidentally overshoot, leave the car to do its thing and wait the extra minute or two whilst it ramps down the power at the end.Bennet said:
Indeed. Presumably even non-st cars do something similar. So the OP's family are correct. If you just want to get to X degrees as fast as possible, turn it up high. If you want to make sure you don't accidentally overshoot, leave the car to do its thing and wait the extra minute or two whilst it ramps down the power at the end.
I actually really like the 75 and ZT and from my time in one I seem to remember it had really effective and quiet HVAC.t cars do something similar. So the OP's family are correct. If you just want to get to X degrees as fast as possible, turn it up high. If you want to make sure you don't accidentally overshoot, leave the car to do its thing and wait the extra minute or two whilst it ramps down the power at the end.Bennet said:
GeniusOfLove said:
Bennet said:
Contrary to what lots of people are saying with absolute certainty, I have a climate controlled MG ZT from 2004 which audibly increases the fan speed when you ask for a hotter temperature. This is whilst still warming up. If you ask for 20 degrees it doesn't blow as hard as if you ask for 25. Presumably it's trying not to overshoot and slows down when it starts to get close to temperature.
It doesn't seem inconceivable to me that other cars do the same.
Other sIt doesn't seem inconceivable to me that other cars do the same.
t ones maybe But yes, it's using a PID control scheme to not overshoot.
t cars do something similar. So the OP's family are correct. If you just want to get to X degrees as fast as possible, turn it up high. If you want to make sure you don't accidentally overshoot, leave the car to do its thing and wait the extra minute or two whilst it ramps down the power at the end.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff