GX3h heater

[Kaboom]

Hi,

I already have a ceramic heater that I bought from Halfords and it's quite good, but rated at 150W it is 30W more than the maximum 120W specified by Mitsubishi for the cigar sockets and I'm worried about using it.

Has anyone thought of an idea to warm up the cabin yet?

Regards!

 

[jkh112]

Have you tried it in the PHEV? Even though it is slightly above the max rating I suspect it would be okay, if it is not then you will just blow the fuse and have to replace it.

 

[user 258]

I'm sure I read in these forums that there is a single 15A fuse to protect both 12v sockets so that is about 180W. I think the 130W you draw is likely OK as long as you minimally use the other socket.

Kind regards,
Mark

 

[kano]

120w/12v = 10Amps. 150w/12v = 12.5Amps. It will probably be at least a 15Amp fuse in the circuit, as stated the worst it would do is blow the fuse, check the handbook.

 

[jaapv]

But do note the 12V battery is quite small, and if you flatten it the car will not start.

 

[maby]

But do note the 12V battery is quite small, and if you flatten it the car will not start.

Indeed - it's about 40Ah and presumably not deep cycle - it's not recommended to allow standard lead-acid batteries to discharge below about 50% in the interests of life expectancy, so a 150W heater could take quite a swipe at it in a relatively short period of time.

 

[Kim]

a 150W heater could take quite a swipe at it in a relatively short period of time.

2 - 3 hours

 

[aitchjaybee]

the 12v battery is topped up by the DC/DC converter from the main drive battery, so as long as you had main drive power, your 12v would not suffer. (it also tops up via the drive battery at 2.00pm every day, in case wifi / alarm etc drain the battery, even when unattended)
To save duplication, I posted a similar thread on ceramic heater a week or so ago so there are some comments here OP may find worthwhile: http://www.myoutlanderphev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1160&start=0

 

[Kim]

Oh...! I thought someone wanted to use the heater to heat a stationary vehicle.
When the PHEV is moving, of course you can use the 150W heater for an unlimited time!

 

[MartinH]

About heating the cabin with 150W, 150W is similar to a decent fart, sorry!
Have in mid that the original heater mounted in the car is 4,2kW, almost 30 times more powerful, your wifes hair blower is 2000w, 13 times more powerful.
So your 150W will not have that big impact on the temp of your cabin, your body delivers app. 100W of heat, so 2 persons in the back seats deliver more heat to the cabin compare to a 150W fan.
And about the drain from your socket, the Amps will decrease when the voltage is incresing, so when your system is charging the 12V system(up to 13.5V i think) the A will be lower(11A instead of 12.5A), my experience is that you will have a resistance between the connector of your fan, and the socket in the car, and you will have increased temp. in your connection.

 

[Titan]

About the same as a light bulb. Yep, complete waste of time (and money).

 

[aitchjaybee]

About the same as a light bulb. Yep, complete waste of time (and money).

I'm sure said in a tongue in cheek way but i disagree.it may use the same energy as 2.5 x 60w light bulbs (now the UK Government has banned 100w) but the heat is far greater and directionally focused.
I use it a fair bit in my diesel Golf. Agree it won't replace a car heater, but instant warmth when the diesel takes miles to warm up is useful. Maybe some of you have experienced poor quality ones before but I'm happy with mine.

 

[duetto]

aitchjaybee

which one at halfords did you get

 

[greendwarf]

Aren't these primarily designed to blow warm air on the screen to demist/frost before the car engine heats up? So might be useful in a Gx3 to do this, at least.

 

[Kaboom]

aitchjaybee

which one at halfords did you get

How many Watts is it?

The one that I got is the only one they sell - the one with the foldaway handle.

It's quite good for demisting optical equipment which is the reason I bought it.

However, I'm still not sure I want to use it in the car as it's defo 150W. If you look for long enough you'll find a 120W, but is it worth it?

Thanks!

 

[aitchjaybee]

@kaboom and @duetto, I didn't get mine at halfords, think @duetto mixed me up with OP. I got mine at Maplin but it was 3 years ago and just looked, not exactly same unit there now. It doesn't say how many watts on it. I use it in a diesel Golf normally but just tested in my GX4 and it runs fine. It's not to heat the whole cabin, but help to demist windscreen and/or just for driver warmth until diesel ICE warms up is what I use it for.