I saw an advert in a motor mag about a product that claimed to help the internal heater heat 50% faster. The product is called something like Hotter Heater or similar, just add to the radiator coolant and away it goes.
Has anyone used this product and if so how effective is it and is it safe for all engines petrol/diesel ?
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In the words of Scotty
"Ye cannae change the laws of physics, Captain"
Or something like that.....
--
RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
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These are 'wetting agents' that aim to improve the heat transfer across the water/metal interface. RedLine have sold one for years ('WaterWetter') - it is much used by saloon car racers etc - I've used it and it does seem to reduce running temperatures by a few degrees, but not massively. I don't think your heater would get 50% hotter.
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He says faster not hotter but this seems a little far fetched to say the least either way.
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Many people do not maintain their cars well at all. Some of them will have almost only water in their cooling system and wonder why various things don't work as they should.
Water is a very poor conductor of heat. This wonder product will simply add to the water the types of chemicals such as glycols that should be there anyway. Then all of a sudden, as if by magic, the car runs better and the heater heats faster.
Wow.
A properly maintained car does not need this and unless proven or approved I would not use it. It may be fine and necessary for race engines where every per cent counts and the engines get overhauled frequently.
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Is the question how to make the heater heat faster, or run hotter? Or perhaps give out more heat?
It can't give out any more heat than the engine is producing, unless you restrict the cooling effect from the radiator and divert it to the heater. Causing the whole system to transfer heat more quickly will result in a lower running temperature, ie a cooler heater.
You could try neglecting the cooling system so that the engine overheats. The heater will run much hotter then.
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Here is the data sheet for RedLine WaterWetter - I've used it and it does work (a bit!).
www.redlineoil.com/whitePaper/17.pdf
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Yes, but "work" appears to mean reduces engine coolant temperature. Looking purely at the heater , surely the temperature should be as high as possible for optimum (heater) performance? There would seem to be two intrinsically opposite requirements, for the engine and the heater.
Has any manufacturer tried instead using heat from the exhaust rather than the cooling water? i know there have been lethal experiments with routing the exhaust pipe through the car(!), but a heat exchanger with a separate water circulation might give a more effective heater as the questioner is asking.
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Just reinvent the beetle and its heating system-------------------spiffing-
no water required- ;-)
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can you imagine if someone came up with that as a new idea these days?Health and safety types would have a fit.Are there any air cooled cars still in production in some far flung corner of the globe?(I suspect not)
Pedants note-I know a globe does not have corners-poetic license.
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Yes, but "work" appears to mean reduces engine coolant temperature. Looking purely at the heater , surely the temperature should be as high as possible for optimum (heater) performance?
Imrpoving heat transfer between block and coolant, and coolant and radiator results in more efficient operation of the radiator (and heater matrix); i.e. the whole system is operating more efficiently which means greater heat throughput from the rad.
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