As a Canadian expecting a heavy winter, I will be attempting to install a little buddy car warmer to be used in conjunction with my block heater. As I haven't seen any thread on this, I ask...
- Has anyone attempted this?
- Any other suggested methods?
- Are there any better brands, models etc..? *Little Buddy 120v Car Warmer from CDN Tire
- Suggested cord routing, attach points and/or mounting locations?
The car warmer has 900 watts of heating power
Thanks in advance,
iJet

 

What are you heating? The engine? That should be accomplished by just running the engine. Just make sure your oil viscosity is optimal for your expected temperature range. Usually, the manufacturer's recommendation is fine.

 

Remote start or a very compassionate girlfriend

 

Oh my..
The install would be inside the cab for that toasty warm, ice free window experience! The little buddy heater would be installed under the glove box area that provides heated air blowing through out the cab

 

Yeah... just run the engine.

 

I always had a 120V car warmer in my cars/trucks. I installed one from Canadian Tire under the glove box. It's 900W I think.
I routed the cable in a big grommet on the firewall, on the passenger side. It was a pain to feed the cable, even with a flexible rod, but I got the job done. The cable is routed under the hood, attached to existing wire looms, then, goes down under the passenger headlight, behind the bumper, and I found a plastic trim that I could push to feed the cable outside the bumper.


I prefer to have the cab heater by a 120V warmer, than having the engine idling for 20 or so minutes, which is not good especially in winter.

 

So basically this is intended to run all night and keep the temperature warm in the truck?

 

Just warm up the truck before you jump in, doesn't take long to de-ice the windows just running the engine. You'll spend more $$ on power compared to 100ml of gas to let it run. I live in Edmonton and I haven't even plugged in the block heater yet, and have had no issues.

 

It's funny reading some of the responses to this thread. You almost know instantly who lives in canada (the prairies) and who doesn't!

Last winter I installed a little buddy from Canadian tire. It is friggen amazing having clean ice free Windows in -30 degree weather.

What I did was just place the heater in the back seat on the ground ( on rubber floor mat). The cord is hard wired in and ran through the firewall to meet up with the block heater cord. So plugging in turns them both on.

When not in use or after I unplug, I move the heater in the back to the little storage bin under the seats.

 

Also, would I spend more on power than gas if I just let the truck run.....yes maybe. But some people get to plug in for free at work!