Hooking up 110V, 900W Interior Heater

Im in need of heat in my truck, long story short, it will cost about $1000 to fix the heating problem.

I was looking at getting a Pyroil Interior Heater 110V, 900W for my truck http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444188 8991&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396672419&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395348027&bmUID=1191075321853

Anyways, I was wondering how big of a job it would be to hook it up to the battery. Im a little mechanicaly inclined, just need direction. Unless of course its a big or painstaking task. :)

Oh, btw. not sure if it matters. Driving a 96 Chev Blazer.

The short answer is that you can NOT heat your vehicle using an electric heater. The long answer is as follows: Theoretically you could power it with a 12volt DC to 120 Volt AC power converter capable of producing at least 1000 watts at 120 volts. I say "theoretically" because in reality, that little 900 watt heater wouldn't do very much to heat a moving vehicle, and your alternator could not handle anything much larger. Also the power convertor would not last very long running an electric heating element -- if you read the fine print for these converters they usually specifically say they should not be used for anything that contains a heating element. Heating a car with an electric heater is just not practicable. If you really don't want to spend the money to fix the standard heater, the only real alternative is to install an auxiliary space heater that uses the vehicle's hot coolant just like the oem system. They sell these at JC Whitney and they are not too difficult to install for someone with medium-level mechanical skills and the tools need to cut through sheet metal, route and secure heater hoses. It takes some creativity and fabrication skills, and a willingness to do a little butchering on your vehicle -- which is usually not a problem if it is near the end of its useful life. Here is a link. If it does not work, go to JCWhitney.com and search for 12,500 BTU AUXILIARY SPACE HEATER. It costs $145, and you also need the installation kit and hoses.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/ItemBrowse/c-10101/s-10101/p-100000219815/mediaCode-ZX/appId-100000219815/Pr-p_CATENTRY_ID:100000219815

The short answer is that you can NOT heat your vehicle using an electric heater. The long answer is as follows: Theoretically you could power it with a 12volt DC to 120 Volt AC power converter capable of producing at least 1000 watts at 120 volts. I say "theoretically" because in reality, that little 900 watt heater wouldn't do very much to heat a moving vehicle, and your alternator could not handle anything much larger. Also the power convertor would not last very long running an electric heating element -- if you read the fine print for these converters they usually specifically say they should not be used for anything that contains a heating element. Heating a car with an electric heater is just not practicable. If you really don't want to spend the money to fix the standard heater, the only real alternative is to install an auxiliary space heater that uses the vehicle's hot coolant just like the oem system. They sells these at JC Whitney and they are not too difficult to install for someone with medium-level mechanical skills and the tools need to cut through sheet metal, route and secure heater hoses. It takes some creativity and fabrication skills, and a willingness to do a little butchering on your vehicle -- which is usually not a problem if it is near the end of its useful life. Here is a link. If it does not work, go to JCWhitney.com and search for 12,500 BTU AUXILIARY SPACE HEATER. It costs $145, and you also need the installation kit and hoses.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/ItemBrowse/c-10101/s-10101/p-100000219815/mediaCode-ZX/appId-100000219815/Pr-p_CATENTRY_ID:100000219815


Thanks for the response. Looks like its gonna be a long cold winter, I will end up buying one of them cheapy 12v window defrosters though... Hopefully get a new truck by christmas...

Thanks for the response. Looks like its gonna be a long cold winter, I will end up buying one of them cheapy 12v window defrosters though... Hopefully get a new truck by christmas...

Hey - do your self a favor and post what exactly your heating problem is. There maybe some help here but you'll never know until you post the problem.

Well basically I still have heat. BUT everytime I use it and/or turn on the vents, I can smell coolant or what I think smells like coolant. There isnt any coolant on the passenger floor - yet. Coolant level still seems consistant and no overheating. I brought it to a reliable mechanic, and he agrees it smells like coolant but cant peg it on the heater core 100% and its a pretty costly labour. So I opted to hold off as im not sinking any more moola into it. I could go into details on the money I have sunk in and spent but I dont wanna be reminded :( including the rebuilt tranny last november. So im gonna do my best to avoid using the vents at all cost, suck it up and hold off if i can. :|

Ok, that's a start. Did you do any searching on for heater core or coolong system issues? Have you every had the cooling sys flushed? You said you have heat - meaning the heater works normally and just smells like coolant?

O.K. go to Autozone and borrow the Radiator pressure tester for free. Attach to your radiator and pump it up to the pressure rating of the cap (usually 15-16 lbs.) and watch to see if there is a pressure drop on the Pressure gauge or any visible leaks. You might just have a small leak in one of the heater hoses. In any case, unless you disconnect the heater hoses and jumper them together, your heater core is going to leak anyway (assuming it is leaking). There is a constant flow of antifreeze through the heater core whether you turn the blower fan on or not. If the heater hoses are still connected to the core as normal, you might as well turn the blower on and stay warm.

Has someone recently flushed your system and possibly spilled antifreeze inside the engine compartment?

Before you freeze all winter, it only takes a couple of minutes to pressure test your system and it is free. Then you can go to your mechanic and tell him what the problem is instead of paying him to tell you.

heater cores dont "normally" leak. yes they have fluid running thru them. if they leak, theres is a leak. its that simple.

changing a heater core in those truck suck. but its not iimpossible. as long as you have a basic set of tools, you can do it. do it on a weekend since it takes a bit of time to do it at home. as far as yer mechanic, if you smell coolant in the cabin, and not under the hood, its your heater core. any decent mechanic should know that. if you can tell whether its under the hood or just in the cabin, go from there. if you only smell it in the cabin, id go to your local garage and say i want the heater core changed, if you dont wanna tackle it.

Considering the heat issues, I've got the same thing going and we can't nail it down either on a '98. BUT I may have a temp solution similar to what you asked for!

We've just discovered Mr Heater's (www.mrheater.com (http://www.mrheater.com)) Big Buddy that we use for work heating a 28' trailer and we've also used and now permanently use them indoors as well. This sucker runs on Propane 1lb tanks available everywhere cheap and in a small application like that with 2 tanks loaded it'd last you for days into weeks.

About $120 at WalMart and up to $150 elsewhere this is APPROVED for use indoors and out, trust me we can't give it enough endorsement for every claim in makes in the website, on the box and since it's with us here in Cleveland - what they'll tell you at the factory.

Gas Grill-type starter, 4 D batteries for the onboard fan to circulate air and a tip-over sensor as well as a CO2 sensor so you don't kill yourself if there's a problem in the interior. Very stable, it'd be perfect to bake you out of the thing within 5-10 minutes of firing it up on high and then back it down to low for maintaining the temp while you drive to work, etc.

I personally and my company back this thing 100%. PLUS, no wiring, no drain on the vehicle and when you get a replacement vehicle or fix the problem it's so small and light you can then use it in garages, sheds, basements or even in your house so it's money well spent!

Dave