66 replies to this topic

[drummerian]

PC fans will definatly not be enough

yeah i was thinking this..any ideas? thanks

[danrock101]

PC fans will definatly not be enough

yeah i was thinking this..any ideas? thanks

a fan from a heater from a car in a scrappy

[stustu]

PC fans will definatly not be enough

yeah i was thinking this..any ideas? thanks

i think if you look about at pc fans u might be surprised,i have a dell and the fan i have at the front of mine blows some right heat out more power than my mini has to be honest sounds like a jet plane when it kicks in.

[Ethel]

http://www.marinemeg...s-PLUBIL007.htm


I've just got a 3 incher but it's powerful if a little noisy. Could use some speed control.

[Deathrow]

These are not quiet however they may suit your purpose:

http://www.overclock.......57&subcat=4

Here is a video of one:

Edited by Deathrow, 21 December 2009 - 03:24 AM.

[SolarB]

originally the car would be vented via the eyeball vents in the dash.

'Fraid not. You can't force the air out of the eye ball vents because it tends to meet the air coming in.

[stustu]

http://www.marinemeg...s-PLUBIL007.htm


I've just got a 3 incher but it's powerful if a little noisy. Could use some speed control.

that sound so wrong hahaha

[Dan]

i think if you look about at pc fans u might be surprised,i have a dell and the fan i have at the front of mine blows some right heat out more power than my mini has to be honest sounds like a jet plane when it kicks in.

It feels like a lot when blown through the tiny vent grilles in the front of your PC because it is moving fast. In terms of volume it isn't very much and the efficiency of a fan depends on how it is ducted, I have to agree that it's unlikely they will provide any real force when blowing into an open space. I know that many kit aircraft use them to defrost the windscreen but that only takes a trickle of air, especially when the cabin is ram air heated and travelling at 160 - 200 mph.

I think MDF is going to be quite the wrong material for this. The heater box is constantly full of damp air. This is what rots out the standard foam inside it. MDF wouldn't last long. Use plastic sheeting and weld it together. Frost sell plastic welding kits.

The standard metal cased heater is part-recirulating. That's why it has the flap valve for the left hand fan. It does work and contstantly draws about 40% recirculated air, that keeps the temperature higher than it would be using fresh air alone.

[drummerian]

i think if you look about at pc fans u might be surprised,i have a dell and the fan i have at the front of mine blows some right heat out more power than my mini has to be honest sounds like a jet plane when it kicks in.

It feels like a lot when blown through the tiny vent grilles in the front of your PC because it is moving fast. In terms of volume it isn't very much and the efficiency of a fan depends on how it is ducted, I have to agree that it's unlikely they will provide any real force when blowing into an open space. I know that many kit aircraft use them to defrost the windscreen but that only takes a trickle of air, especially when the cabin is ram air heated and travelling at 160 - 200 mph.

I think MDF is going to be quite the wrong material for this. The heater box is constantly full of damp air. This is what rots out the standard foam inside it. MDF wouldn't last long. Use plastic sheeting and weld it together. Frost sell plastic welding kits.

The standard metal cased heated is part-recirulating. That's why it has the flap valve for the left hand fan. It does work and contstantly draws about 40% recirculated air, that keeps the temperature higher than it would be using fresh air alone.

thanks for the advice, especially the part about the recirc valve.

Shall have another think about the design! thanks!

[Dan]

You could try an MDF box but build it as a mould for a GRP heater. Home fibreglassing kits are OK.

[danrock101]

yeah I bet the mdf will stink after a while
what if you just had a big ish radiator with a decent size fan blowing air off it?
bit like PC watercooling
I'm talking really simple, but I guess it's kinda like a mini heater, and you'd need heat to get to the windscreen

Edited by danrock101, 22 December 2009 - 11:23 PM.

[markaboot]

My dad claims that to stop steaming up you always have fresh air coming into the car, that comes in though the front and generally vents somewhere out the back (is this true? where does the mini 'vent'). And, am i going to have problems taking fresh air in?, i know that currently the heater uses a one way valve, altough i am not fully sure as to it's purpose?

Thanks

Ian

the mini steams up because the moisture in the air condensates on the cold glass. so there are two options to remove it. reduce the moisture content in the air by venting fresh air into the car and old damp air out. or increase the glass/interior temperature so that condensations no longer occurs. so i think thats what your dad is refering too.

it is true as your dad says that if you combine both of theses methods you get the best results. a good warm breeze over the window to help dry it and also to remove the moisture in the car coming from your breath. personally i think your main concern is to develop a good warm draft over the glass surfaces. the venting out should be an added bonus and an after thought. i personally just open my windows a tiny crack at the top and this vents perfectly without any fidly mods or messing around.

hope this helps
mark

[mike.]

Those £25 windscreen heaters off that builders solutions website look great! I might try mounting one those under each windscreen vent. Then i can remove all the standard ducting that is supposed to demist the mini windscreen, because in mine, it jsut doesn't.

Then my heater will be just a heater for inside the car...

[Trail of Dead]

PC fans will definatly not be enough

This depends on what type and size of PC fans you use. You could say that about standard "fan blade" styled fans but I would seriously say that a "blower" type fan for a PC would work well. Also another thing to consider when looking for a good PC fan would be type of bearing used, RPM's attained and finally CFM of air that the fan can move. How do I know....I am a PC Tech!!!! I work on them for a living and deal with these types of things all the time. In fact I posted a thread on this awhile back. I plan on building a nice little Aluminum box to house a smaller heater core that is also made of Aluminum.

Some have said this is crazy talk to be going with a smaller heater core....personally I feel size doesn't make a bit of difference in this case. Copper corrodes and will eventually leak, most likely all over your nice carpets! Aluminum won't and it has a great heat dissipating ability as we all know. I was looking at one from a newer Corvette as a possible candidate. Another thing regarding heater core size, in my case I will be running a C20XE so I can safely say it would produce some HEAT! But back on topic.....the right type of PC fan used can work very well. If you're worried about the plastic casing of the fan potentially melting than buy a metal PC fan. Hope this helps! As soon as I get further with my Mini I will be posting a build thread of my custom heater!

[danrock101]

PC fans will definatly not be enough

This depends on what type and size of PC fans you use. You could say that about standard "fan blade" styled fans but I would seriously say that a "blower" type fan for a PC would work well. Also another thing to consider when looking for a good PC fan would be type of bearing used, RPM's attained and finally CFM of air that the fan can move. How do I know....I am a PC Tech!!!! I work on them for a living and deal with these types of things all the time. In fact I posted a thread on this awhile back. I plan on building a nice little Aluminum box to house a smaller heater core that is also made of Aluminum.

Some have said this is crazy talk to be going with a smaller heater core....personally I feel size doesn't make a bit of difference in this case. Copper corrodes and will eventually leak, most likely all over your nice carpets! Aluminum won't and it has a great heat dissipating ability as we all know. I was looking at one from a newer Corvette as a possible candidate. Another thing regarding heater core size, in my case I will be running a C20XE so I can safely say it would produce some HEAT! But back on topic.....the right type of PC fan used can work very well. If you're worried about the plastic casing of the fan potentially melting than buy a metal PC fan. Hope this helps! As soon as I get further with my Mini I will be posting a build thread of my custom heater!

PC fans are designed to circulate the air in a PC case, we all know how big a PC is and we all know how big the inside of a mini is. I'm not sure what you mean about the blower fans, do you mean the ones on higher end graphics cards?