29-11-2021, 02:52 PM
(This post was last modified: 29-11-2021, 02:54 PM by Pedronicus.)
Bear with me on this, folks.
The good lady wife gets up very early in the morning to take our two GSDs out for a walk. At this time of year when there can be heavy frost/ice/snow on the vehicle she has the habit of putting the two dogs in the van, starting the engine and letting it warm up to start defrosting. She then comes back indoors to put her warm kit on whilst keeping an eye on the van at all times. I am not too keen on this procedure but, who am I to put her right!
So, my plan is this. I will fit an external surface mounted angled downward pointing round pin caravan type socket at high level on the panel immediately behind the driver's door (the side door being on the nearside). This would then be wired inside the van to a standard UK type three pin socket fitted on a board behind the external socket. A mains voltage low wattage fan heater would then be fitted to the top of the dog cage pointing forward and plugged in to the internal socket.
The operational procedure would be as follows:
The evening before run a suitable lead from the external caravan socket on the van in the drive (4.5m from the house) and into the utility room via the disused cat flap. In the utility room it would be plugged in to an RCD protected switched socket which would be turned off.
When wife comes down in the morning to feed the dogs in the utility room she switches on the mains socket powering the external lead. The fan heater would then come on and start to heat/defrost the van.
After breakfast when she leaves to go for her walk she switches off the socket in the utility room on the way out, puts dogs in van, disconnects the flying lead from the external van socket and puts the plug end back through the cat flap. She then drives off with a warm and de-frosted/de-iced/de-snowed van!
Result should equal one happy warm wife and dogs (and my piece of mind about leaving a vehicle unattended with the engine running!).
There would be no mains voltage running to the van overnight or at any time either she and/or the dogs are loaded within.
Can anyone see any downsides to this plan bearing in mind I shall be the one running the cable out in the evening and coiling it up in the morning. Just to make damn sure she un-plugs the cable from the van a BIG notice could be hooked on the steering wheel or propped up in front of the speedo housing!!
TIA!
The good lady wife gets up very early in the morning to take our two GSDs out for a walk. At this time of year when there can be heavy frost/ice/snow on the vehicle she has the habit of putting the two dogs in the van, starting the engine and letting it warm up to start defrosting. She then comes back indoors to put her warm kit on whilst keeping an eye on the van at all times. I am not too keen on this procedure but, who am I to put her right!
So, my plan is this. I will fit an external surface mounted angled downward pointing round pin caravan type socket at high level on the panel immediately behind the driver's door (the side door being on the nearside). This would then be wired inside the van to a standard UK type three pin socket fitted on a board behind the external socket. A mains voltage low wattage fan heater would then be fitted to the top of the dog cage pointing forward and plugged in to the internal socket.
The operational procedure would be as follows:
The evening before run a suitable lead from the external caravan socket on the van in the drive (4.5m from the house) and into the utility room via the disused cat flap. In the utility room it would be plugged in to an RCD protected switched socket which would be turned off.
When wife comes down in the morning to feed the dogs in the utility room she switches on the mains socket powering the external lead. The fan heater would then come on and start to heat/defrost the van.
After breakfast when she leaves to go for her walk she switches off the socket in the utility room on the way out, puts dogs in van, disconnects the flying lead from the external van socket and puts the plug end back through the cat flap. She then drives off with a warm and de-frosted/de-iced/de-snowed van!
Result should equal one happy warm wife and dogs (and my piece of mind about leaving a vehicle unattended with the engine running!).
There would be no mains voltage running to the van overnight or at any time either she and/or the dogs are loaded within.
Can anyone see any downsides to this plan bearing in mind I shall be the one running the cable out in the evening and coiling it up in the morning. Just to make damn sure she un-plugs the cable from the van a BIG notice could be hooked on the steering wheel or propped up in front of the speedo housing!!
TIA!
B9 (2016) 1.6 BlueHDi 100 Multispace XTR = Mine; B9 (2013) Enterprise 1.6 HDi Van = Hers.
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She will be given full training in the procedure together with a Certificate of Competence! If she cocks it up, she pays for it (as she's the one with the money)!
