Hi everyone,
I recently bought a DEFA 1900W interior heater for my 2008 Nissan Qashqai. I tested it for a short time and it started blowing very hot air very quickly.
I don’t drive often so I might be overthinking this, but I wanted to ask:
• Is this level of heat output normal for a 1900W DEFA heater?
• Can it cause any damage to the windshield because of sudden temperature difference?
• Is there any real fire risk inside the car?
I am attaching the parking picture also. Please suggest me some suggestions.
Thanks in advance!
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1qpatkw
Posted by Lets_Laugh69
21 Comments
The heater is supposed to blow hot air, that’s normal. Otherwise the car won’t warm up properly in winter. Your device has two settings, the second setting (II) you can use when the weather is particularly cold.
There is no risk to the windshield from this. The risk of fire is only real if there are things in front of or attached to the fan that could burn. The plastic parts of the car can withstand hot air from these.
However, please note that the fan must be attached to the car, meaning it should not be left on the seat or floor. It was a little unclear from the pictures whether you have the fan attached to the footwell wall, as it should be.
You don’t want to attach any car heater to blow directly onto the windshield from close range. The car heater is usually located in the passenger side footwell.
Just install it in a correct orientation and it will be just fine. Check if there’s a maximum amount of Wattage you are allowed to use from that outlet and set the mode accordingly. I have the same model
Also note that normally the outlet has a timer to shut this heater down after max 2h of work
Follow the proper installation instructions and you should have no problems:
[Page 37 here for cabin heater installation](https://www.defa.com/content/uploads/Documentation/Downloads/Technical-information/Electrical-preheating/Technical-Handbook-EN.pdf)
1,9kW might be a problem if you live in apartment complex where the heater poles and wiring is old. They are usually rated something like ~800W per car.
So I have only 900W heater + engine heater and all my neighbors on same pole group use heating different times than I do. They commute around 6-8, I leave at 9-10. So we have not had problems, but if we all plugged in our cars sametime the automatic fuse would pop in the electricity distribution room, which we cannot access. Maintenance and chairman of the housing companys board has keys there.
Other than that its fine as long as you do not place it near windscreen. Put it into passenger side floor.
Use the bracket and install it front passenger footwell just like the manual says. If it is correctly installed fire risk inside the car is minimal. If you heat windshield directly with heater it might damage it.
1900W heater started blowing very hot air very quickly? No shit.
Do you know what else might have the power of 1900W? Your kitchen furnace/oven. But your car is larger, generally lives outdoors and lacks the insulation of an oven. And like your oven, it has a thermostat so it won’t be melting iron.
For the questions directly:
Yes, a 1900W heater does blow heat with the power of 1,9kW at -25c, as it states. Turns out heating a cold car in sensible amount of time requires some power.
Yes, it can damage the wind screen if you blow the hot air directly to it. But why would you? The installation spot is generally next to the feet of the passenger and you *really* should install it according to the manual.
Any heater carries a risk. Most risks are related to an improper installation or faulty unit though. As long as you don’t do anything stupid with the firing or submerge your unit in salt water, it should be fine
Yes / no / no.
Last two “no” if you install it correctly in the footwell so it doesn’t blow at the windshield or anything is too close (read the manual!).
The heater is meant to warm up the air in the cabin, so that the car is warm to enter when the heater has been on for a while.
The heater is usually installed in the passenger side footwell, perhaps attached to the center/middle console, pointed 45 degree upwards so that it blows towards the middle of the car. Like in the image here: https://www.motonet.fi/artikkelit/autolampo so that there is nothing immediately in front of the heater but instead lots of empty space for the warm air to circulate and spread inside the cabin.
I am not aware of windshields or other windows cracking because of a heater like this. Some fire risk exists always of course, but only if you for example leave the heater on the seat blowing towards the seat, but used properly it is safe.
The heater does blow hot air, no worries there. If there is a fan at the top of it, it pulls cold air from inside the car to warm up.
The change in temperature is pretty gradual inside the car. so no worries for windshield damage either. If anything, you might find it way easier to scrape ice off your windsheild when it’s warm.
As for fire hazard, generally you don’t have to be concerned. Make sure you point the plastic vent away from the seats, so it will warm the air inside the car instead of warming the seat. I think if you warm the car for two hours on the parking lot, and your heater is pointed towards the seat, that’s where a fire hazard might be a concern.
I personally place the heater on the edge of the passenger side seat, blowing towards the glove compartment. That way the car is nice and warm when I need to drive, and there’s zero risk of anything happening. Good questions, hope this helps!
Wait… your **heater** blows hot air???
Regarding the heat: hairdryers are in the same range, so yeah, 1900W is pretty hot
1900 watts is a lot, it’s great if you want to heat up your car really quickly, but if you also have a engine block heater you may want to use a lower setting and just keep it on for a bit longer
Thanks everyone for your kind help and information 💜🌺
Those heaters are completely safe. Most cars in Finland have those and Defa is propably the largest brand. Of course it blows very hot air, that’s what it meant to do. The 1900W is not even max available, I have 2100W version.
Those have over heating protection and in addition to that, those also gradually reduce the heating power as the indoor temperature rises. Heating element has PTC (PTC = Positive Temperature Coefficient).
For windshield most dangerous is the car’s own hot air blow directly to to windshield. That really breaks glasses.
Do not point at windshield.
Usually it’s mounted with screws to passenger side foot area pointing backwards at 45 degree angle.
https://youtu.be/vvwN-yf-QYk?si=DVAvTJFDQg8NWI7e
Others has mainly answered to other questions, but a answer to the first one is yes. It’s in the same power class as an electric cooking stove, even more than some of them. It needs ro heat larger area, and blows the warm air away, but if you put something right in front of it, it’s going to get hot.
Read the manual……
> heater
> started blowing very hot air
I’d say it’s a functioning heater, no?
Greetings from Alaska!
I use a KATS brand (USA version pretty much) of the same type of heater. Usually they are plugged in tandem with a block heater, battery heater &/or any of the other fluid heaters we use here to make starting our vehicles in the cold a lot easier.
I mounted my interior cab heater next to my cup holders on my center console facing up. The part that blows the hot air is not too close to any plastic or fabric, it basically blows straight up into the cab.
You don’t want to mount that directly facing the windshield, it’s more to increase the ambient temperature of your vehicle to keep it defrosted & slightly warmer than the outer temps.
I also run an engine block heater, an oil pan heater, a transmission pan heater, & a battery heater with a battery shield. BUT you have to keep in mind I drive a big one ton pickup everyday.
Hope this helps!