It is not the best solution. It is not the most practical solution as well. However, it works fine so far.
The problem:
-When the temperature drops below -10 Celsius (my limit), I need to plug-in the block heater.
-I am driving from work to home everyday for about 5 km, which is not enough to completely charge the battery. So I need to charge the battery. As you know, when the temperature drops, the charge of the battery drops as well. So a cold morning start adds a huge load to the half-charged battery.
-I need to keep the battery warm. I have to plug-in my battery warmer. Warmer battery is better, right?
Solution:
-Whenever temperature drops below my limit, I connect a box to the car:
(I have an old couple living next door and I don’t want them to fall because of the electric wire. That is why there is a cable channel with a yellow-black warning sticker on it…and yes, houses in Canada have a power outlet for block heaters!
-Here is the box:
-Inside the box
• My NOCO Genius battery Charger
• Timer
• Couple of terminal blocks (underneath the steel plate)
• Circuit Diagrams and owners manuals in a sleeve
-The plugs for the battery warmer and block heater are on the bumper and they have their own cap. They are not live when the car is on the road, so I don’t worry to much about their prongs exposed to water, etc. HOWEVER, the NOCO chargers’s connector is connected to the battery and live! It has a 10 Amp in-line fuse between the positive terminal and the battery, but again it is live and I don’t want a short circuit there.
-Here is my “semi-watertight” box (this box is attached to the licence plate frame with a metal clip):
1. Connector out
2. Connector in
3. Lid closed and sealed (when it is rainy outside, I put a thich rubber band at the connection point of the lid and cover).
Note 1:The box is an empty case of a shave blade:
Note 2: The NOCO charger has two options to charge the battery: warm and cold. Since I am using the battery warmer, I am charging it with "warm" setting.
Overall, I am VERY happy with the setting. The car starts as if it is mid August. No hesitation, nothing. Yes moving the box every night/every morning is a hassle, but it works.
The owners manual of the charger says I shouldn't locate is somewhere in the engine bay, but I think this summer I will move it inside the engine compartment and get rid of the box.
