For those who like car engines, and warm homes.

Most central heating systems have radiators and a pump somewhere in the system to circulate the hot water. The V6 Room Heater combines both actions into one.

Here's how to make one up - (abbreviated)

First clean up your engine, which doesn't have to be a V6, but does need to be water cooled. Disconnect and remove the pistons and valve push rods, so that there is no compression resistance.

Make sure that the engine is totally watertight, by renewing all hoses and seals. Now plumb it into your hot water system. Substitute the engine's alternator with an electric motor to drive the pump and fan blade.

You can now sit back and enjoy your engine as the metal block heats up like a radiator and adds to its convection effect by blowing warm air into the room via its fan blade.

Chrome fittings and twin carbs are optional extras.
-- xenzag, Sep 12 2006

V6 Room Heater Emergency_20Heat
...but left in the car... [DrCurry, Sep 12 2006]

As an added bonus you can die from CO poisoning(you forgot to deal with the exhaust)
-- jhomrighaus, Sep 12 2006


Could we take the top off, and perhaps use the pressure in the heating system to somehow drive the engine around - it would be cool to see the pistons going up and down.
-- zen_tom, Sep 12 2006


[Plish] is on the money, but as for [jhomrighaus] - there is no exhaust - you have failed to understand the idea and now must be punished in an unusual way.

You will paint a large number of cockroaches with harmless bright varnish, coat them with sprinkly material and carry pockets full of them to work every day for a week, attending dutifully to their every whim, before cleaning them up and releasing them.
-- xenzag, Sep 12 2006


Someone did the car engine as central heating before, but I think they left it in the car. I'll see what I can find.
-- DrCurry, Sep 12 2006


I misunderstood in the same way. And I refuse to paint cockroaches, I live in Georgia, US, so it would take too much paint, even with a roller.

This is not a V6 "heater" it is a V6 "radiator"
-- Galbinus_Caeli, Sep 12 2006


DrCurry - if the engine is left in the car then it's not much of an idea as it's still just being and engine, with a remote heater - so for that feeble idea, you get a fart.

[GC] you won't be painting cockroaches, that's reserved for [jhomrighaus] For your failure to understand the idea you will be numbering all the pieces of gravel on my driveway with letraset, in 6 point Helvetica.
-- xenzag, Sep 12 2006


OK I get it now and it makes a lot more sense. I think to do this right though you need to use an old 30s era Straight Eight out of an old Caddy. I might have to install one of these in my garage someday. [+] (unless you still want me to paint roachs then It will be a (-))
-- jhomrighaus, Sep 12 2006


xenzag: actually, I think my conclusion on that earlier idea was that it would be about as useful in heating a house as that fart.
-- DrCurry, Sep 12 2006


Sweet. Can an alternator be motorized without any modifications? I think so. Maybe.
-- wittyhoosier, Dec 24 2006


why not have it be a standard engine with water cooled exhaust as well? Use the standard water pump to pump the water through an oversized raiator, and the standard fan to pass the air through the radiator.

Even better: haave a large heat exchanger on the exhaust system, through which air is blown by a second fan (apun by the engine via a belt, and maybe make it a "squirrel cage" type fan), and have the main fan blow air through an oversized radiator. this would probably end up as efficient at heating as a standard heater, considering that this would use no electricity.
-- theperson10, Oct 28 2008



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