Ask Steve dot Com

To Heat or Not to Heat? Ask the Thermostat.

Cory Bowles writes:

"I have a great question for you, one that's been a raging debate in my family for YEARS.  However, living down in sunny Texas, this is probably not a problem you run into much. Anyway, here goes:
 
"When the temperatures are cold (I live in the far-north suburbs of Chicago) and you go out to warm up your car, is it best to let the car run for a few minutes with the heater off so you are just letting the engine warm up? Or, to turn the heater on, so that when the engine does warm up, it starts pumping warm air into the car.   Perhaps down south you do the opposite with the air-conditioning?"

So, you guys really have "raging debates" about this stuff, huh?  Here in Texas, the only thing that generates really heated debates is what camoflage pattern to wear on the next hunting trip.  Not really!!  I'm just kidding.  We don't debate camoflage patterns.  Fashion is, after all, a personal choice.

Turn on the heater or don't turn on the heater.  I'll give you my best take on the subject, but it probably won't end the debate once and for all.  Let's start with how car heaters work.  Once a car engine starts, regardless of the outside weather, it begins to generate heat.  This heat is removed from the engine by circulating water through the engine block and then out to the radiator where the heat is transfered to the outside air.  I admit, this is a simplified description, but for this situation, it works.  In order to help the engine warm up more quickly, the water circulation system is fitted with a temperature sensitive valve called a thermostat.  By remaining closed when water temperatures are cold, this valve prevents water from circulating through the engine block and radiator, allowing the water temperature inside the engine to rise more rapidly. 

So if you turn the heater on when you start the engine, the thermostat will remain closed until the water in the engine block is nice and toasty.  Then the thermostat opens, heated water begins to flow, and the heater starts to warm the car's interior.  Consequently, you are better off turning both the engine and the heater on at the same time.  After all, who wants to sit in a freezing car anyway?  

Here in Texas heat is the problem.  Our solution is to turn the AC on full blast, roll down the windows and drive fast.  I don't know if that's the most effecient way to do it but who cares?  It feels good!

Ask Me No Questions and I'll Tell You No Lies!

Gather 'round, friends, family, and acquaintances!  This is Julie, Steve's daughter.  When Mom mentioned that people had begun to refer to Dad as "AskStevedotCom", I saw an opportunity.  Why not give him a platform for all of his God-given and wholly-unavoidable pontification?  And thus, Ask Steve dot Com was born. 

Alas, some other gentleman had already taken the real domain, so I had to settle for naming the blog and keeping the Typepad extension.  But since you're all going to bookmark it, it won't matter anyway!

Ask Steve dot Com is a Q&A blog for all those random questions that you're vaguely interested in, but haven't the time to research for yourself.  That's right - make Steve do it!  It'll also be a place for Steve to talk about his various projects, trips, and whatever else he deems interesting or relevant.

So here's what I need from you to get this all kicked off for him come Christmas morning: Leave a comment on this post (just click on the link right there under this) or send him an e-mail through that link on the left (not his regular address), and leave a question for Steve to answer.  When he's thoroughly researched and written out the response, he'll post it here and send you the link. 

And - lest I forget - IT'S A SECRET!  So don't blab or e-mail him about it until after Christmas morning.

Thanks for playing along and helping me make this a fun present for my Dad!

Julie