“Propane Bottle” Engine Coolant Heater

“Propane Bottle” Engine Coolant Heater ENGINES “I needed an engine coolant heater for a hard-to-start diesel tractor After looking at prices for the size heater I needed I decided to make my own ” says Charles Kunau Bellevue Iowa He cut a hole big enough to accept a 1-in pipe bushing in the bottom of an empty 1-lb propane tank then used JB Weld to seal the pipe in place and screwed in a 120-volt 2 000-watt water heater element He wired a heavy-duty extension cord onto the element and covered the connections with a plastic cap for safety reasons Then he drilled two holes in the tank one near the bottom and one in the top to accept 5/8-in hose barbs and used JB Weld to secure them “The cold coolant flows into the bottom of the propane tank as the warmed coolant flows out the top of the tank ” says Kunau “Within 20 min I have a warm easy-to-start diesel tractor I didn’t install a thermostat but one could probably be added “I used an empty propane tank because it’s able to hold up to the pressure of water heating and expanding without blowing a seam ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Charles Kunau 32909 320th St Bellevue Iowa 52031 charliekunau@hotmail com

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