Have you already felt the chill of autumn days? This is a sign – it's time to prepare for the fall/winter season.

Fluctuating temperatures affect many people's jobs. Warehouse workers, couriers, truck drivers, and commercial drivers must be prepared to work in difficult fall and winter conditions. It's time to prepare your vehicles for tough use in low temperatures.

To avoid worrying about unexpected breakdowns, it is worth checking the functionality of certain parts, components and mechanical systems, such as: brakes, fluids, lighting, battery, fuel system or suspension.

To ensure comfort while driving, drivers should consider one important thing: proper vehicle heating! For this purpose, a dedicated auxiliary heater, such as one from Webasto or Eberspächer, is installed in the vehicle. It's worth choosing several top-quality auxiliary heater brands, as cheap imitations and systems from lesser-known companies are often faulty and inefficient.

What is a parking heater?

A parking heater is a system in a motor vehicle that allows the vehicle interior to be heated independently of the engine. This is especially useful in winter, when the driver can warm up the interior and defrost the windows before setting off without having to start the engine.

How do the most popular parking heaters work?

The auxiliary heater operates independently of the car's engine. Its functionality is closely linked to:

• engine cooling system,
• Ventilation system.

The central element of an efficient auxiliary heater is the heater, which is connected to the cooling system. Air is drawn in via a fan, which activates the engine's coolant circuit. The heater is powered by fuel from the fuel tank.

The function of a parking heater is essentially to feed heated coolant into a closed circuit. This circuit begins in the engine, where the coolant is heated. It is then transported to the heat exchanger and the engine before being returned to the engine, where it is heated again. The circulating coolant releases heat, which is then conducted into the truck's interior via the ventilation system.

What types of parking heaters are there?

• Water heating – a type of heating that heats the coolant in the engine circuit and transfers heat to the vehicle interior via the ventilation system. This solution not only heats the cabin but also the engine, thus facilitating starting in low temperatures.
• Air heating – this system heats the interior air directly, which is more efficient for quickly maintaining warmth inside the vehicle but does not overheat the engine.

What control systems are available for parking heaters?

The auxiliary heater is very easy to use. It can be controlled with:

• Timer,
• wireless remote control,
• or even via a smartphone, thanks to a special mobile app.

What are the advantages of using a parking heater?

The advantage of Webasto or Eberspächer solutions is not only that they can quickly warm the interior and provide comfort for the driver. The system also increases the engine temperature. This occurs even before the engine starts. This ensures proper and trouble-free engine starting in winter at very low temperatures. This helps reduce the following:

• Fuel consumption, as the engine does not have to be started to heat the interior,
• Wear of mechanical components due to preheating before commissioning
• Pollutant emissions.

Let's not forget that turning on the auxiliary heater on a frosty winter day helps us avoid scraping the frozen windows, which many drivers hate!

In the Merkol shop, you will find all the necessary accessories and spare parts for parking heaters from popular manufacturers, such as seals, reducers, flexible pipes, fuel filters, and all types of extension cables.

When you choose Merkol, you choose excellent product quality and great service.