P500 Inferno heater cab recirculation system

[Chevyfan396]

I have been designing a few 3d printed adapters to fit the inferno heater for my 520. Overall the heater works decent. It does seem to be barely adequate at high speeds(30+) or when the air temp is really cold. I have the utv801 windshield, honda roof, honda soft rear panel and p520 honda soft doors. I have my cab sealed up pretty well and I have spent some time plugging holes in the dash. In order to increase the efficiency of the inferno heater I have been working on a system that recirculates the warming cab air instead of the fan pulling cold ambient air across the heater core. Preliminary results seem promising.

 

[DRZRon1]

did you measure the duct air outlet temp before all that air recirculation stuff and after?

 

[Chevyfan396]

did you measure the duct air outlet temp before all that air recirculation stuff and after?

I didn't have time to run it both with and without when I was putting it in. I don't know that the maximum temperature will be any different. Running pre warmed cab air over the heater box rather than 30 degree ambient temperature will allow the heater to work at optimum levels. It does feel like it stays significantly warmer than it was when running factory during hunting season.

 

[DRZRon1]

thanks, we would get readings of 130F+ out of the universal cores summit racing sells in 30 degree weather, most of the time once the cab warmed up all that would be needed was low speed. was just asking to see if there was another issue with heat output.

 

[Chevyfan396]

thanks, we would get readings of 130F+ out of the universal cores summit racing sells in 30 degree weather, most of the time once the cab warmed up all that would be needed was low speed. was just asking to see if there was another issue with heat output.

Not really a problem just room for improvement. Mostly I'd notice at high speeds there was enough super cold air through the heater core that temps in the cab would drop pretty significantly.

 

[MarlinWalker]

@Chevyfan396
I built a heater system a few years back for my Pioneer 500. Used a heater core from JEGS, same as sold from summit racing.

P500 - Heater installed with Pictures

New 2018 Pioneer 500 owner here. I’ve had it for about a month now and it has been great. Here in northern Idaho the snow will keep me out of the mountains for about 3-4 months but early spring and late fall is ridable but can be downright chilly. So I set out to enclose my cab. I bought a...

hondasxs.com

Sealed up the cab as best as possible and blocked off the dash leaks like the 4wd lever, pedals, and reverse lever. Its good but always looking to bump the efficiency up as the 500 doesn't throw a lot of heat.

Do you have your heater core plumbed out side the thermostat or did you use a bypass/relocation valve to access the coolant behind the thermostat? I did not use a bypass or relocation. So the whole external circuit needs to be hot to pass much heat to the core. A lot is lost to the radiator doing it's job, especially at higher speeds. I blocked my radiator off with a piece of cardboard and it made a world of difference. Essentially turning the heater core into the radiator. Just gotta remember to remove it when temps warm up.

I thought about the re-circulation idea at one point but my inlet isn't as conveniently located as yours and scrapped it. Though I see where 3d printing might just make it possible. Nice job with this project.

 

[Scoop]

For automobiles, recirculating the air is typically something you should do in the warmer months but avoid in the colder months. In the warmer months, recirculating the cooler cabin air means the A/C system doesn't have to cool the air down as much. In the winter, recirculation can trap humidity and cause your windows to fog up. Then again, our UTVs have plenty of other places to let air in and out, so neither may really be a factor.