meankawi

I live in Wyoming. It does get pretty cold plus wind chill makes it worse! The block heater does come in handy! We hit -10 the other night.

medicff0879

Yeap, That is COLD!!

guessboy3

-28 celsius here now. (-18 F)
My truck's plugged in.

BIGblue85

MN hasn't been below zero this year. Only a matter of time. But I still plug my truck in. It's only for an hour before work, but i figured it's better than nothing.

I have noticed a difference in how quickly the engine reaches operating temperature when it has been plugged in vs. not.

JATT

Since we are talking about Block Heaters, i got a question. I hope someone Knows the answer for that.
I got a factory installed block heater.

How does a block heater works???

Most of us will plug it in at night and take it of in the morning before u start your truck. Some say its good to plug in all night and there are others who say it just works for 2-3 hours and shut down n plugging it all night is the same as not having a block heater.

Any input will be appreciated.

cdvaight

I have been leaving mine plugged in all night and it is warm in the morning. I don't quite get the theory that if you leave it plugged in all night it is like not having a block heater at all?

EdCaffreyMS

Do you mean how does the "block heater" work concerning the truck?
If so, the typical factory models are installed in one of the freeze plug holes in the engine block (that means the heating element is sitting in one of the engine's water jackets (passages for coolant that are cast into the engine block).....when plugged in, the resistive heating element heats the engine coolant to a given temp (block heaters have built in thermostats that shut the heating element on/off) Because of where they are positioned, (the lower portion of the engine) the factory installed "freeze plug" type heaters also circulate the heated engine coolant...but not mechanically (hot air/fluid rises.....cold sinks....called "Convective heat transfer". Over a period of time...depending on the amount of fluid, it means that the entire volume of fluid, and therefore the engine block will achieve and maintain a given temp from the block heater. I agree with what others have said.....2-4 hours is about all you need to heat the volume our trucks contain. I've used a timer on mine for years......a few bucks at the hardware store for a timer can save you some $$ on electricity. It's nothing earth shattering, but every little bit helps.

The "block heater" itself is essentially nothing more than a small waterproof version of what you see when you look at a home convection electric heater..... here's a pic of a typical "freeze plug" block heater.... (I just grabbed that one because it was the first one that popped up on a google search.

JATT

Thanks a lot. That explains it better.
I never used the block heater in any of my cars. Just cranked it up.

@ cdvaight ....... What i meant was the heater works for 2-3 hours, gets the job done n stops. So by morning its back to where it was before (cOld)
N that was what i heard from a mechanic before.


Its -15 already in the bushes. Will plug it in n see how it works.

MadocHandyman

I think that mechanic needs to find a new profession.

Most people that plug in all night, live in frigid temps. -20 C or lower with high wind chill.
Here in Ontario, I don't even plug mine in till it's a steady -10 C and it's on a timer for 3 hours or so.
If it gets really cold, I will increase the timer a couple more hours before morning.
I only plug it in all night if it's going to hit -35 or -40 C. Not even sure I want to go outside though ;-).
I believe most heaters are 1000 watt so leaving it on for 10 hours = 10 kwh
10 kwh x $0.20/kwh = $2.00 a day.
Not a lot but adds $60 to your bill at the end of the month.

isthatahemi

BH's are usually 500 or so watts IIRC....