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Old 12-13-2017, 12:21 PM   #1
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Diesel engine heater

Sitting here in 26 degree weather. Rig is winterized. Leaving for Florida in 5 days,is there any reason I shouldn't leave the engine heater on 24 -7 until I leave or is it not necessary waste of electricity. Or should I turn it on the day before.
Thanks for any imput.
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Old 12-13-2017, 12:24 PM   #2
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Heats engine in 2-4 hours, not necessary to leave on for that long.
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Old 12-13-2017, 12:28 PM   #3
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I would just turn it on the day before.

Have a great trip and keep her between the ditches!
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Old 12-13-2017, 12:31 PM   #4
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Just a couple hours makes a difference. I very seldom use mine.
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Old 12-13-2017, 12:46 PM   #5
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I think 5 days is a bit of a waste of electricity but that is the only negative. I would probably opt for the day/night before departure.
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Old 12-13-2017, 03:06 PM   #6
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I wondered how mine (97' 8.3 cummins) would start in the cold. I have only had it a few weeks. I went out there it had been in the 20's for a couple days and it is broadside to west winds from open fields. I turned it on, waited about 30 seconds, had the pedal about 1/2 way down, and cranked it over. it fired right up, I let it smooth out(probably 15 seconds), and it purred like a kitten. I was impressed
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Old 12-13-2017, 03:21 PM   #7
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Overnight is plenty long enough to have the coach engine heater plugged in. Any longer than 4 to 6 hrs is just a waste of power. With good batteries , the coach should easily start down to 0 deg F without the need for an engine heater. For faster engine warmup plug in the heater a couple of hrs before starting the engine.
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Old 12-13-2017, 04:12 PM   #8
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A couple of hours works for us.
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Old 12-13-2017, 05:32 PM   #9
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We have started ours down to -20 F with the block heater running overnight. Only problem was the fuel was gelling and the engine would only run about 15 seconds and then quit. This was with anti-gell added. Had to wait until it warmed up to about 15 F, along with a hair dryer on the fuel filter/separator and some extra anti-gel. If your engine started and ran OK at the temp in your area, you are probably fine. If it is going to get really cold, adding an anti-jell may keep things running. We use Power Service. Last fill in the fall I add a little more than the recommended concentration, just to be on the safe side. We leave for Florida late January and our local weather can be brutally cold....kind of like today with a wind chill of 2 F this AM. Had to shovel about 8" of snow off the roof yesterday. Time to get out of here!

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Old 12-13-2017, 05:43 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shawn6596 View Post
I wondered how mine (97' 8.3 cummins) would start in the cold. I have only had it a few weeks. I went out there it had been in the 20's for a couple days and it is broadside to west winds from open fields. I turned it on, waited about 30 seconds, had the pedal about 1/2 way down, and cranked it over. it fired right up, I let it smooth out(probably 15 seconds), and it purred like a kitten. I was impressed
Wind makes no difference to an inanimate object or cold blooded animal. It won't get any colder than the air temperature. Look up how wind chill is determined.
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Old 12-14-2017, 08:17 AM   #11
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Mr. D.

I am quite aware of how wind chill works. I was just stating it was 2 F here yesterday factoring in the wind chill. That is what I was feeling, not the engine. The engine will be at the ambient temp.
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Old 12-14-2017, 06:25 PM   #12
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The Cummins manual says to use the preheat if the temp at start time will be 40 or colder. Much easier on the engine when using the preheat.
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Old 12-15-2017, 07:37 PM   #13
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I was sitting in 8 degree temperature this morning . Ran the pre-heater for about 1.5 hours, turned on ignition and the heat ready light went out normally and the beast came alive right away. Running the pre-heater won't hurt anything if you want to run it longer but it isn't going to keep getting it to tropical warm.
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Old 12-15-2017, 09:13 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fiesta48 View Post
Heats engine in 2-4 hours, not necessary to leave on for that long.
Anything longer is a waste of money/electricity. This is in-line with the Cummins owners manual.
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