Engine Block Heater

[LETMGROW]

Originally Posted by johnnyreno

I am guessing that multi viscosity oil is useless then im not sure your statement is totally true but would love to discuss more on the subject

Try what I suggested in my post #27 and see for yourself.
Lynn

[livnadream]

Don't travel with your block heater plugged in to it's outlet it is intended for shore power, the outlet in the engine compartment will be running on your inverter while traveling. I found this out just 2 weeks ago while traveling from Idaho to Palm Springs, after 2 hrs of traveling, my batteries were low enough that I started losing our overhead TV (wife uses it as GPS screen) and satellite radio. Checked inverters and the left inverter had a low battery fault. I thought I had a bad inverter but talked to CS and they thought I had bad batteries so I had them checked and all were fine. After arriving in Palm Springs and had a couple of drinks it dawned on me I had not unplugged it before leaving Idaho.
Unplugged the block heater and all of my problems were solved, inverters are back to normal and the wife can go back to telling me where to go (maybe I'll plug it in again)!

[hogdriver]

I'm trying to guess the engineer's (hopefully they use one) intent when Entegra wired the plug next to the block heater to the inverter circuits. I know the obvious I could heat the block off the battery somewhere but it seems the AH Engine Preheat is a better way (sorry Aspire's and Insignia's). I guess they wired it that way so you could run an electric buffer or tool if needed but it seems like a better solution would've been to run this plug to the Shore power only circuits. Destroying batteries is a lot more expensive than buying an extension cord.

[brobox]

I think the safest use for that outlet is low voltage LED frame lights with a lamp remote plugged in. I think that is what Entegra was thinking when they wired that outlet on the inverter.

[bill2011]

A lot of different views here but I understand the engine block heater on the 2017's is actually not wired through an inverter circuit so no harm in driving with it plugged in. I have been advised this by Spartan and there are also posts in this thread to that effect. I cannot unplug anyway since my engine access door motor has failed. I am home now so will hopefully get the door open and unplug. Thanks for all the comments.

[LETMGROW]

Originally Posted by bill2011

A lot of different views here but I understand the engine block heater on the 2017's is actually not wired through an inverter circuit so no harm in driving with it plugged in. I have been advised this by Spartan and there are also posts in this thread to that effect. I cannot unplug anyway since my engine access door motor has failed. I am home now so will hopefully get the door open and unplug. Thanks for all the comments.

Slightly off topic but it seems to me like the manufacturer would have put a manual override on the engine compartment cover. Sometimes the things they don't do are more bothersome than things they do.
Lynn

[DSL417]

Planning on failure is a hard thing to do...

I am sure we all plan to fail when we try something new; OTOH, I suspect this new approach was engineered and tested, along with assurance from the OEM providers (kinda like the shade motors and the radiators). Too much at stake to come out with something new without testing. But my guess is the high achievers that success allows them, at this stage in their lives, to buy into this lifestyle probably made many decisions and choices without truly expecting failure. We just had confidence in our decisions, and maybe, we considered some contingencies. Sometimes they didn't work out as expected. JMHO