Engine block heater

[buddy110]

Those of you who stow your babies in the cold weather with 50amp hook ups, do you leave the block heater plugged in all winter?

[Hayman]

I can't fathom any reason to plug in all winter if storing and in our part time days when we stored for the winter we didn't leave the engine block heater on unless you want to increase the Electric Company's profit margin 😳😁.

[rrtribble]

Not unless you have lots of money to pay the electric company!!!!!

There is no reason to keep it on except to preheat the engine oil to make starting easier.

Just to check, I turned my block heater on while I was running my generator and the meter showed an immediate amp increase of 9amps.

Recently new DP owner shared his electric bill at the campground was $100.00 higher than his neighbor's. When inspecting he found the lighted heater switch located on his wife's side of the bed was on (she thought it was a night light). Turned it off and next month bill was $100.00 less.

I keep mine plugged in during the winter but only turn it on to warm up oil in preparation for traveling. Usually turn on when I go to bed so engine warm next morning if temps below 40*\

Hope this helps - Richard

[brobox]

When Living in CO I plugged the block heater in the night before going skiing if below 20 degrees. Other than that the anti freeze had the engine protected to 50 below.

[igave]

I only use mine when it’s below around 20-25 degrees F. I plug it in the night before traveling to ease startup. I don’t think there is much tangible gain to leaving it on otherwise.

[Gary.Jones]

As others have said, there is no need to keep the engine block heater running continuously. It is there for starting the Cummins on VERY cold mornings when the thickness of the oil would provide a very high demand on the starter. Chucks over-night is pretty conservative. I have not been below maybe zero, but my experience has been that 3 to 4 hours is sufficient to make engine starting easier.

And be sure to turn the darn thing off (unplug it) as soon as you get the Cummins fired up. On some models, it will severely drain your house batteries as that duplex plug used to be supplied from the Magnum inverters!!

Gary

[twinboat]

The block heater heats the coolant, not the oil.

Although heat rises there is some warming effect on the oil sitting in the bottom of the engine.

[buddy110]

Why use the electric rather than the diesel heater?

[brobox]

Originally Posted by buddy110

Why use the electric rather than the diesel heater?

Electric does not effect fuel mileage. Models below an Anthem do not have diesels heaters for engine heat.

[Gary.Jones]

Well, there are both types of block heaters. Some heat the oil and some heat the coolant. I always thought that the electrical heating element in our engine compartments heated the oil. However, I just got off the phone with Spartan and they confirmed that the heater in our coaches heats the coolant.... Now, if you heat the block, you are also heating the oil... indirectly and to me, very inefficiently. And since the ease of starting our engines in very cold weather is less a function of cold coolant than it is thick oil, it seems largely inefficient compared to heating the oil.

I just assumed it heated the oil. When I lived a little south of Buffalo NY and suffered through heavy snow and severe cold winters off the SE corner of Lake Erie, I know my father's cars and most others used oil heating elements on severely cold nights... not coolant heaters. The heaters went down the oil dip stick. I stand corrected, but I wonder why they do it this way. Actually, some rural owners who could not afford the heating elements warmed their oil pans on severely cold mornings by building small fires under their car or putting burning embers from their fireplace or furnace under their engines.

Gary

[twinboat]

They heat the coolant so the combustion chambers get hot enough to fire off. The heated coolant will circulate through the cooling system.

The oil bypass will handle the thick oil, besides modern oil doesn't thicken like the old days.

[buddy110]

Originally Posted by brobox

Electric does not effect fuel mileage. Models below an Anthem do not have diesels heaters for engine heat.

I'm not sure how using the engine preheat (diesel) can affect fuel milage. Do you mean it uses fuel thereby decreasing overall range?

[Gary.Jones]

I'm pretty sure that is what Chuck means..... If you calculate mileage by dealing with the total amount of diesel you have bought and the total miles you have driven, then running the diesel pre-heat using the diesel burner will require longer AquaHot run times and decrease your mileage calculations. I look at it the same way.... if I am in an RV park and I am paying a fixed price for the place and electricity regardless of how much I use, then if possible, I use the heat pumps, the fire place, and the AquaHot electric (and now the electric engine pre-heat) to do my heating.

Gary

[buddy110]

Originally Posted by Gary.Jones

I'm pretty sure that is what Chuck means..... If you calculate mileage by dealing with the total amount of diesel you have bought and the total miles you have driven, then running the diesel pre-heat using the diesel burner will require longer AquaHot run times and decrease your mileage calculations. I look at it the same way.... if I am in an RV park and I am paying a fixed price for the place and electricity regardless of how much I use, then if possible, I use the heat pumps, the fire place, and the AquaHot electric (and now the electric engine pre-heat) to do my heating.

Gary

Yes, I understand. I'm just a little slow and easily confused.