Great ideas guys. Thanks

 

I don't bother plugging in until the cold temp at night gets to around zero Fahrenheit. Most places I park don't have a plug. Below zero and I try to give it around 3 hours on the plug if I can.

Brian

 

Is the heater an option or is it standard equipment on my 2015 F350 PSD? I can't find it in the manual.
Thanks

 

Only standard in the northern tier states. I ordered mine in Oregon and had to pay for it. Dad bought his in Idaho and it was stock.

 

I generally plug mine in when snow hits the ground. I don't daily drive it, but it t doesn't hurt to keep the block warm. I have started my 6.0 without plugging it in, in temps as cold as -35°F, it did not like that at all. Had to wait around a half hour to warm up.

 

When I was working I plugged my F150 gas truck in at 30 deg F or so. Had it on a programmable timer to come on at 3 hours before leaving for work. The F150 is my spare truck now, but it still runs great after 17 years!

 

same here. unless i know i will be going out plowing snow, then i will plug it in when i go to bed so i can fire up and roll when the call comes in at 1 am.
this way i don't wake up as many neighbors letting it run for a few minutes before leaving.

 

We've only ever plugged them in if it was going to get down to 0f or less.

 

Now, it's not my intention to hijack this thread, and I don't think I am because I too was curious when one would plug in a block heater and it's been very good reading so far. However. Does anyone know what is involved to install a block heater on a 3V 5.4 that doesn't currently have one? Given all the responses from those that run a block heater on their gas motors to help them get going on cold mornings, it affirms the thoughts I've been having...any thoughts?

 

oh no here we go!

 

A trick I picked up when visiting a fire department is to mount a standard 20A male stage pin plug under the bumper wired to the block heater and wire the matching female plug to a wall or post with a chain or cable in line with the bumper height as strain relief for the wire. Plug in when you park and when you leave just drive off, it won't hurt the connectors at all and you won't be trailing an extension cord down the street.

 

I too have seen this technique, and using a rather light duty chain which is shackled to the wall or post through which the extension cord is woven will help take the stress off the cord itself. I'm sure someone could get really creative and use wire and springs to make a totally failsafe cord mounting method...but the "Fire Station Method" is pretty tried and true