So, as the first real snow begins to fall on campus here in NW Iowa, a few questions concerning winter starts come to mind.

First of all, I would like to say that my college supplies outlets for diesels free of charge!

I have no clue when I might use my truck. Sometimes I go for a whole week without using it, and other times I use it at 11 am or 11 pm. Long story short, I need my truck to be able to start at absolutely any time between 6 am and 12am.

This leads to some questions.

(1) Would it be better for me to leave it plugged in indefinitely?
(2) Or would it be better to put in on a HD timer that cycles on and off at a regular interval.
Within those questions are other questions.
(3) If I leave it under power constantly, do I need to be concerned about my heating element burning up? Or isn't that really an issue.
(4) On the other hand, is it more harmful for the element to be turning on and off repeatedly?
(5) If it is better to cycle it, how long of a lapse period should there be between cycles?
Few more question concerning heating elements.
I have found 1500watt elements available online.
(6) Do they make a difference in time needed to heat up the block?
(7) Do they heat the block to a warmer temperature?
(8) Are they more effective in colder temperatures?

Moving on...

Trickle chargers (Battery tender)
(1) Is it worth digging one up to guaranty my batteries don't drain?
(2) What brand is recommended if I can't find one in my dad's shop?
(3) How should I set it up so I can keep my hood closed when parked and charging?)
(4) Is there any setup that is semi-permanant so I don't have to take it down and set it back up every time I go any where? (In other words, any "plug and play" options? )

Sorry, lots of questions

Oh, and remember, electricity bill is not a direct factor, but being a good steward of this privilege is important to me.

Thanks for the replies guys

 

Personally, I wouldn't worry, unless your truck doesnt like the cold weather to begin with.

I had my truck at school last year, never plugged in all winter, and like you it never had a certain gotta go time. Before Christmas break I had at least 4 bad GP's and batteries that were old. Never failed to start on me. After Christmas break it had all new GPs and batteries and once again never failed to fire.
This winter, the truck gets run almost everyday because I live off campus and work, I still have never had a problem with it starting. It doesn't get plugged in either.

The reason I replaced the batteries and glow plugs was to help improve cold starting, especially for the month at home, where its common to get below zero with the wind chill at that time of the year.

Don't have much knowledge on what your asking about though, just my experiences.

Baatzy

 

You can leave it plugged in. It won't hurt anything.

If you are able, you can plug it in 2 hours before you will be leaving. That is enough time to get everything warmed up. I had mine on a timer to come on at 6AM, and at 7:45AM it was good to go.

A trickle charger isn't a bad idea if you are going to go many days between driving. A solar panel model on the dash should be enough. I rarely go more than a day or two without driving mine, so I never bothered with one.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Solar-Power-Battery-Trickle-Charger-Maintainer-Car-Truck-Battery-12V-NEW-/301006335172?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4615602cc4&vxp=mtr
Something like this. It plugs into your cigarette lighter port and lays on your dash.

 

Thanks for the replies guys!