From what I have read it seems like the cord getting hot it ok? I want to make sure that the heater will not overload and cause some sort of fire...

 

It depends on how hot it's getting. Hopefully someone with a more extensive knowledge of electrical work will chime in but I don't think it's a good idea to use it Ewood. If the plug is getting hot there's too much resistance in the circuit somewhere.

What length and gauge of extension cord do you use to plug the block heater cord in? Ideally it should be 12 gauge and as short as possible. I've had extension cords melt the snow they were laying on from heating because they were too long and not the correct gauge.

If you have an older block heater cord you may also have one of the wires inside the cord that has started to fray and break apart due to age and stress. If you look at the pic I posted of my cord you can see the end result. The frayed wire creates a lot of resistence and therefore heat. Eventually it will burn the wire and outer insulation to the point it fails completely. The most common area is right where the male plug ends and the cord starts. If it's breaking at the plug you have to be careful not to get a shock if the outer insulation is compromised. My cord was damaged and arcing out by the block heater. A new cord is only around $20-25 and is pretty easy to change. I would just replace it instead of risking it. Hope that helps.

 

How long are you leaving the block heater plugged in? Anything over four hours is a waste of electricity. These block heaters don't heat the coolant to operating temperature.

A "hot" cord could be indicative of the block heater resistance increasing. Increasing resistance is indicative of the beginning of a possible part failure. If you're burning your fingers when you touch the cord to unplug, that IS a problem, but a warm-to-the-touch feeling is not unusual.

I've used my block heater with a timer and without. Depending on the house electrical load at the time the timer kicked on, it would sometimes trip the circuit breaker. Most of the time it was fine. I set it to turn on four hours before my anticipated departure time.

Being unemployed now, I'll wait until the morning to plug in the block heater for an hour or two.

These block heaters are pretty stout. Most of the failures I've seen are related to cord issues, but every electrical part will fail at some point. Replacing the block heater and cord will ensure a long service life and many worry-free cold morning start-ups.

 

The cord didnt seem that hot but it kinda scared me. I had it plugged into a rather long extension cord too so I will find a much shorter one then I will plug it in when I can sit with it and keep a close eye on it.

 

A three page discussion on a cord!

 

My thoughts also. Horse is dead quit flogging it.

 

Lol I was surprised too. But there wouldn't be a three page discussion if there wasn't interest in the subject.

 

I'm surprised as well.

Not helpful. People have questions or concerns about an item. Whether the "horse is dead" or not, if someone wants to discuss a topic, I'll willing to offer assistance. We don't want to discourage the information-exchange process, regardless of the item in question. Not trying to sound harsh. One person's issue was resolved and another person's issue needs to be addressed.

 

Well put Craig. I totally agree. With over 800 views, members are interested in whats being discussed. Plus a member is asking about a potential fire hazard that should be followed up on.

 

This external site link has some additional information. It is also a modification I plan on doing in the future.

TheDieselStop.Com - www.thedieselstop.com

 

If you think it's a long thread that's a waste if time as you believe the question has been answered, not to sound rude, but well then don't read it!

I myself want to ask questions and learn what to look for as I would be rather unhappy if my truck burnt up and took my garage and attached home with it where my family sleeps.

Anyway with that said is it known what the resistance value if the heater should be as well as the cord?

 

A 1000 watt heater made to operate on 120 volts should show about 14 ohms resistance it will draw about 9 amps of current. The lower voltage the higher the amps. The higher the amps the bigger the cord needs to be. Keep your extension cords as short as possible and while you could use a 16 gauge extension cord a 14 or 12 gauge cord would be better. Keeps line loss down. The bottom line is if the cord on the block heater looks like something you wouldn't use in your house then replace it. If the cords on these are 16 gauge then they will get warm to the touch because the current draw is getting close to max continuous rating.

 

Can you purchase the block heater cords with a greater gauge? I have looked and not going anything

 

Information below copied from the link I previously posted:

A note about extension cords:

The block heater draws 1000 watts. It should measure about 15 ohms when tested with a multi-meter. The cord should see less than a 2% voltage drop to be safe.

Let's look at a 100' 14 gauge cord:
Current = 1000 W / 120 V = 8.4 Amps
Voltage drop = 8.4 amps * 0.258 = 2.2 volts
% voltage drop = 2.2 V / 120 V = 1.8% voltage drop = OK

<table border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><th>Gauge</th> <th>Resistance/100' @ 77°F</th> </tr> <tr> <td>#12 wire</td> <td>0.162</td> </tr> <tr> <td>#14 wire</td> <td>0.258</td> </tr> <tr> <td>#16 wire</td> <td>0.409</td></tr></tbody></table>

 

I haven't seen any, but I'm not sure it's necessary. It's the extension cord gauge and length that is the important issue.

The only thing I can think of doing is to have a custom-made cord in the AWG size you prefer. Again, I'm not sure the cost of doing that is justified.