Supplemental heater
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Elder User
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 945
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Supplemental heater
Is this option worth it in terms of efficiency? I'm asking because I do not believe in running an engine for 10 minutes before I drive it so as to assure warmth in the cabin. Thanks.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 324
Likes: 1
From: Minnesota
You will when its -30 LOL.
I live in MN and its really not been cold enough yet to test the supplemental heater. I mean we've had a few chilly mornings and the truck gets warm quick, but its just not been cold enough for me to say one way or the other. I am curious about this myself though. The new trucks have some serious amperage. I would think it would work pretty good. Will report back once we get some colder temps.
I live in MN and its really not been cold enough yet to test the supplemental heater. I mean we've had a few chilly mornings and the truck gets warm quick, but its just not been cold enough for me to say one way or the other. I am curious about this myself though. The new trucks have some serious amperage. I would think it would work pretty good. Will report back once we get some colder temps.
Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,046
Likes: 2
From: northern ontario
Compared to my 2008 crew cab to 2011 crew cab with supplemental heater it's 2x faster to defrost windshield and my 2014 regular cab is crazy fast to heat up i'm up in northern Ontario 30 min north from highest point of lake Huron
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,158
Likes: 35
From: North of Salt Lake City
That heater is very welcome when it's cold outside. I forget the wattage on the coils but it's somewhere shy of 2,000 I think. Compare that to a good hair dryer and then imagine running that air through half a dozen vents in the front of the cabin. It's not like instant warm, but after about a minute it does take the edge off. Without it you're waiting for that huge diesel engine to produce enough heat and that takes several minutes. I really appreciate the heater and am looking forward to the heated steering wheel as well. Many times I drive holding the steering wheel with only my finger tips because it's so cold.
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2016
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The other morning it was 44 out and was quite nippy. It was really nice to turn on the truck and 15 seconds later I had warm air blowing on my hands.
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Can anyone confirm if the ambient temp needs to be below a set temp before the supplemental heater will energize? For example would the supplemental heater work if the cab temp is 60 degrees at startup and a call for max heat was set on the thermostat?
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 324
Likes: 1
From: Minnesota
So the 2017 SD owners manual is 636 pages long. Finding something can be a chore, but there is a shortcut when viewing it electronically. Open the pdf, hit Control F, type in a keyword and you'll get all the hits the given document has for that word. I'm sure most of you know, but for those who aren't as electronically savvy, here's a quick screenshot. P.S. This same feature works on most any pdf's.
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 316
Likes: 0
From: Potsdam, NY
Kinda stinks that you folks that aren't in the northern states have to pay extra for the block heater and supplemental heater which also requires dual alternators. It's all standard equipment in the rust belt.
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 10,118
Likes: 650
From: NH
I'm almost certain the new supplemental heater is more powerful than the previous generation. One, the new dash does not necessarily accommodate the old one for re-use. Two, higher-amp or dual alternators are standard if you get the heater. In cold weather states, you do not pay for it or a block heater. It has nothing to do with trim level.
We've had a couple of mornings in the upper 20F range so far. Once again, it is not "instant heat" but it does seem to push *more volume* of lukewarm air from the vents than the 2011-2016 generation did, at a reasonable temp. If you turn the fan all the way up, you over power it.
Let's put it this way. I remote started about 5 minutes before I left on those 20F days. Coolant gauge (electronic bar now) had not registered. Oil temp reading was about 90F. Yet there was some heat...which meant the electric heater was doing all the work.
I love it, and I love how only Ford has this.
We've had a couple of mornings in the upper 20F range so far. Once again, it is not "instant heat" but it does seem to push *more volume* of lukewarm air from the vents than the 2011-2016 generation did, at a reasonable temp. If you turn the fan all the way up, you over power it.
Let's put it this way. I remote started about 5 minutes before I left on those 20F days. Coolant gauge (electronic bar now) had not registered. Oil temp reading was about 90F. Yet there was some heat...which meant the electric heater was doing all the work.
I love it, and I love how only Ford has this.
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 10,118
Likes: 650
From: NH
On the other hand, you folks living in warmer states don't have the enjoyment of routinely waking up to temps in the single digits, or well below zero, and having to scrape snow and ice off your windshield!
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,158
Likes: 35
From: North of Salt Lake City
Some people actually like that stuff. I do but I'm also half Finnish.