I tried to use my block heater on 3/15 when it was about 16 outside. I had to park it outside to load it over the next few hours, and the wind was really blowing hard (wind chill was like -20) and so I wanted it plugged it, but when I plugged it in the GFI in the garage would trip and I'd hear a loud click in the truck. I tried the shop with another cord and (totally separate electrical service) and the GFI doesn't trip but I don't hear anythign in the truck either. Is there any way to know if the block heater is working? It's possible that the cord I used in the garage was bad.

Thanks.

 

More than likely its the gfi outlet itself. Those are known to go bad. I'm not sure of a way to know if the heater is working other than a warm truck upon start up. It's either on when plugged in or off when unplugged.

 

If you have a volt meter check the resistance on the cord and on the heater. You should see about 16 ohms resistance.

While people have different opinions 16 f in my mind is to warm to plug in the block heater. 5 f or -15 c is when I consider plugging in the truck. Anything warmer then that and just wasting electricity. I have never had an issue nor heard my 2008 turn over hard running it like this and well 6 months of the year where I love average is 16 f or colder.

I don't recall ever hearing anything when plugging in block heater. GFI tripping is common due to circuits having to much load. At work it's common to trip shacks plug GFI with block heaters.

 

x2, I agree, it's your GFI not the block heater

 

Thanks good idea. I did that and it was 15 ohms, so that's about right. I think I had a bad extension cord.

Normally I would not use the block heater with 16f but with 40-50 mph winds I figured it made sense since I needed to leave it outside for several hours.

 

Wind chill does not effect machinery just us fleshy type. I would be curious to know the hour life of a block heater.

My 2008 would see roughly 80 days a year plugged in some times for days at a time due to not knowing when I needed it.

 

That's a good point that wind really only affects us humans. I suppose I didn't consider that when I tried to plug it in. I guess the truth is it was more of a "neat let's try this out" sort of thing. I think it got to -1 one night this past winter. Winter 2015 we saw -26.

 

I don't recall what wattage the manual says the heater draws, but a product like Kill-A-Watt could be used, or any ammeter would probably work to tell you whether power is being used.

 

Wind chill, being a term specifically describing the wind effect on skin doesn't apply of course.
Perhaps ambient heat dissipation would be better used...the reason truckers cover the radiator/grille in extreme cold weather, wind will "chill" the engine quicker than if just sitting still or if not facing into the wind.
Saying all that, I wouldn't discount the weatherman's report on wind chill as it applies to when to plug in your block heater as its a common parlance we are all familiar with that just tells us its colder than the thermometer reads.

 

A 15 Ohm load across a 120 Vac supply indicates the block heater would draw ~1kW. OM page 182 indicates the heater draws 0.4 to 1kW. I suspect the heater draws the higher number when cold, and then less as the element slowly heats up and its resistance increases.

HTH,
Jim / crewzer

 

Yep. I was just responding to rocket_scientist's partial question of 'Is there any way to know if the block heater is working?'

Since the engine block heater only needs to be on for about three hours, how do people use it typically? ... as in use an electrical timer to turn on about fours hours before leaving for work... or leave it plugged in all evening and night in case of emergency?

 

-37c feels like -51c time to invest in to a winter front I think
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Block heater on the truck may be higher wattage? I'm down in the warmer part of alberta. Still cold enough for my thin skin.

 

chilly here in NY too

 

The hell it doesn't, if it's windy the truck will reach ambient temperature a whole lot quicker - just like us fleshy types, and for exactly the same reason. That's why even an unheated shed to park in is light years better than the truck being exposed to the elements overnight, some residual heat will be retained and help ease starting the next day.