Engine Block Heater Wattage
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: Orange, MA
Thanks for the welcome.
Oh man if it's 1150 I am in trouble. Let me explain. We are in the process of building a house up in the woods of Maine and my power for up there is 24 batteries through and inverter charged by solar panels. I have 60 amp service but if I have to run this for 2 hours to heat up the engine then I will drain the batteries in no time. I will have to figure out something else. Hopefully the new batteries I put in the truck this summer will help. It seems that one of the ones in there for last winter wasn't pulling its weight and that is why I had a hard time starting when it got cold out.
Thanks again
Bob
Oh man if it's 1150 I am in trouble. Let me explain. We are in the process of building a house up in the woods of Maine and my power for up there is 24 batteries through and inverter charged by solar panels. I have 60 amp service but if I have to run this for 2 hours to heat up the engine then I will drain the batteries in no time. I will have to figure out something else. Hopefully the new batteries I put in the truck this summer will help. It seems that one of the ones in there for last winter wasn't pulling its weight and that is why I had a hard time starting when it got cold out.
Thanks again
Bob
Laughing Gas
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,007
Likes: 1
From: Newport News
If you have fresh batteries, and you're sure your glow plugs and glow plug relay are ok, you shouldn't have to plug it in. Do some searches on here for info about testing the glow plug relay and glow plugs and give them a check to make sure they are all working properly.
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: Orange, MA
OK will do but at -40 I would think that having it warm is a necessity. Last year there were quite a few cold nights with a stiff wind that would have made the wind chill even lower, but that is another story.
Thanks
Bob
Thanks
Bob
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,011
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by MooseHead Rider
OK will do but at -40 I would think that having it warm is a necessity. Last year there were quite a few cold nights with a stiff wind that would have made the wind chill even lower, but that is another story.
(Nitpick: wind chill doesn't mean anything to an engine. It will affect how long a warm engine will stay warm before it is as cold as the outside temps, but it can't get any lower than the actual outside temp.)
Duncan
Trending Topics
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 25,090
Likes: 1,112
From: Rio Rico, AZ.
How about a small portable generator just for warming up the truck? Those little Honda units are nice.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: Orange, MA
Kwik
Yeah, I thought of that. I already have a 3kw Honda so that is most likely what I will end up using for the real cold mornings. I will just have to get up and go out real early and then be wide awake after coming back in.
Bob
Yeah, I thought of that. I already have a 3kw Honda so that is most likely what I will end up using for the real cold mornings. I will just have to get up and go out real early and then be wide awake after coming back in.
Bob
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 258
Likes: 0
From: Lake Stevens, WA
At -40 it's almost time for a sweater. I personally wouldn't be as worried about the block heater as much as the fuel gellin up in the tank/lines. You shouldn't have to plug the truck in for 2hrs to get it warm enough to start, those heaters warm things up pretty quick, although I have not experimented at that cold of temps. I am willing to bet that plugging it in for even 1/2 to 1 hour will warm it up enough to start just fine. Try it at a 1/2 hour, and if no go, give it a little longer until it cranks over fine.
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: Orange, MA
Last winter I had to wait for 2 hours to get it warm enough to crank, but that was with the batteries that were getting old. I now have 2 1000 cranking amp hour batteries in there so I should have some good power this winter.
I talked to my solar guy and he suggested using the little generator also so my plan now is to try to crank it once and if not power up the generator and heat up the block. Hopefully between the new batteries and a check of the glow plugs it will be in tip top shape this year.
Thanks
Bob
I talked to my solar guy and he suggested using the little generator also so my plan now is to try to crank it once and if not power up the generator and heat up the block. Hopefully between the new batteries and a check of the glow plugs it will be in tip top shape this year.
Thanks
Bob
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: Orange, MA
I should have synthetic but don't. I can tell you that last year once it started it knocked for a bit until the oil loosened up. Once we are up there full time I will be using synthetic all the time in it. For now we only go up weekends and the ocasional week. Last year we happened to be there one of the coldest weeks they had. There were a few days where the high temperature for the day was -10. It got a little chilly riding the snowmobile on those days.
Hopefully by the time we are ready to move up there I will have been able to build my garage. Now if only those lottery numbers would come in....................
Bob
Hopefully by the time we are ready to move up there I will have been able to build my garage. Now if only those lottery numbers would come in....................
Bob
More Turbo
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 597
Likes: 22
From: Central Maine
The generator is what I do for cold cold nights. Something else you can do is get a lower wattage magnetic heater to stick to the oil pan, then you can run off your solar. Most efficient way to do it is get a 12V heater, then you would not have the efficiency loss of converting from 12V to 110V. I like to start it with a couple cycles of the glow plugs in the afternoon each day when temps are reasonable.
Where are you on Moosehead? I drive by there, then Kakajo, then 30mi on the Golden road to get to my camp on Chesuncook. Snowmobile access only in the winter though...
Where are you on Moosehead? I drive by there, then Kakajo, then 30mi on the Golden road to get to my camp on Chesuncook. Snowmobile access only in the winter though...