block heater question
Smokin
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,849
Likes: 0
I can dig it up if anyone is interested.
Pretty much, if you plug in your truck 8 hours a night 5 days a week, you can expect a $40+ jump in your electricity bill every month.
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 286
Likes: 0
From: Albuquerque, NM
Anybody know how many amps a block heater pulls??? 75ft is not a great distance as far as voltage drop is concerned AND the extension cords are constructed with stranded wire... current (amps) flows better in the stranded wire then solid wire. I would think you would be fine with a 14gauge cord. 14gauge is good for 15amps even at a length of 75feet. That being said, I would check/find out the current draw on a block heater and if it is over 10amps (I wouldn't think so) use a 12gauge cord. Just my $.02!!!
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,146
Likes: 3
From: Bradenton FL
I think i ran mine one winter for probably 10 days over night not thinking anything of it. Then i got the bill and it was 20 bucks higher.LOL...
I usually plug it in when it drops below 32. My truck still starts either way but it doesnt take as long to warm up. Ive been down in Florida for almost 6 years and me and my truck have become cold blooded
I usually plug it in when it drops below 32. My truck still starts either way but it doesnt take as long to warm up. Ive been down in Florida for almost 6 years and me and my truck have become cold blooded
Smokin
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,849
Likes: 0
Our block heaters pull about 1,500 watts. You'll have to ask the electrician here to convert that into amps for you.
These monetary figures are from a few years ago so, probably sound pretty cheap...but nonetheless, here's my formula:
So I figured out that our block heaters pull 1,500 watts for each hour of use. There are 1,000 watts in one Kilowatt hour(abreviated as kWh). Kilowatt hours are a fairly accurate estimation of energy usage, and it's what your utility company uses to bill you each month for electricity usage. So, for every 10 hours your truck is plugged in, it uses 15 kWh's. For calculation purposes, you can also say that your truck uses 1.5 kWh's per hour.
So here's the easy part. Look at your energy bill. Somewhere on the top they will have listed how many kWh's you have used. From one of my bills from earlier this year, they listed that I used 281 Kilowatt hours. My total electricity charges were $31.95. So I take $31.95 and divide it by 281 to get .1137 cents per kilowatt hour.
So when my truck is plugged in for 10 hours, I use 15 kWh's, and I pay $1.70 in electricity.
When my truck is plugged in for 8 hours, I use 12 kWh's, and I pay $1.36 in electricity.
Or you can be lame and utilize this online calculator. How much electricity does my stuff use? for all intensive purposes, our block heaters measure about the same as a toaster.
These monetary figures are from a few years ago so, probably sound pretty cheap...but nonetheless, here's my formula:
So I figured out that our block heaters pull 1,500 watts for each hour of use. There are 1,000 watts in one Kilowatt hour(abreviated as kWh). Kilowatt hours are a fairly accurate estimation of energy usage, and it's what your utility company uses to bill you each month for electricity usage. So, for every 10 hours your truck is plugged in, it uses 15 kWh's. For calculation purposes, you can also say that your truck uses 1.5 kWh's per hour.
So here's the easy part. Look at your energy bill. Somewhere on the top they will have listed how many kWh's you have used. From one of my bills from earlier this year, they listed that I used 281 Kilowatt hours. My total electricity charges were $31.95. So I take $31.95 and divide it by 281 to get .1137 cents per kilowatt hour.
So when my truck is plugged in for 10 hours, I use 15 kWh's, and I pay $1.70 in electricity.
When my truck is plugged in for 8 hours, I use 12 kWh's, and I pay $1.36 in electricity.
Or you can be lame and utilize this online calculator. How much electricity does my stuff use? for all intensive purposes, our block heaters measure about the same as a toaster.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 182
Likes: 0
From: northwestern Ontario
Does anybody know if you can get a timer that will do 2 hours off and 1 hour on, 2 hours off etc. or something like?
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Smokin
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,849
Likes: 0
Yes. I have a nice heavy duty outdoor timer I got from Home Depot. You can set it to time on and off whenever you want.
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 286
Likes: 0
From: Albuquerque, NM
No, sorry! Didn't mean to make fun of you at all! That calculation for how much it cost was spot on! I think I have had a few too many....
I do wonder where the differance is though... at 1500W it SHOULD pull 12.5 amps. I just checked mine, at 20deg out and it pulled 7.5anps.
Back on topic, I think to be absolutely safe use a 12gauge cord but in theory a 14gauge should work.
I do wonder where the differance is though... at 1500W it SHOULD pull 12.5 amps. I just checked mine, at 20deg out and it pulled 7.5anps.
Back on topic, I think to be absolutely safe use a 12gauge cord but in theory a 14gauge should work.
Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 3,455
Likes: 8
From: Williams Lake B.C.
I plug mine in all night when its cold.
Its way easier on it ,and paying $20 bucks a month extra to keep a $30,000 truck happy doesnt seem like much to me.
Cold starts are hard on engines so why fool around?
It only gets real cold for maybe 30 days a year so it costs $20 bucks.
Whats a timer cost?
Its way easier on it ,and paying $20 bucks a month extra to keep a $30,000 truck happy doesnt seem like much to me.
Cold starts are hard on engines so why fool around?
It only gets real cold for maybe 30 days a year so it costs $20 bucks.
Whats a timer cost?
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 10,977
Likes: 5
From: Lancaster, Pa.
My observations on my truck, plugging it in when the motor is cold a couple hours before taking off, it eats up power costing me bigtime, my wife asked me why our bill was so high. Then I started plugging it in when I got home from work, it was warm and left it plugged in until I left for work again and the bill was noticably lower. I only plug mine in when it gets below freezing, 32* degrees.
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,191
Likes: 4
From: Blairsville,Ga
I ain't had a $35 power bill in 35+ years even if nobody's home for a few month it's in the $50+ range
Smokin
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,849
Likes: 0
I did all this a few years ago, and I didn't have an amp meter...think I researched the block heater specs and that's where I came up with the 1500w figure.
14 ga will get warm enough to melt snow...
