New to the whole thing of plugging in your truck. Where I live in Jersey it is 30-40 in the morning now, she starts fine . How cold does it have to get before I should start thinking about plugging her in?
Second question....
Going hunting the end of the week where the temps are upper teens in the morning and there is no electric...what should I do to make sure she fires up???
Thanks for the help.

You might check the diesel supplement and see what it recommends.

I like to plug mine in when it gets into the 20's and below.

You'll be fine without electric while hunting it will still start.

One more thing: I run power service year round, but when starts getting cold I'll switch over to the winter blend

Mine starts quick and fine to at least -10F, even if it has been sitting outside for a week. When I go skiing, plugging in is not an option at my condo. I'd bet it would start at -20F or lower w/o trouble. When at home I plug it in for a few hours in the am when it gets below about 20F, only so I get warm air quick when I drive off to work.

The "03's" cord is still wrapped up. Never had a need to plug her in. She's started right up after cycling the heater system twice. Synthetic oil really helps getting her started in winter. Think the coldest I've started it at while it was outside was -27 below zero.:)

I woudlnt think it gets cold enough down there in Jersey to warrant the use of that. I'm 10 miles from the Canadian border and I only plugged in 1 time last winter. It was around -30. It'll start just fine without it though.

Save your electricity. I'm in northern VT and only plug in when it will be way below zero. I've started my truck at 20-25 below without being plugged in. It's probably not good for it, but it starts fine at those temps.

The owners manual recomends to start plugging in at -20 degrees.

I know this trucks will start at that low temps but if you can you should plug her in, the bearings will love you for some warm easier flowing oil. We do that on all our race motors and we have yet have had problems with cold start and dried bearings. I know is a pain in the ass to mess with all that hassle but that's cheap insurance.

Also, a suggestion from the peanut gallery: Change over to some lighter weight oil if you plan to leave her unplugged. I NEVER plug mine in anymore - after my Dad's electric bill went up $80 for the month with my Dodge (in highschool). I have yet to have a problem starting any of them, even in Northern MI at -20. They rattle a bit more and sound a little goofy, but they will start. I run 5w30 in the winter, always...just for faster cranking. Good luck! Tom.

High idle is priceless in those temps. Thats kinda why I opted not to plug it in. I'd rather let the high idle warm it up and burn the fuel than to pay an extra hundred bucks in my heat bill.

I thought the new block heaters won't even kick on until the outside temp reaches 0*F

the block heater will work at any temputure it dosen't have a thermostat. I think plugging it in at 5degreese or lower helps out alot on starter and batteries and engine. make sure to use winter front it aids in faster warm up.

I thought the new block heaters won't even kick on until the outside temp reaches 0*F

Up through 05 there isn't a thermostat to keep the heater from turning on. I have heard, but not confirmed that sometime after that (06??) there is a thermostat in the cord to keep it from turning on above something near freezng to keep from thowing codes. I think there is even a TSB that talks about the heater throwing codes and a thermostat being added. Maybe someone can confirm.

If I'm not mistaken, the ones that have the thermostat have it built into the cord itself and there is a tag on the end of it. I've seen one on an 08...mine doesn't have the tag. I havent tried to see if it works in warmer temps -- still all neatly wrapped in the bundle it came in (not to be disturbed).

Mine didn't have a tag (unfurled and relocated it weeks ago), but, that's my understanding that a thermostat is in the system?? Anyone?

How much power does the heater take?? Can I plug it into my inverter and not need a power outlet, or will it run down my battery??

Somewhere I thought I read 200W...............?? not sure.

How much power does the heater take?? Can I plug it into my inverter and not need a power outlet, or will it run down my battery??

If it costs $80 on an electricity bill, I'm thinking it'd kill your batteries pretty quick!

Mine didn't have a tag (unfurled and relocated it weeks ago), but, that's my understanding that a thermostat is in the system?? Anyone?

Ok, so I tried it to see if mine had one in it. Plugged it in overnight (34*) and it was warm in the AM, so I'm thinking mine doesn't have anything telling it to stay off. There's no tag on mine either. I've since bundled it back up and ziptied it right back where it was.

I like to plug mine in so that the heater comes on faster in the morning for the missus. If she's happy and warm, so am I. Don't care what the truck wants.

I just plugged mine in for the first time. You notice any sort of a noise when you plug yours in?

You'll hear it pop when you plug it in.

Standard block heater will draw about 800 to 1000 watts. Guess at 1 kw hour for each hour it is plugged in. You really only need 3 hours of plugging in, so a good investment is a timer for the block heater. Will pay for itself in one season. Plugging in is still cheaper than the fuel you use to warm up the vehicle, also easier on the internal parts as oil flows easier.

800-1000W's? really? Well, your point is well taken, that's it's probably still cheaper than $3.59g (or more) up here right now...............thx!

The tag on my 7.5 LMM's block heater cord lists the heater as 1200 watts. I have a timer in the garage set to come on 1-1/2 hours before I leave for work. I usually use the heater when the temps drop below 30. Seeing I live 5 miles from work it really helps with warm up. I'm not a fan of driving with cold oil. The only complaint I have is the crappy analog panel temp gauge reads 20 to 25 degrees higher than actual. I noticed this when I installed my Edge and Attitude display. I contacted my dealer and they said, "Yep... you are right, the temp gauges are not accurate. When we need accurate engine temp reading to troubleshoot a problem we use our Tech 2 tool. This taps into the computer data stream to read it accurately". The Edge module does the same thing... reads the computer sensor data. Makes me wonder why GM doesn't use this data with some nice digital gauges instead of 1970's vintage analog stuff.

No tag on mine, so I didn't see that rating............no wonder people's electric bills 'jumped', but, it's still worth the wear and tear on the motor on cold startup not to mention looooong idle times.

At $3.59 a gallon in Connecticut I guess it's a decision between the less of two evils... electric bill $$ or burning fuel to warm up. The cord is about 15" too short to reach the grill so I spliced on an extension so I don't have to open up the hood. Ya think GM could have added an extra 12" of cord.

:D Gotta love the special edition "link collecting" seat covers!!!

I've been plugging in mine when the temp falls below 20F. I've got it set up on a timer so that it turns on at 5 a.m. and turns off at 8:30 a.m. I'm also using Amsoil 5W-40 syn oil and Standadyne Performance Formula (for the winter).

Holly balls does this make a difference. My truck starts like it is 90 degrees out when it is plugged in. I'm getting a timer! My truck starts good down to 30 degrees....the lower compression and larger injectors take their toll after that. It starts okay...but I have too much $$$ in the motor to play "Look how cold it was when I started in this morning." Any suggestions on a timer?

Im in NJ, I plug mine in when temp gets down in the low 30's. I dont think you really have to but im sure its better for it if you do. I do have it on a timer to come on for 4 hours before i get up. Some nights I dont plug in it starts fine, just takes a little longer to get the HEAT. Also hunt in UP State NY and have no problems with Cold Starts up there. (and my remote start helps get the truck warm without me going out into the cold to start it.) :)

I just ran 100' of HD extension cable Sunday up to my turnaround, and although I live in Buffido, we haven't really seen super cold temps yet for me to plug it in. I have an HD timer that I'll be using with a 3 hour turn on cycle (to manage the elec bills somewhat). I'll report back in once I start plugging in which I figure I'll do below 30.