have had our truck ever since Oct. '01 and last night was the first time I have plugged in the block heater on our LB7... I'm seeking advise from some of you guys in colder parts of the country about when and how to best use the block heater ... specifically:

1. at what expected low temperature should I plug it in?

2. should I plug it in and let it heat all night or just run it for some period prior to cranking

3. how big of an impact does using the block heater have on a person's electric bill

any and all advise from those who know would be appreciated

Jim

have had our truck ever since Oct. '01 and last night was the first time I have plugged in the block heater on our LB7... I'm seeking advise from some of you guys in colder parts of the country about when and how to best use the block heater ... specifically:

1. at what expected low temperature should I plug it in?

2. should I plug it in and let it heat all night or just run it for some period prior to cranking

3. how big of an impact does using the block heater have on a person's electric bill

any and all advise from those who know would be appreciated

Jim
I plug mine in when its below 35 deg.
I have mine on a timer so not to run up electric bill, it turns on at 3:00 AM and I leave at 6:30 AM.

I'll plug mine in if it's going to be colder than 20f.
You don't need to leave it on all night unless it will be an-artica cold like up in Canada ;) (-40 f that's ridiculous)
I also have mine on a timer that turn's on about 3 hours before I have to leave.
If it's going to be a really cold night, 0 f or below then I'll set it for 4 to 5 hours instead.
And the block heater is a 1,000 or 1,200 watt heater, it's like leaving the wife's hair dryer on all night.
See how much the electric company is charging you for 1,000 watt's of electricity per hour and then you'll know what it will cost you.

I plug mine in only if temps will be below zero. Usually plug it in the night before and leave it on all night.

I have never plugged mine in, and have started with temps as low as -16F after a night with lows of -23F.

I have never had a "slow start" or failure to start on the first crank. I do use 5w-40 Shell Rotella Synthetic, and use diesel fuel from the pump without cutting it with anything. The fuel suppliers in this area already "winterize" the fuel by blending with No. 1 in the winter.

If I used 15-40 oil, I would be plugging in any time it was below 10F or so, because of concerns of too thick oil under cold conditions. But that would require me to plug in almost every night for about 100 days straight.

I use a timer and when the temps start to cool down to 10F-15F overnight it's set to come on for 3 hours. Anything below 0F I'll set it for 4 hours. It by no means warms the engine temps to operating temps but will keep the needle a couple of notches off the bottom.

[QUOTE=k1xv]I have never plugged mine in, and have started with temps as low as -16F after a night with lows of -23F.

i think if you took a quart of any oil, dino or syn., and let it set out overnight at these temps and then poured it, that you would reconcider your decision.

I'm with Diesel Dragon he is from CT so he's a smart one! ;)

Not using the Block Heater to ease start makes no sense.DD gave very good advice,I second.

I'm with Diesel Dragon he is from CT so he's a smart one! ;)

Not using the Block Heater to ease start makes no sense.DD gave very good advice,I second.
I lived in CT when I was a kid, must mean I'm a smart one too :D ):h :ro)

Woohoo......I got called a smart one :ro)

Usually I'm called a Dumb ass :rolleyes: :mad: Censored ):h :D

Thx Mackin (and here's that $20 I promised you for calling me smart......shhhh don't tell any one)



As you can see JEBar you don't Need to plug it in at night, as many have reported starting their truck's with no block heater at temps down to -25f.
But it makes life a little easier for the engine if you do.
Try it a couple night's and see how it work's for you.

DD

As you can see JEBar you don't Need to plug it in at night, as many have reported starting their truck's with no block heater at temps down to -25f. But it makes life a little easier for the engine if you do.
Try it a couple night's and see how it work's for you.

DDafter reading all of the above, have decided to stop on the way home from work today and pick up a timer ... in this part of the country sub 20 degree nights are thankfully rare but seem to be getting more frequent (probably has something to do with global warming ):h ) ... plan to begin plugging her in for 3-4 hours depending on the forcast temperature as recommended ... really do appreciate all the recommendations

Jim

I plug my 3 diesels in every cold night ( below 30 ) just so they warm up quicker in the morning. I knew that they sucked some electricity,(3 on one circuit will trip the breaker). I think I'll try some timers too.

I would say anything below 0f I would plug in for sure. It won't hurt to keep it plugged in all night, may use a little extra electricity but will sure start well. I didn't plug in last night and had to move the truck to blow snow this morning, -28c and it started but blew a bit of oil out of the filter seal. Just a lot easier on things to plug it in.

if it goes below -10C or 14F I try to plug in, like most say, I woudn't need, to but just works better that way.

I think my block heater doesn't work. I've plugged it in 3 times now on a timer for 3-4 hours. I have no heat in the morning and still takes forever to warm up. It was 10 degrees this morning and had the timer set for 3.5 hours. I'm going to check the resisatnce on the plug tonight to see if the heater is burned out.

I think my block heater doesn't work. I've plugged it in 3 times now on a timer for 3-4 hours. I have no heat in the morning and still takes forever to warm up. It was 10 degrees this morning and had the timer set for 3.5 hours. I'm going to check the resisatnce on the plug tonight to see if the heater is burned out.
can identify with your questioning if your truck's block is working ... last night the temperature dropped to 11 degrees (which as you know is sure cold for central NC) and I used an automatic timer to activate my truck's block heater for the first time ... when I went out to crank the truck the heater had been in operation for 3 1/2 hours ... noticable differences were the wait to start light went off in 2-3 seconds as opposed to the normal 8-10 seconds it usually takes on such cold mornings and the trucks battery guage returned to its normal setting almost immediately ... truck cranked easily but has always done so in cold temperatures without using the heater ... couldn't really tell much difference in the amount of time it took for the cabin heater to start blowing hot air ... I will probably continue to use the block heater when the temperatures are projected to be in the 20's or below, if doing so makes it easier on the engine and reduces wear, it would seem to me to make sense to do so ... don't know if I am being unrealistic to have expected more of a noticable difference

Jim

i usually plug mine in all winter even though we have very mild winters here in arkansas and according to my attitude display the warmest my engine has got is 121 degrees farenheit after being plugged up for 16 hours --my previous diesels all got hotter than that or at least i thought they did

I plug mine in if it's below +20F and sitting outside. When the temps dip below zero the inside of my garage gets down to +20F. I'll plug it in IN the gargage then. More for my sake than the truck. I leave it all night and pay the elec bill. In all my years of plugging vehicles in I've only had one block heater wear out.

Do block heaters come with all Duramax's? Where do you find the plug for the block heater?--Thanks ken

Do block heaters come with all Duramax's? Where do you find the plug for the block heater?--Thanks kenKen...

open the hood of your truck, get a good light and look on the passanger side down by the inside of the front fender ... down near the frame you will see a wiring harness ... one of those wires will look like a regular, black, flat cord you'd see on many electrical appliances ... this wire is coiled up and held down there by some plastic wire ties ... one thing that makes it hard to see is the standard 3 prong 110 plug is covered with a black plastic housing that makes it very easy to overlook ... once you cut the ties you can free up enough wire to run the plug out the front beside the head light ... by the way, have been told by a fellow who just bought an '05 F**d Excursion with a 6.0 diesel that his came with a block heater in the engine but no wiring going to it (with the exception of a few states that border Canada, the wire is now an $35 option and they have also eliminated the under the hood insulation blanket) ... hope this helps

Jim

Jim,

Thanks and I'll take a look tonight.--Ken

The block heater is a definite plus. Makes starting and warming up the truck so much easier.:ro)

Back in the early 60s I had a 1953 Hudson Super Wasp. Straight 6 flathead with dual 1bbl carbs. If it got below 25*, you could forget getting it started unless you provided some sort of external heat. The car had lots of miles and compression wasn't the best.

There was lots of room down beside the engine and I would light a kerosene lantern and set it down in the engine compartment, close the hood, and cover with an old blanket,seemed to help.):h

Back in the early 60s I had a 1953 Hudson Super Wasp. Straight 6 flathead with dual 1bbl carbs. If it got below 25*, you could forget getting it started unless you provided some sort of external heat. The car had lots of miles and compression wasn't the best.

There was lots of room down beside the engine and I would light a kerosene lantern and set it down in the engine compartment, close the hood, and cover with an old blanket,seemed to help.):h
might want to post that suggestion for the fellows with new FCensored Censored ds that come with out the block heater electrical cord :ro)

Jim

Today it was I dunno, ZERO out and I drove by a late model 7.3 PSD wrecker,parked in front of their Towing Establishment.

Had a battery charger,block heater and a BLANKET over the engine.

Must'a been a bad day! :D