How to tell if a block heater is working

[harleyman_1000]

 This is the first time I have ever had a block heater, and I'm not sure how to tell if it is working? I guess I should have plunged it in before installing it, but I didn't. Should the cord be warm if it is working? Should I see a spark when plugging it in to the extension cord?

[Utahclaimjumper]

Plug it in and wait 2 hours, check the engine temp by placing your hand on it.>>>Dan

[harleyman_1000]

 If it is working, how soon before it will start the bus in 30 degree weather? Can I leave it plugged in for days at a time or will it hurt something?

[bevans6]

You should know, or try to find out, the wattage rating of your heater.  1500 watts will sometimes blow a 15 amp breaker if left on too long. and will heat a two-stroke up enough to start easily in three hours.  1,000  watts, never blow a breaker and can be left on overnight, but I wouldn't leave it on over 6 hours in hopes of better performance.  You can tell by the engine block near the heater being warm to the touch after an hour.  I personally have a 1500 watt heater that sometimes blows breakers, and I leave it on 3 hours before starting if not in a rush, an hour makes a difference in a campground vis a vis smoke or the lack thereof.

When I did Kyle's Palmetto Cove Non-rally in March one year, I spent a night in a truck stop in Virginia in snow and freezing rain, I fired the generator an hour before leaving (at 5 am) and by 6 am I had coffee, a warmish engine and a clean start to get out from between all the reefer trucks.  What I can't do is run a space heater, coffee maker and the block heater, too much juice.

Brian

[luvrbus]

It's working those are 1500 w a small cord will heat up and spark when plugging it in, don't leave it plugged in lol unplug it check your meter plug it back in and watch the meter spin

[TomC]

When I was trucking, I had a Cat 3406B with electric block heater (1500 watt). When I ran the generator with the engine off, I always had the block heater on no matter the outside temp to keep at least the 1500 watt load on my generator which was an Onan 6.5kw Emerald III commercial gasoline model. Because of that, I never had to remove the heads to decarbon it and the genset lasted over 12,000hrs before it gave up the ghost.
Never run the block heater and run the engine at the same time-you will burn out the block heater. Good Luck, TomC

[Lin]

Shortly after I plug mine in, I can hear a water churning sound around it.  I have found an hour enough to start up with temps in the mid 30's.  There is no need to leave it plugged in overnight.

[Ed Hackenbruch]

On mine i could plug it in and in 15-20 seconds could hear like Lin said. After a couple of minutes i could feel the block heater itself warming up. Now i have a brand new block heater that hasn't been used yet,....may have to go try it out and see if it is the same. 

[Jim Eh.]

In these parts (-40) on a cold day, large CID diesel engines are left plugged in for days/weeks at some trucking firms. Seems like a big waste but some use thermostatically controlled heaters so they shut down when the block gets warm and only has to maintain the block temp so draw/usage is somewhat reduced. http://www.phillipsandtemro.com/userfiles//tstatHeater.pdf
Compare that to the cost of towing the unit into a warm shop for 4 hours before it will even think about starting. Warming up all that extra metal, causing condensation in the fuel tanks, lots of combined issues makes it all the more sense to leave them plugged in outside.

BTW. An old trick is to wire a standard low watt household bulb or lamp (I modded an old trouble light with two plugs just to check the circuits) in series on either the hot or the nuetral side and if it lights, the heater is connected and showing a completed circuit.

[eagle19952]

Standby generators in hospitals and particularly microwave comm stations for pipeline operations in Alaska are held at operating temps in stand by mode for months at a time we always provided an adequate dedicated circuit for them the biggest thing you'll notice is the drain on your wallet like Clifford said go watch your meter spin that's the quickes t way to tell or get you an amp meter clamp on

[PP]

Shortly after I plug mine in, I can hear a water churning sound around it.  I have found an hour enough to start up with temps in the mid 30's.  There is no need to leave it plugged in overnight.

Diddo,
Will

[harleyman_1000]

 Just went outside and the block was warm around the heater, tried to start it and it fired up and ran for about 20 seconds and then died, so tomorrow morning in the snow I will install the 2 new fuel filters and hopefully move the bus 6 inches so that the complete tires are on the driveway, so the city will get off my @$#   

[kyle4501]

My first bus had 2 heaters, each 1500 watts.
I left both plugged in off a 100 ft lg ext cord for several weeks to keep from adding antifreeze. It snowed, but not near the cord!
When the power bill came, first thing I did was to unplug the heaters. Second thing was to buy a bunch of antifreeze!

1500 watts will heat it faster than you may think.

I have used a 1500 watt cube heater to keep one warm overnight, just used cardboard & duct tape to minimize the heat losses. worked great!

Too bad about the city problems. They are quite stupid around here too.

[OneLapper]

Standby generators in hospitals and particularly microwave comm stations for pipeline operations in Alaska are held at operating temps in stand by mode for months at a time we always provided an adequate dedicated circuit for them the biggest thing you'll notice is the drain on your wallet like Clifford said go watch your meter spin that's the quickes t way to tell or get you an amp meter clamp on

Ditto, the generator at the data center owned by my last employer had a block heater on 24/7 all year.  It has be on since 2011!

[ros]

Brian,

What size generator do you have and is it gasoline?

Ros

You should know, or try to find out, the wattage rating of your heater.  1500 watts will sometimes blow a 15 amp breaker if left on too long. and will heat a two-stroke up enough to start easily in three hours.  1,000  watts, never blow a breaker and can be left on overnight, but I wouldn't leave it on over 6 hours in hopes of better performance.  You can tell by the engine block near the heater being warm to the touch after an hour.  I personally have a 1500 watt heater that sometimes blows breakers, and I leave it on 3 hours before starting if not in a rush, an hour makes a difference in a campground vis a vis smoke or the lack thereof.

When I did Kyle's Palmetto Cove Non-rally in March one year, I spent a night in a truck stop in Virginia in snow and freezing rain, I fired the generator an hour before leaving (at 5 am) and by 6 am I had coffee, a warmish engine and a clean start to get out from between all the reefer trucks.  What I can't do is run a space heater, coffee maker and the block heater, too much juice.

Brian