How to tell if a block heater is working

luvrbus · December 18, 2014, 03:06:34 PM

Standby generators usually have a circulating pump with the block heater to maintain 100 to 125 degrees and are controlled I never saw one just plugged in without some kind thermostat control

eagle19952 · December 18, 2014, 06:36:15 PM

Quote from: luvrbus on December 18, 2014, 03:06:34 PM
Standby generators usually have a circulating pump with the block heater to maintain 100 to 125 degrees and are controlled I never saw one just plugged in without some kind thermostat control

me either I guess one must be concise ... "Held at optimum start temperature seasonally adjusted via thermostat to assure availability at extreme sub zero temperatures in a 14 x28 foot steel connex with 4000 watts of supplemental space heat... Which would not be sufficient to assure start up in the event of failure so yeah we did have 160 degree bimetallic thermal contact stats which were replaced as needed or annually ...😜

luvrbus · December 18, 2014, 06:40:17 PM

And battery blankets

Jim Eh. · December 19, 2014, 09:53:24 AM

Quote from: harleyman_1000 on December 17, 2014, 03:32:05 PM
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?

It's a good thing you did not plug it in before installing it. It would probably have burnt out. Same as turning your kettle on without any water.

akroyaleagle · December 19, 2014, 01:37:42 PM

A multimeter that shows continuity will confirm the circuit. If it does, the block heaters good.

eagle19952 · December 19, 2014, 02:38:37 PM

Quote from: luvrbus on December 18, 2014, 06:40:17 PM
And battery blankets

And 300 watt pan heaters ...AND.... a 1million BTU truck mounted Tioga brand oil fired indirect heater ... in fact we had a whole fleet of them....

Ya ever tented (we used cargo parachutes) a 992 or a 245, at 40 below zero to change the tires or replace a set of tracks, you'd appreciate a Tioga

Lin · December 19, 2014, 05:02:14 PM

Hey Harleyman-- if the engine is not warm by now, the heater is not working!

harleyman_1000 · December 19, 2014, 05:29:07 PM

Quote from: Lin on December 19, 2014, 05:02:14 PM
Hey Harleyman-- if the engine is not warm by now, the heater is not working!

It's working, but I'm going to hook the block heater up to the neighbors electric so their meter will spin

eagle19952 · December 19, 2014, 05:49:34 PM

you'll want to go oil the meter before you plug in... so they don't hear it spinning after the bearing wears out ... $:-\$

Quote from: harleyman_1000 on December 19, 2014, 05:29:07 PM
It's working, but I'm going to hook the block heater up to the neighbors electric so their meter will spin

Tikvah · December 20, 2014, 01:35:43 AM

So, to clarify....it's about 30 overnight here. I want to start the bus first thing in the morning. Is it wrong to plug in the heater before bed and let it run for eight or ten hours? Or am I damaging something or causing unnecessary wear? Or is it okay to have the motor nice and toasty when I'm ready. (I'm not paying for electric)

TIKVAH
(Dave Rush)
MCI 102A3 6V92
Full Time On The Road - I couldn't fix my brakes, so I made my horn louder

bobofthenorth · December 20, 2014, 02:22:50 AM

The only wear you're causing is on the bearings in your meter. Hundreds of thousands of Canadian vehicles are plugged in when they come home at night and stay plugged in until someone leaves for work the next morning. They tell us it causes globull warming but a lot of us do it anyway.

lostagain · December 20, 2014, 06:23:17 AM

Or you could use a timer and set it to come on 4 hours before your start time. Not so hard on your electric meter that way.

JC

Red Rider · December 20, 2014, 08:37:47 AM

A little off topic however I bought a "thermal plug" at HD. It looks like one of those two outlet plug you might use for Christmas lights but it only makes contact at 40*f. I put a 90W halogen bulb with a reflector in my plumbing bay.It only goes on when needed and seems to be reliable.

I added a 1500W block heater and control it with a switch located in the galley. My rig is housed in a bus barn however the structure has no heat other than a torpedo (100,000 BTU) and here at 6000 ft elevation in the Utah mountains warming up is really important during the Winter months.

Harleyman, where going to miss you in Quartzsite this year.

Boomer · December 20, 2014, 09:40:03 AM

Back in the 60's and 70's when I was trucking you could quite often find a receptical on top of phone booths (remember them?). When really cold, just park next to a phone booth. Most of the time I never got enough sleep for the engine to cool down though.

harleyman_1000 · December 20, 2014, 10:55:52 AM

Quote from: Red Rider on December 20, 2014, 08:37:47 AM
A little off topic however I bought a "thermal plug" at HD. It looks like one of those two outlet plug you might use for Christmas lights but it only makes contact at 40*f. I put a 90W halogen bulb with a reflector in my plumbing bay.It only goes on when needed and seems to be reliable.

I added a 1500W block heater and control it with a switch located in the galley. My rig is housed in a bus barn however the structure has no heat other than a torpedo (100,000 BTU) and here at 6000 ft elevation in the Utah mountains warming up is really important during the Winter months.

Harleyman, where going to miss you in Quartzsite this year.

Yes I was hoping to see everyone this year, but I will be there next year if I can get this bus figured out.