block heater

Your heater should be 1500 watt, I have gotten several timers from Menards, 15 amp, weatherproof plastic box around $20. Give it 3 hours above 20 degrees, 4 hours above 5, forget the timer below 5 degrees.

 

I had to reread your post. first I thought you were saying no need plug truck in if below 5 degrees. I need some COFFEE!

 

I have heard 3 hours plug in time is going to get things as hot as it is going to get? 4-5 hours or constant will not create anymore heat. The cold is still going to suck the same amount of heat out of the motor, no matter how long it is plugged in...
I dont have any scientific or documented evidence to support this, but kinda makes sense to me???

 

just a word of advice--dont put a tiger torch under a detroit engine(like the old days)--one place i was--somebody had done that--oil pan was still ok--but the first bit of fiberglass/composite--the resin had come out,and it looked like a hairy oil pan with all of the fibers hanging down

 

I only stated what has worked for me for the last thirty years, I never documented the evidence. I also did not hear it from someone else. This is personal experence with my 3406E. If you want to go back aways we used to slide a charcoal fire under the 8-71's, but that's kind of off topic.

 

I have seen a lot of trucks with both an immersion heater in the coolant and an oil pan heater both together did not trip a 15 amp breaker. I worked in Edmonton and we use to put on belly tarps, front bumper to middle of transmission tight to the frame, We had a circulating heater and battery blankets, that were only used if the temperature got to the -30 range or lower,and the truck had been left for a while. -40 and you want to add a battery charger.
Even if you put it inside it takes a long time for a truck to warm up.
Oil field use to have a section of stove pipe abut 5 ft and a 90 elbow in it and put it under a piece of equipment. with a tiger torch. We also used diesel fired heater and a parachute. Smoke was so bad it felt like it was ripping you eyeballs out, anything to get it going

 

NO offense intended truckbiz.
On rereading that, i should have used some gentler wording.

Spoiled here John. Those are temperatures we know nothing about in my area.A few mornings a winter, temps are below zero.Rarely see more than -15 (and that is maybe couple mornings a winter). Immersion heater will get the truck running every time as long as batteries are good.
I have an oil pan heater also. Use it when it gets cold(down toward zero). Truck starts without it but nice knowing the oil has some heat in it also.

 

O'H man back in the windy city where I grew up, we would take the ole steel garbage can lid's & light the kingfords up & warm the oil pan.

 

I have always used my water heater that was stock on my truck. my truck always started real quick, with it plugged in. the only thing I did not like was when really cold, the oil pressure would take too long to rise. so I just ordered a oil pan heater. should be here in a couple days. I did not want to go to the water circulator route, cause, 1 I have a water heater already & 2 the more hose connections, the more places to leak.

 

I know you don't have it in your hand yet but do you know what the wattage is on the oil heater?