How long do I use my block heater

I've got a question. New to this I've got a 2012 international pro star w a Maxx force. They say there is no block heater. If this is true what would y'all install ? Ive been all over it and no block heater that i can find . Thanks in advance.

 

Well it was 22 over night. I plugged in my block heater for 40 minutes, temp was 28'F. Water temp 49 to 46 'F then started to climb.

 

Leave the heater plugged in at all times. Always. Only unplug it if you are running at or near temp and are fixing to leave for the new workday. When you return to that space for the hometime off or whatever, plug the #### thing in again and LEAVE IT in. Ive had mine in for two weeks in the dead of winter once. Down to -30 and all of that for our area which is really cold. No issues with the air start in those days. She usually fires within 7 seconds with about 3 or 4 seconds left on the air supply during starting. It will take the rest of it to make her settle down firing on all cylinders.

 

I used my generator for it. I don't have power near the truck. How many watts is a block heater?

Air supply, you have an air starter?

 

This is, like, a 6 year old thread! LOL

Block heaters are 1500W, IIRC

 

The Volvo one is listed at 1500 watts, and I think I recall seeing a 1200 watt version also somewhere.

 

-Old thread but, I set a timer for mine to go on 3 hours before I leave for the last 17 years. Starts up in single digits like summertime, don't understand why anyone would leave it on all night, just driving up your electric bill.

 

FMCSR prohibits portable space heaters in CMVs. Just sayin.

 

I don't know the technical details of the block heater used in the Company 1987 COE with the 400 Cummins big cam. I will assume 1500 watts or greater. Whatever that 120 volt plug provided at the stand in front of the truck's assigned parking spot in that entire 40 truck row in the yard. As a rule all of the fleet trucks had them and all the spots had block heater plugs.

The air start supply tank sat on the left of the cat walk frame behind driver side batteries, fuel tank etc. It's fed and filled to 120 psi by the truck's own air compressor that takes care of the air brakes system, air driven wipers and whatever else driven by air around the vehicle. It stores about 10 seconds of air that can feed the engine's air starter.

If it was not enough you can poach off any truck's emergency air line glad hand, hook to that, push in his trailer red button and open his trolley handle all the way and tie it down. Go back to your truck and keep cranking until it fires. And it will as long you have that fuel pump going at full rack with them pre computer mechanical deisels. They run off compression only. And run forever provided you feed it air and fuel.

I don't know how much heating you can apply in terms of a generator supply until it's warm enough to work well. There is no reason why it wont work if you have it warmer than frozen. If I remember right the engine oil temp gauge used to react to the igniting key turn power prior to hitting the air start button and have a temperature above that of outside air and it's one of the reasons why it starts so well in the frozen cold when heated.

I don't know what the power bill is for feeding 40 trucks all the time but its immaterial in a company that spends millions buying fuel every week or runs a very large several story building complex stuffed with computers and a shop that burns power in a big way day and night. My computer runs 24/7 and its about 40 dollars on my power bill when I compare it to my ex's who is very conservative on her place with a computer that has a very similar power supply capacity. The rest of my home requires about 25 to 30 dollars in power making for a monthly bill that hovers between 70 to 130 a month depending on what Arkansas charges outside of leveled billing all year. Some months I don't hardly use any power for cooling and cooking etc. I switched to all LED lights 10 years ago, many of the bulbs are still running after that long and don't draw but 15 watts. Not much more than battery driven children's toys today.

 

Quote the reg.

 

That guy has never even seen an air powered starter let alone had one in an 87 model truck.

That's about as likely as his claim of running across pa in 3 hours. And showing down to 121 so he could hold the turn at the top of the mountain in Wyoming. Oh and don't forget running the cross bronx at 90 mph in the fld that ffe assigned him (yes that same ffe that makes swift look like a good job) and then there's the 27% grade that's 3 miles long in Vermont.