ok so i think its finall cold enough to start pluggin my old truck in now. the questions and concerns i have are the following, i just drive it and parked it in my driveway. its abut 5 oclock now and i plugged it in when i got home is that ok to do after i drove it? i only drove it for maybe 15 minutes. and another question is do i have to worry about anything catchin on fire??? im kinda weary about that because its the first winter that ill have this truck and i dont need it burning down in my driveway. all who have opinions and or answers reply, well im off to go put a 4 inch straight pipe in!!! talk to yall later

nick

 

I am wondering the same thing. i have a 1991.5 d250 and was wondering if there is anything to wory about leavin it plugged in all night, can it cause fire, if so what can i check to be sure it wont, thanks

 

it is better to plug your pickup in when it is warm or that sure seems to work for me. i have pluged it in with the egine cold and the next moring it sure seems to take longer for the heater to start working good. my part of the country u cant find a dodge with a heater cord i had to get on a the parts house 16 dollors.i had a ford and dang near had to leave it pluged in all the time what a joke.i dont think you have to worry about a fire i havent never eveven heard about such

 

If it's plugged into a safe electrical circuit then if there's a problem like a short or something then it will trip the breaker. I have been running these rigs since 92 and have left them plugged in for weeks ata time with no ill effects other than an elevated power bill. Couple years ago I purchased a thermostat switch for a space heater that can be set to whatever temp you choose. I set it at 45 degrees when it starts getting chilly around here and leave my truck plugged in every night. (saves quite a bit of power) A timer would be the way to go though, just set it to come on 3 or four hours before you plan to leave.

 

Won't hurt anything but your electric bill. I use a timer set to kick on about 5 hours before I normally leave for work.

 

where can i get a timer at? and about how much are they? i was thinkin about possibly the cheap route and going with a christmas light timer to come on 2hrs before i get home from school? hahahahah sounds funny but will it work?

 

Sure. I use a 15 amp grounded outdoor timer I bought at Home Depot for $10. The block heater draws about 6 amps.

 

is there anyway to tell if the block heater is working? had mine plugged in all night but it still took forever this morning the heat up.

 

I can hear it. Just a very faint sound, but it's there.

 

hmm, i have no sound at all when its plugged in. i will have to take a look at it tomorrow and see whats going on with it.

 

Block heaters are safe to use. Just make sure that your wiring (120 V) is in good shape. I use mine nearly everyday for the better part of 6 months a year. I also use Oil pan heaters as well all tied together and run through a timer as sugested above. 2-3 hours before I leave is almost always enough to ease the starting in the cold.

 

One way to check if it works is to unplug it and plug it back in. If you see a little spark at the plug, then it's drawing current and making heat. This works a lot better at night.

 

Just plug it in and wait five minutes, then reach down and feel it. If its hot its working.

 

The sound of it (if you have good hearing) sounds like bacon frying in a pan.

 

I have only plugged my truck in once. Left it plugged in all night. The it was like starting it on a spring day and did not have the cold engine rough running like it would in the cold weather. I would definately get the light timer and turn it on 5 or less hours before you leave. My rabbit I would run out and plug in when I got up and when I would leave 45 minute to an hour later she was nice and warm. I think for the whole night unless its -20 or lower is a waste. I would try different time setting on the timer and feel the upper radiator hose to see how hot its getting while plugged in.