scimdarren

Hi

Just wondering what routines you Canadian Veterans have adopted with your Car Block Heaters?
I know it is common to use timers to save electricity, but I am also interested as to what the temperature should get down to, before deciding to plug them in! It is currently -13C now and I am wondering whether to venture out into the cold to plug em in!
I may build a timer/thermostat combo to alleviate my dilemma .

Darren

oceanMDX

If the temperature isn't expected to go below -20 C (roughly) it isn't worth while plugging the vehicle in. If it will likely go below -30 C, then it is definately worth plugging in. I wouldn't heat the vehicle anymore than about 3 hours max. before you want to drive it. If the temp. is only going to get down to about -20 C then 1 1/2 hours will do.

macadian

Depends on why you would use it in the first place. OK...seems a very silly statement to make, but bear with me.

The most wear and tear on an engine is caused on starting from cold, and more so from very cold. The quicker it warms up, the better for it. I myself have a block heater switch that has a thermostat. If temp drops below -12, then in kicks in. Power too it is provided via a standard timer switch which allow power to be available from 5 am. This means that even though power is available to the block heater thermo switch, unless the temperature drops below -12...it does not activate. My own vehicle starts without trouble at even -30...but I prefer to use the heater to lessen the 'very cold start stress' on the engine. Vehicle starts very easily and warms up to norm just a few minutes after getting on the road.

Many may state that I am crazy...however, it works for me. Perhaps technology in engine design/modern day oils etc negates the need for the above, but being from an engineering background, old beliefs die hard...and I am sure my truck/car love me for it .

iaink

REmind me not to buy a used car from you!

Anything below -12 and regular 5 or 10 W30 oil will get too thick to do much effective lubrication on start up.

macadian

So very true...even if you use modern day synthetics too. Nothing to beat a little 'pre-heat' before we get going for real.... ... and not just for cars!

dbd33

I don't know if I've ever owned a car with a block heater. In Ottawa the tyres would sometimes freeze out of round but the car still started ok without warming. I think a heater inside the car is important, I found it a real pain to have to keep scraping the windows, but a block heater isn't needed in the GTA and, anyway, there's nowhere to plug it in.

Souvenir

Our car starts first time, every time, and it's just a crappy 2000 Sunfire. Mind you, getting into the car can be a bit hard sometimes.

macadian

Like Thermos flasks.....

iaink

Sure, it will still start most of the time, block heaters arent about getting it started, they are about extending engine life and reducing repair cost. There are a few good reasons to pony up the $50.

1. Oil gets thick when cold, and wont properly flow to lubricate the bearings so you get a lot of metal on metal contact and grinding until the combustion process has heated the oil enough to allow it to do its job. metal on metal = very bad for engine life

2. The crankshaft is probably half immersed in this gelatinous oil, so your starter needs to overcome all that extra friction to fire up the engine. This increasess the strain on the starter motor, shortening its life

3. Increased strain on the starter pulls more amps from your battery. The battery is already struggling in the cold to generate enough power, as its a chemical reaction, and chemical reactions go half as fast for about each 10C temp drop. This might mean it wont start on V cold days, and will reduce battery life at best. In real cold climates there are battery heating blankets available to help out.

4. Warm oil = warm engine= effective heater sooner in the morning.

Im sure they have electricity to plug a heater into in the GTA, Ive seen lights on in the windows and everything

Nearly every car sold for the canadian market has a block heater, and if it doesnt its cheap and easy to install one (they usually just screw into the drain plug).

dbd33

Yes, the streets are strung with wires but parking lots, streets and house driveways don't have power. I suppose one could run an extension cord into the road but I'd expect it to get stolen. Block heaters are just not something people bother with here.

Souvenir's right about access to the car being a bigger deal than starting it, even when I get to work I have this ridiculous pantomime of having to get out to open the door of the office garage because the car windows are still frozen shut.

TrishP

Plug in almost every night, but then night time temperatures here are usually around -22 or lower. Our Jeep screams a wee bit if its been stood during the day in -10 to -15 and the engines cold, so it doesn't take a big drop in temperature for it to affect the car's starting performance.

iaink

Ah the joys of the GTA I've never worried about someone nicking an extension cord ot timer here. Hardly been cold enough to worry about plugging in this year anyway.

Getting ins easy, you use the autostarter and heat it up from the inside

Souvenir

Not in these parts. Not when the car is covered in half an inch of ice.

MikeUK

Personaly I now plug it into the timer every night, except in the rare circumstance that it's going to be above 0..

The easy of starting and the quicker rise to temp seem to have reduced the gas consumtion..

You don't need to but, once you've got into the habit its nice to start the day with a pre-warmed engine

iaink

You dont need to melt all the ice, just the ice on the inside of the carsicle thats stopping the doors opening, and that metal is closer to the heat on the inside than the outside.

Not had a lot of freezing rain (or any winter weather really) this year, but in the past its always been a lot less fraught to just leave the heater on hot, start it remotely and wait till the ice has softened enough to get the doors open.