*Keeping That Engine Warm*
I have a Diesel engine that takes a long time to warm up in cold weather. The truck does have a block heater and I want to get it warm but not leave it plugged in all night. In particular if the power is out I only want use my inverter/batteries for as long as required. So I put together a timer, cord and pigtail to solve this problem. Please note that if I lived in an area with deep cold I would likely leave out the timer and have it plugged in and powered at all times when the engine is not running...
I did two things. The first is for safety and to prevent damage and the second is to save power.
The first is a simple *power pigtail that prevents someone from driving away and dragging the extension cord down the road, or pulling the cord out of the vehicle. This is used commercially on emergency vehicles like ambulances that need to be plugged in to keep them warm so drugs etc. are not damaged in cold environments. They also keep the engines plugged in so they are warm and can be driven quickly from sudden starts. Our ambulance fleet has two cords that are always plugged in and can be forgotten to be unplugged when a call comes in. From building and fleet maintenance this is a must between every extension cord and vehicle. You can see from the picture below it will pull apart and either stay with the vehicle or the cord. If it stays with the vehicle it will not drag or become tangled...
(*A pigtail is a very short extension cord with heavy enough cable and waterproof ends so moisture, water, snow doesn't get into the connections.)
Next I put my "Kilowatt" meter on the electrical outlet and plugged in the assembly, which included the timer and cords plugged into the block heater. I used a timer and checked its ratings so I didn't overload it and cause a fire. Also this is located inside the garage and the extension cord goes out under the door so it is protected from the weather...
It is also important that you use a heavy enough rated extension cord and know that the longer it is the higher the resistance and wattage it will draw. Short is good if possible. I used an 8 foot 12 gauge cord that lights at the end so I know that the power is on...
The Kilowatt meter shows the power (Amps) used (it is well within the timer specs)...
As well, I checked the wattage drawn when the heater is active. That way I can know how much power is used per hour the timer is set...
So there you have it. How I now start a warm truck in the morning. Another ready for winter project done...
Expedition
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