Umm just got a quick question...As far as the glow plugs go, when do you have to plug your truck in, all year round or just in the winter? And if only in the winter, how cold does it have to be? Hit me back Diesel Bombers im curious.

 

You only need to plug it in in the winter. If its down around the 30's or less it might not be a bad idea to plug it in but it will most likely still start even if it is colder than that.

 

As long as the glow plug system is in good working order you shouldn't need to plug it in unless its really cold(around 10 or colder). It doesn't hurt to plug the heater in, it means you have heat as soon as you start the truck.

 

Hmmm 10s a bit low for a powerstroke. Usually if you have a bad set of glowplugs they start giving you trouble around 20-30.

 

Not sure here Hick_chick but I think that you are confusing glow plugs with a plug in water jacket type heater. Many diesels will have some type of glow plugs that are controlled by the sensors in the truck. They work without any input from the driver. The heater that you plug in merely heats the coolant. That also makes a diesel start much easier when it's really cold. If the glow plugs or whatever system is on your truck is functioning correctly and your batteries are good, you should be able to start in almost any temperature that you will normally experience in your home state. I keep my fuel filter changed regularly and use good fuel and have never had mine to not start. I don't have a coolant heater at all on mine. I've started it when it was cold soaked at several degrees below zero with no starting aids other than the OEM system. If I had a coolant heater I probably wouldn't plug it in until it expected to be way below freezing. The coolant heaters do draw a fair amount of electricity depending on the wattage. I'm sure you will get other opinions but that's my input.
Stay safe out there.
Ken

 

I believe the one for the Cummins is 750W

I think a good investment is a timer to turn it one an hour or two before you leave.

 

this is a good idea, you don't need to leave it plugged in over night, just an hour or so before you leave to get the coolant warmed up a little so the truck turns over easier

I have started my truck in -20f (just yesterday) and it wasn't plugged in at all, cycled the glow plugs and it started right up, This isn't recommended because it is hard on the engine, but I was in the mountains and I didn't have my cord with me to plug it in

 

For just a split second my brain thought, hey someone should get a solar panel on top of their truck to power the heater, then it occurred to me that the sun isnt out at night

I just woke up 5 minutes ago dont be too hard on me

 

Wouldn't have helped me anyways the hotel we were at the parking was under the rooms, parking is at a premium in the small resort town we were at

 

The one in mine says 900w. When we had those two weeks of constant below zero I would leave mine plugged in all night and it would be at operating temp in the morning. I found out it does start very easy (like 4 revolutions and its running just rough) at -10 with no grid heaters or block heater, very happy about that. The night before I plugged the truck in but not the cord going to it in the house.