Amperage Draw from Block Heater
 

anyone have a idea of the wattage/amperage from the cummins block heaters? our electric bill went nuts this month and was $375 instead of $230-$260 and the only thing that has changed was plugging my truck in at night, hell at that rate I could just let it idle and warm up every morning cause at a gallon a morning (being generous) thats $2 a day vs $4.50 a night for plugging it in:humm::humm:

Im not sure exactly how much but i do know they pull some pretty good amps

I can picture it drawin that kinda juice if it's plugged in all night on some good cold nights. Lot a guys hook em up to the little timers you can get for under $20 dollars so they only come on a few hours before start up.

I think they are about 1000 watts soooooo to get amperage 1000/120= 8.3 amps. So yea thats just alil bit :lol88: Just get a outdoor timer rated for 10 or 15 amps and set it for 2 hours before you leave in the morn. And if you somehow forget to go to work that day it can also be set-up to shut off

I think its an option to go to the 1KW heater.. Most stock units are 750W. Still running that for 10-12 hours overnight would be spendy. I had a timer for mine to save on the cash, but now the Espar takes care of that. It only burns 0.5 Litres/hour on high (0.125 Gal/hour) and is warm (70 C) in about an hour.

I don't think they pull full power all the time they have Tstats in them or most of the heaters that I'm aware of do. I would still put in on a timer 3-4 hrs at most.

Correct DozerBoy they cycle on and off....

The Chevy ones turn on and off - but the block heater in a Cummins draws the same whenever its plugged in.

It only costs me about $1 a night to plug mine in all night.

ours is a 750watt heater.

6 1/4 amps not that horrible.... Mines on all night.

Any block heater I replaced on any of my trucks were just the heating element, no temperature sensor or cycling system. Just the cord and the element. I know Cummins will sell the 1Kw version as they asked me my preference.

I`ve been looking into these heaters, can they heat the cab and the engine?
How much do they cost?

Thanks,
Scott

They are pretty spendy. I looked at one for my truck and IIRC they run between $1200 and $1400.

If the block heaters suck that much power, no wonder my electric bill has been over $450 all winter. :argh: Mine has stayed plugged in ALL the time, and power here is around .11 a KWH.

:ouch: I just got one for last month for $165 and thought that was high:argh:

damn, mine only jumped up 23 bucks a month!! course i work third shift so at night its not plugged in but as soon as i get home it is.

The block heater heats the coolant in the block giving you less wear on cold starts and heat almost instantly. Also if you turn on the defroster for about 30 sec before you shut the truck down so they stay open some of the warm air will rise through the ducting and help keep frost off your windshield.

All the Cummins Engines that cam in dodge picp-ups have the heater. It should be on teh passenger side of the block right behind the oil filter. Might have a plastic cap over it. All you need to do is buy the cord and screw it in. Dont go the dealer get it straght from Cummis, NAPA, or Geno's Garage. ALOT cheaper!

The Cummins part number is 3963564 the NAPA part number is 605-9710 Should be around $15-$20, Most Dealerships want $50 or so.

I do have the heater, but I live in a condo and can`t plug it in anywhere.
So I would like to get a self contained system, I also want a heater for my topper, That I will be camping in all year round.
So I will be in cold places when it is zero degrees out and no place to plug into.

Try going to your local Peterbilt dealer and asking about a Webaso system. It burns about 1 1/2 cups of diesel in 8 hours, and will keep a condo semi-sleeper warm in below zero weather. They are very spendy though, about 11-1200 smackers. The actual unit is about the size of a loaf of bread and uses a 12V fan to power. To use you would have to have some darn good batteries, most semis have 4 batteries and they draw down a lot using these things. I have had them pull 4 batteries down to almost no start condition in 10 hours when it is in the teens below. Throw in your heater grid to get a cummins firing in that cold and you might have a problem.... Just a thought! :pca1:

Scott39 - you are looking for a WEBASTO or ESPAR hydronic coolant heater. I have an Espar and they are the best thing since sliced bread.

http://www.webasto.us/am/en/am_auto_heaters.html

Espar - Automotive

Not true in the pickup application - the pickup heaters are much smaller than the semi version.

The only time, mine didnt start was when I ran it for 2 hours in -44 temps.

Yep, I was looking at the Espar, cheaper, and just what I need.

Good to know they make a smaller version! I might have to take a look at that. Thanks!:U:

It is 750 watts and yes it will use a lot of power. At $.07/kW could cost around 1.50/day if left on all the time