Any use a block heater "just for the heck of it?" - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

whunter · #16 01-25-2013, 02:23 AM

1985 300SD
If I want instant morning heat, it will be plugged into a timer over night.
At 32° F ambient, when the ignition is turned on after using the block heater, the temperature gauge jumps to 40° C with instant warm air.

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t walgamuth · #17 01-25-2013, 06:15 AM

It gets expensive if you run the heater overnight on electricity. I usually go out and plug it in an hour or two before wanting a good start.

neumann · #18 01-25-2013, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

It gets expensive if you run the heater overnight on electricity. I usually go out and plug it in an hour or two before wanting a good start.

Get an inexpensive timer outlet and all is good.

timer outlet in Home Improvement | eBay

BobK · #19 01-25-2013, 09:12 AM

I run a cheap, heavy duty grounded timer at home. It is set to run for the three hours before I leave for work. Only plug it into the timer on work nights. My factory block heater is less than 400 watts. @ the 10 cents per KWH I pay, that comes out to about 60 cents a week if I plug it in every night. I usually only use it if it will be below 25 degrees at night. I need to check the glow plugs again. I replaced two a couple of months ago but it seemed to struggle below 20 at work (no electric to plug into) when dead cold.

shertex · #20 01-25-2013, 09:47 AM

Well, here's what I found. Car sat idle ALL DAY yesterday (i.e. wasn't driven since day before) and ambient temp ranged from 5-20F. So it's fair to say that, this morning, the car (83 240D) was cold to the bone. Ran block heater for three hours at 10-12F ambient. Car started right up (but again, it does this with no blocker heater at 5F), but I had NO CABIN HEAT whatsoever. So, at least in my case, there's no COMFORT benefit to running the block heater for three hours. Yes, the heater element is working....feels warm around it.

As an additional experiment, I may run it all night (say, ten hours) just to see what happens. If I have some cabin heat, then I can decide whether it's worth spending 75 cents on electricity to have lukewarm air at start up.

Skid Row Joe · #21 01-25-2013, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shertex

Any use a block heater "just for the heck of it?"

Nope.

Adriel · #22 01-25-2013, 10:31 AM

I use a block heater because number five glow plug is causing the relay to shut off too soon. It is less money and effort to just plug it in for an hour. Plus, the heater works sooner!

I put the hood all the way up so I remember to unplug before leaving.

kerry · #23 01-25-2013, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adriel

because number five glow plug is causing the relay to shut off too soon. .

How does it do that? I haven't heard of that happening before.

Zacharias · #24 01-25-2013, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerry

That's interesting. On my 77 300d, you could hear the block heater boiling the coolant--it sizzled--and the vents would produce warm air immediately. Not fully hot, but warm. The temperature gauge would jump up once I turned the key on. It doesn't do that with a lower radiator hose heater.

If the block heater is working you should hear 'sizzle' as it gets hot within about 10 seconds of it being plugged in (assuming the surroundings are quiet).

I agree that it makes a huge difference to the starting temp on the gauge. I as soon as I start up, the temp gauge needle my 300d is about on the lower bar. However, I don't feel the air coming out the vents is warm for a while.

I never had a rad hose heater but my w116 SD had the circulating Zerostart tank heater installed. That was the cat's pajamas, nice warm air right away.

Zacharias · #25 01-25-2013, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adriel

I use a block heater because number five glow plug is causing the relay to shut off too soon.

How did you come to that conclusion? I would have thought only a fault with #1 GP could cause that behaviour.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adriel

I put the hood all the way up so I remember to unplug before leaving.

If you do that, just be careful. There is a lot of surface area on the hood, and a strong gust of wind can snap the hood back. Your windshield won't like it.

As an apprentice at my buddy's shop found out, one windshield later, when he left my 240d with the hood up in the parking lot on a windy day.

pawoSD · #26 01-25-2013, 01:04 PM

Expensive is relative....if you run the factory block heater for 10 hours it will cost about 40 cents....less than $3 a week. I usually run mine from 2:30am to 6:30am....so 15-20 cents worth a day....not even worth mentioning.

You can easily offset too. I have all LED exterior (and most interior) lighting at home now, so my energy use from that is almost nothing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

It gets expensive if you run the heater overnight on electricity. I usually go out and plug it in an hour or two before wanting a good start.

Orv · #27 01-25-2013, 06:02 PM

Yeah, obviously how much engine heat you need to have before you feel warm air from the vents will depend on how cold the air you're trying to heat is. At 40F the engine doesn't have to be much past 40C (104F) before the heat from the vents starts to feel warm...obviously at 20F the heater has a bit more of a chore ahead of it.

When I lived in MI I sometimes thought about mounting an electric space heater *inside* the car for cabin pre-heating and window ice melting, but I never had a convenient plugin. When I had a VW bus with a gasoline-fueled combustion heater, that thing would melt the ice off the windows in no time. It would produce enough heat to make you sweat if you let it run long enough.

Sugar Bear · #28 01-25-2013, 06:37 PM

Before using a block heater be certain it is in good condition: Block Heater Fire

shertex · #29 01-26-2013, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orv

Yeah, obviously how much engine heat you need to have before you feel warm air from the vents will depend on how cold the air you're trying to heat is. At 40F the engine doesn't have to be much past 40C (104F) before the heat from the vents starts to feel warm...obviously at 20F the heater has a bit more of a chore ahead of it.

When I lived in MI I sometimes thought about mounting an electric space heater *inside* the car for cabin pre-heating and window ice melting, but I never had a convenient plugin. When I had a VW bus with a gasoline-fueled combustion heater, that thing would melt the ice off the windows in no time. It would produce enough heat to make you sweat if you let it run long enough.

Of course, at temps that are only moderately cold, I don't really care about quick cabin heat. So it's looking more and more like a block heater won't be much of a help to me in terms of comfort.

shertex · #30 01-27-2013, 06:54 AM

So then I tried running the block heater for ten hours. 12F ambient when I started the car. Cabin air not cold but neither was it warm at all. But heat did seem to come on a bit quicker than it would have otherwise.

I guess, having played with it a bit, the only time I would use the block heater is if it's SO cold that I might have difficulty starting....but hard to imagine that kind of cold in RI.