How long does an engine coolant heater need to be plugged in?

Egon · Oct 16, 2023

wayout said:
I use a inline heater and oil pan heater, also I make sure the battery is charged before I hit the plugs, I plug the 2 heaters in at night, but have the breaker for the plugins, turn them on in the morning, if I do not want to use it I do not turn the breaker on, l check the top rad hose to see if it is hot if it is, it is time to start the tractor, but my HI is a 1957 it has a bottom hose from the block to the rad for a inline heater and the pan heater warms the oil to 100 so it tuners easy, the temp. out side can be more than 1 check of the top rad hose, they work great together, my way, everyone has their own, but check to make sure the heater is working before it gets cold, better to change it in warm weather, it should have arrows showing how to put it in the hose

Those arrows and having it installed the right way up are essential.

Laser Man · Oct 16, 2023

Bill_B said:
I had one of the engine heaters that gets cut into the radiator hose. I would plug it in and hour or two before I wanted to start the tractor and it didn't seem to help at all. Did I need to leave it plugged in longer? Like over night? Was it a junk heater? Do they not really work below O degrees? Should I have had a battery heater?

I have a stock block heater from the factory, it needs about 2hrs at 30º F this gives warm air from heater right away (yes its a Cab model) starts up just like regular daytime temp. Biggest problem was finding someone with an Allen wrench large enough to remove the plug.

EricG1793 · Oct 16, 2023

Our 1973 John Deere 310 started easily down to the teens/20s (F) with just half an hour on the heater (the type that’s inline with the cooland hose). The heater was pretty high wattage, maybe 1200 if I recall. We usually let it go for an hour or so regardless. It was mostly used for snow plowing here in CT.

howardjohn · Oct 16, 2023

I have a massey ferguson 20c with a 152 cubic inch diesel. I have the block heater in the core plug. It needs about an hour and it will start with out any problems. My case with a 239 diesel and a core plug heater takes 2 hours of being plugged in. When I inquired about a block heater I was told the ones in the hose are no good because they do not put the heat where it is needed the most.

Egon · Oct 16, 2023

howardjohn said:
I have a massey ferguson 20c with a 152 cubic inch diesel. I have the block heater in the core plug. It needs about an hour and it will start with out any problems. My case with a 239 diesel and a core plug heater takes 2 hours of being plugged in. When I inquired about a block heater I was told the ones in the hose are no good because they do not put the heat where it is needed the most.

The in-line heaters work just as well as the core heater.

There is a lot of Mystic Information on plug in heaters.

ttouring · Oct 16, 2023

Bill_B said:
I had one of the engine heaters that gets cut into the radiator hose. I would plug it in and hour or two before I wanted to start the tractor and it didn't seem to help at all. Did I need to leave it plugged in longer? Like over night? Was it a junk heater? Do they not really work below O degrees? Should I have had a battery heater?

I know I'm gonna sound real stupid but could you look at heater instructions ? Most if them will not boil your coolant. Of the ones I have installed would not heat over. 45 deg. Most all recommend leave plugged in OVERNIGHT. They all are thermistatic controlled.

Bill_B said:
I had one of the engine heaters that gets cut into the radiator hose. I would plug it in and hour or two before I wanted to start the tractor and it didn't seem to help at all. Did I need to leave it plugged in longer? Like over night? Was it a junk heater? Do they not really work below O degrees? Should I have had a battery heater?

Little Red Tractor · Oct 16, 2023

My dealer suggested 20-30 minutes. I've only needed to use it a couple times and the Kubota B 2301 starts right off.

AnotherBueller · Oct 16, 2023

RjCorazza said:
The block heaters I have used had a sweet spot of 3 hours on time to raise the block temp to around 40 degrees f over ambient.
Less time and the block was not uniformly warm, more time didn't raise the temp any more.

That's about the same results I get on my '94 diesel F350.

AnotherBueller · Oct 16, 2023

CalG said:
That depends on the engine air intake configuration.

For my tractor, the heat gun just lays on the loader frame and blows right into the air inlet.

Depends on air cleaner. My old tractor had a plastic fins to start the air spinning and the heat gun kinda melted it.

CalG · Oct 16, 2023

AnotherBueller said:
Depends on air cleaner. My old tractor had a plastic fins to start the air spinning and the heat gun kinda melted it.

Yup, Stupid hurts.

BlueKnife · Oct 16, 2023

joea99 said:
A common misconception.

Heat "moves" toward cold, in any direction, it does not "rise".

Heated Air, water or any fluid or gas, will tend to "rise" as it is less dense than the cooler air, etc., which is probably where that idea comes from.

Not seeing how that's a "misconception". Hot liquids or air rise in cooler liquids or air.

AnotherBueller · Oct 17, 2023

CalG said:
Yup, Stupid hurts.

Yup,sure does and costs money too.

CalG · Oct 17, 2023

BlueKnife said:
Not seeing how that's a "misconception". Hot liquids or air rise in cooler liquids or air.

This gets tricky when trying to warm a cast iron engine block. We all know that the "heat don't rise in Cast ". Heat moves through the mechanisms of Conduction, convection and radiation. Only convection appears to follow the "heat rises" misconception. While a simple circulator blasts that "observation" to bits.

Don't ever introduce the adiabatic rate into such a conversation. People will call you a nerd ;-)

Williy · Oct 17, 2023

HEAT DON"T RISE?????? Explaine this" walk into a home that
uses forced air for heat why are the floors cold and the ceiling
always warm????? In the winter time my car my feet are cold
but the heater on full blast will melt the ice off the back windows???
Hot air balloons can't get off the ground?????????

willy

KenEtch · Oct 17, 2023

RjCorazza said:
The block heaters I have used had a sweet spot of 3 hours on time to raise the block temp to around 40 degrees f over ambient.
Less time and the block was not uniformly warm, more time didn't raise the temp any more.

This was my exact experience, three (3) hours warmed the block/water to it's limit. Added time only wasted electricity with no additional benefit. I used a timer with heavy extension cord to start heater 3 hours before going to work. Mine was a Ford diesel.

Skeans1 · Oct 17, 2023

About the best kind of preheaters are the diesel burners that circulate coolant with their own water pumps something like an Espar. These are used instead of the plug style of heater for Offroad applications as well as on highway applications it’s cheaper to run as well as nothing has to be plugged in. Most run on their own timers and burn for about 2 hours so little fuel it’s not noticeable.

Rockbadchild · Oct 17, 2023

BlueKnife said:
Not seeing how that's a "misconception". Hot liquids or air rise in cooler liquids or air.

its only because in your initial post you only stated ''heat'' and not ''heated liquid''

beenthere · Oct 17, 2023

Bill_B said:
I had one of the engine heaters that gets cut into the radiator hose. I would plug it in and hour or two before I wanted to start the tractor and it didn't seem to help at all. Did I need to leave it plugged in longer? Like over night? Was it a junk heater? Do they not really work below O degrees? Should I have had a battery heater?

Need to plug it in long enough that it helps start the tractor or find out what other problem your tractor has going on that is keeping it from starting.
Not much more we can pinpoint to help you solve the problem.

BlueKnife · Oct 18, 2023

Rockbadchild said:
its only because in your initial post you only stated ''heat'' and not ''heated liquid''

This whole conversation is about heating antifreeze, which is a liquid.

CalG · Oct 18, 2023

Williy said:
HEAT DON"T RISE?????? Explaine this" walk into a home that
uses forced air for heat why are the floors cold and the ceiling
always warm????? In the winter time my car my feet are cold
but the heater on full blast will melt the ice off the back windows???
Hot air balloons can't get off the ground?????????

willy

Why do boats float?