Issues with leaving hydraulic and engine block heaters plugged in during the winter?

[rmonio]

My daughter’s boyfriend is a Diesel mechanic for an implement chain and he said that it was ok to leave the my block and hydraulic heater’s plugged in on my JD 4600. I thought you couldn’t do that…. Is it ok to leave them plugged in?

We’ve had some really cold temperatures up here in Minnesota, so I have been going back and forth to plug it in. He said to leave it be. Thoughts?

Thanks!

-Bob

 

[4570Man]

It waste a decent amount of electricity to leave it on more than required but it won’t damage the machine to leave it plugged in continuously.

 

[oldnslo]

What type of hydraulic oil heater do you have on that tractor? A possible problem is that they can cause more condensation under the right conditions.

 

[camshawn]

We kept block heaters on all the time at work….but, they were thermostatically controlled. Too hot will cook the gaskets on the engine. A tractor sitting in an unheated building is not the same thing. If the block heater is on all the time, you are just spending money that you don’t need to.

 

[rmonio]

I have the standard JD heaters on my Tractor.

The power situation isn’t an issue for me. However, if it does damage to the tractor gaskets then I will take it off. Perhaps I will just put a timer on where the extension cords plug in and engage that when it necessary in the winter.

Thank for the insight!

 

[4570Man]

I have the standard JD heaters on my Tractor.

The power situation isn’t an issue for me. However, if it does damage to the tractor gaskets then I will take it off. Perhaps I will just put a timer on where the extension cords plug in and engage that when it necessary in the winter.

Thank for the insight!

You’d have to get well over 200 degrees to hurt any gaskets. Limiting the use to the winter time there’s absolutely zero chance of that happening and plenty of people leave them plugged up 24/7 in the winter and that doesn’t happen.

 

[RayIN]

Many fire trucks are plugged in 24/7, but the fire station doesn't pay the electric bills. This practice prevents engine damage from startup to heavy throttle in minutes.

 

[RjCorazza]

Depending on your circumstances, there are a lot of options in timers and switches to automate the heaters. I use a wifi switch that can be programmed to come on and then off at whatever date / time I want, or manually turn on the heaters from a phone app.
On a day I will be using the tractor, I have a "rule" that I enable that turns on at 0200h and turns off at 0600h.
As far as the original question of whether 24/7 will damage anything, no it won't (other than costing $ in electricity use)

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

I don't know about a tractor, but in the aviation world the engine manufacturers warn against it. They claim the warmer air inside the engine can hold more moisture then if there's a sudden temperature drop that the heater can't keep up with, that moisture can condense and cause corrosion. Having said that, pretty much every airplane owner I know who lives in a cold climate, including flight schools, leave theirs plugged in all winter and I've never heard of them having corrosion issues. Corrosion in aircraft engines is almost always due to lack of use. And Tanis, who is probably the largest maker of aircraft engine warmers, recommends leaving them on all the time because it's less likely to cause corrosion then constant cycling between hot and cold.

 

[WM75Guy]

Many fire trucks are plugged in 24/7, but the fire station doesn't pay the electric bills. This practice prevents engine damage from startup to heavy throttle in minutes.

Fire trucks typically don't have a block heater wired into the shoreline. It powers a converter that keeps the batteries charged for the truck and any equipment wired to it, such as flashlights and medical equipment. Many departments are switching over to battery powered rescue equipment instead of hydraulic or gas, so there is a considerable power need for the battery chargers. When disconnected, it switches over to the truck batteries for power. It may also power a small compressor to maintain air pressure, so you don't have to wait for it to build up before responding.

 

[Hay Dude]

Just use a simple timer IF you use your rig at the same time every day. If it’s an emergency vehicle, you have to stay plugged-in. If it’s for snow removal, just use a timer you can set a few hours before snow hits.

 

[not2old]

I accidentally left my GC plugged in for more than four hours once and found that the temperature gauge was still lower than when the tractor was fully warmed up when I turned the key. I now make a habit of putting the key in my pocket when plugging in. I just recently got proper power in my shop and plan to use a bluetooth outlet if I can find a good one.

 

[mrmikey]

I use a wireless remote plug, I think it is supposed to be for Christmas lights and turn it on a couple hours before I have to start it. I've got a small LED marker light I can see from the house when it's on. I had a small blue strobe marker light I got off a wrecked vehicle compliance truck when I was working, to remind me it was on. The neighbours thought there was something wrong as it lit up the lean to that it's under so I replaced it with an solid amber marker light.

 

[bridge4]

Fire trucks typically don't have a block heater wired into the shoreline. It powers a converter that keeps the batteries charged for the truck and any equipment wired to it, such as flashlights and medical equipment. Many departments are switching over to battery powered rescue equipment instead of hydraulic or gas, so there is a considerable power need for the battery chargers. When disconnected, it switches over to the truck batteries for power. It may also power a small compressor to maintain air pressure, so you don't have to wait for it to build up before responding.

How sure are you about that? I have a fire suppression pump for my business and we are required by code to keep the heater on 24/7/365 and can never have it off. It's actually a John Deere diesel motor made for the system. We even need to keep the room it is in heated separately. It always needs to fire up strong and hot ready to go.

The batteries have a completely separate maintainer system than the heater.

 

[WM75Guy]

How sure are you about that? I have a fire suppression pump for my business and we are required by code to keep the heater on 24/7/365 and can never have it off. It's actually a John Deere diesel motor made for the system. We even need to keep the room it is in heated separately. It always needs to fire up strong and hot ready to go.

The batteries have a completely separate maintainer system than the heater.

I have been in the fire service and EMS since 1977, 22 years as a paid firefighter/paramedic, the rest as a volunteer. Been in many a fire truck and did the specs on several. The shoreline went to an auto charge battery charger, usually a Kussmaul brand with auto eject for the plug. None had a plug for a block heater. Same with the ambulances I have worked on, the shoreline didn't go to the block heater. Some of those did have an OEM plug for a block heater near the radiator but it was never used.

Dual System Battery Chargers

 

[bridge4]

I have been in the fire service and EMS since 1977, 22 years as a paid firefighter/paramedic, the rest as a volunteer. Been in many a fire truck and did the specs on several. The shoreline went to an auto charge battery charger, usually a Kussmaul brand with auto eject for the plug. None had a plug for a block heater. Same with the ambulances I have worked on, the shoreline didn't go to the block heater. Some of those did have an OEM plug for a block heater near the radiator but it was never used.

Dual System Battery Chargers

I won't argue against that experience! and my application is a little different as well. The link to those chargers seem to be for power, not heat, which leads me to wonder...

Do those trucks stay inside in a conditioned area? Or are they outside just plugged in next to the station. All our local FD's keep as much truck inside as they can.

 

[m5040]

I guess it goes to the old saying "That's what you get for thinking". Why would the manufacturer install the product if you couldn't use it? The manuals are about, maybe 30% safety related. Don't you think they would warn you if there was an issue. Your daughter's diesel mechanic friend is correct if you paint with a broad brush, but if he isn't involved with your specific brand of equipment, the best thing is to read the manual. In the old days we used to leave them plugged in from December through March. The elect cost has to be weighed against the cost of not having the equipment ready when you need it. If you can plan your usage, plug it in 24 hrs prior.

 

[RjCorazza]

I also have never seen fire apparatus that included block heaters powered by a shoreline, the shoreline just ran a battery charger / maintainer. Some problematic vehicles also had an airline connected, but that was only very early in my career.
Our stuff was always stored in heated bays.

 

[LouNY]

Fire trucks typically don't have a block heater wired into the shoreline. It powers a converter that keeps the batteries charged for the truck and any equipment wired to it, such as flashlights and medical equipment. Many departments are switching over to battery powered rescue equipment instead of hydraulic or gas, so there is a considerable power need for the battery chargers. When disconnected, it switches over to the truck batteries for power. It may also power a small compressor to maintain air pressure, so you don't have to wait for it to build up before responding.

East Texas is going to do things a bit different then areas that need a block heater. Fire trucks in this area have engine block heaters but the fire houses them selves are kept above 55F.

 

[WM75Guy]

I won't argue against that experience! and my application is a little different as well. The link to those chargers seem to be for power, not heat, which leads me to wonder...

Do those trucks stay inside in a conditioned area? Or are they outside just plugged in next to the station. All our local FD's keep as much truck inside as they can.

Frontline fire equipment was inside a heated bay. Occasionally reserve equipment might be outside. But then you run the risk of a freeze causing small lines to burst or the pump to freeze up. It is impossible to drain all the water out of the pump or lines. Just too many low spots the way they were run. Ambulances were sometimes outside, especially for private service units. With diesel engines and glow plugs they didn't need block heaters.