How do you test a block heater?

[Sberry]

Depends on where the sending unit is. On one truck its not too far from the element and heats right up at 12 or 1500 watts. The water pump circulation cranks it right around and the gauge is really fast, just seconds and reads cold but nothing is as good as putting heat on. I put one new in this winter a tank type and it worked super, have another one going to do for next. A couple that use in block which work great but are fussy on gfci.

 

[DMiller]

Tank types seem to circulate better but require a lot of support structure and area. In block types can get the engine(MOST Desired) to a decent temp a lot sooner.

 

[Sberry]

I also limit the need for cold starts.
If it shorted and didnt pop a breaker says there is something wrong, Whole outside world is sposed to be gfci.

 

[DMiller]

Good Luck with that. A Hot Short will not always trip a Ground Fault interrupter.

 

[Bluox]

A core plug block heater will typically be 400 watts. A "killawatt" is a handy plug in electric meter that's about $20 at menards, you can plug that into your extension cord, plug the heater into that, and see if it's drawing about 400 amps. The sparking when you plug it in is good enough though, they either work or not. Best way to judge from the heat of the block would be on a cool morning, plug it in and in a half hour the head should be warm to the touch.

Now that is some funny crap you need to go back to basic electric class ,would be about 3.4 amps.
Bob

 

[hvy 1ton]

Cord shorted at heater connection, breaker never popped.

 

[Delmer]

400 amps?

If that was the worst mistake I made yesterday, I'd have been doing above average. At least I don't work at Nasa

 

[JLarson]

Cord shorted at heater connection, breaker never popped.

Nice, considering how many "shops" we've seen with receptacle circuits that are in 30 amp or larger breakers it doesn't surprise me. I had a guy grind a cord once and it just sat there sparking, turns out the circuit we plugged into was hooked to a 70 amp

 

[Truck Shop]

Nice, considering how many "shops" we've seen with receptacle circuits that are in 30 amp or larger breakers it doesn't surprise me. I had a guy grind a cord once and it just sat there sparking, turns out the circuit we plugged into was hooked to a 70 amp

Well you know every shop has it's in house electricians or at least everyone thinks they are. I have too many things to stay on top of running the shop.
Plus the owner needs to pay for a electrician to cover business repairs. I hired as a mechanic not a building maintenance repair man. If owner wants
that then he has to pay me two wages-mechanic and electrician.

 

[emmett518]

It’s 115 volts. I’ve never had a diesel before, so no idea how they react in cold weather. Right now, it catches after about a second of cranking.

 

[John C.]

My experience with a block heater was on a D9G and I had just rebuild the engine and it still had water in it. The shop I was working in was old and the machine was parked outside the sliding door. It was going to get cold over night and the cord was there for the heater. I checked it with an ohm meter and it had some resistance as I recall. No crazy sparks when I plugged it in and it seemed to be working when I left at the end of the day. I came in the next morning and the shop was open and there were some people around and the power was shut off to the building. It seems the electrical to the building wasn't set up to well all those years ago and there was a transformer on the circuit that I plugged into which got hot enough to smoke, a lot! Someone driving by saw the smoke coming out of the building and called the fire department. It seems that there were no time heaters on the circuit and the block heater overloaded the transformer without popping the circuit breaker. At any rate I cut the plug end off the heater cord and got to work putting antifreeze mix in the engine so it could be put to work.

 

[Thirty5D]

400 amps?

If that was the worst mistake I made yesterday, I'd have been doing above average. At least I don't work at Nasa

NASA has a 1 Volt, 400 Watt heater?
Some Senator must own a copper mine.

 

[Delmer]

Just like my 10,000AMP welder maybe

 

[DIYDAVE]

Tank types seem to circulate better but require a lot of support structure and area. In block types can get the engine(MOST Desired) to a decent temp a lot sooner.

With tank types, it is important to have that tank mounted as straight up vertical, as possible. If tipped over, they can burn out the element right quick! A tank type heater that is burnt out is right easy to diagnose, scorched/burnt paint is easy to see, on the tank!

 

[hosspuller]

I have a Deere 310C. I replaced the block heater with a Deere part. (1000 watt) When it's powered on, I can hear a faint sizzling sound at the block. I use that as confirmation the cord & outlet is getting power to the heater. Below freezing temps are rare in my part of NC but do happen. An hour or two is enough for a quick start.

 

[DIYDAVE]

I have a Deere 310C. I replaced the block heater with a Deere part. (1000 watt) When it's powered on, I can hear a faint sizzling sound at the block. I use that as confirmation the cord & outlet is getting power to the heater. Below freezing temps are rare in my part of NC but do happen. An hour or two is enough for a quick start.

With a 1000 watt heater, 45 minutes should be enough, IMHO. I used a 1000 w on my old Allis D-19 (d-262 engine), and it would knock right off, even in the coldest weather, here in MD...

 

[emmett518]

Put an amp / watt meter on the 115 line. 8 amps, 920 watts or so. I’m guessing it’s ok.