2026-2027 Engine Block Heater Thread : Questions/Answers/Products

[NEOHIO]

I am in Northern Ohio. East of Cleveland on Lake Erie.
I use a roku smart outlet and plug my truck in when it starts hitting 40f overnight.
The smart plug turns on around 2am. I typically depart for work around 530ish. My truck does have the snow plow package with supplemental heat. I tend to disconnect the power, hop in, start the truck, let it idle for 10-15 seconds while i buckle up, get radio connected etc.
Only time I really ever let it idle is if I need to clean ice off the windows. I use this Snow brush. Remove the head and it stores under the rear seat.

i am not sure if gas engines have a thermostat in the cord. I don't think the diesel does.

 

[Legmar]

I like the timer outlet idea, but sometimes I’m lazy

Is the heater element easy to install myself?

I plug mine into a VOCOlinc smart plug that supports HomeKit. So I just tell Siri to turn it on or off anytime I want (from anywhere). And I can also set a schedule using HomeKit automations.

 

[Legmar]

Plus one on this statement. Run your numbers. Heater wattage divided by mains voltage gives you draw current. A 1,000w heater draws roughly 10A. Then figure voltage loss for your drop cord run and keep it under 10 percent -- there's no sense in heating the wire. The Desk Reference will give you resistance per 100ft for available gage wire.

Ohm's Law is your friend.

Cheers, Tremorites! (Is that what we are called?)

This might be a dumb question… but wouldn’t the wire stay pretty cool (even if a little undersized) given the fact that the use case we are describing is below freezing temps?

 

[The Evil Twin]

This might be a dumb question… but wouldn’t the wire stay pretty cool (even if a little undersized) given the fact that the use case we are describing is below freezing temps?

Theoretically you are correct, but….. the NEC only derates wire as ambient temperature rises. There is no increase for lower temperatures.
A 12 gauge 50’ cord is plenty good for the 8.5 amps of the stock heater. If you add the NOCO 5 amp, that puts you at 13 amps. While it is technically over the 80% rule for continuous loads, the NOCO is not going to pull 5 amps if you are regularly maintaining your battery.

 

[Optimus🤖]

He just copied and pasted what I sent him. AI for the win!

 

[The Evil Twin]

He just copied and pasted what I sent him. AI for the win!

Shit. If I would have known about this AI crap, I wouldn’t have wasted my time and money on degrees in mechanical and electronics.

 

[Optimus🤖]

Shit. If I would have known about this AI crap, I wouldn’t have wasted my time and money on degrees in mechanical and electronics.

You didn't waste your time and money on degrees in mechanical and electronics. AI thanks you. Without your input we wouldn't have output.

(Please note: this post was not AI created!).