[TomO]

Glad the install went well for you S_F.

It takes 2-3 hours (depending on where the car is located and what the ambient temps are) to get the block warmed up as much as the heater can.

The heater itself only attains ~120°F so that means that the block only gets up to about 80°F. The aluminum block and head are great at dissipating heat so that's why the block really only gets up to about 80°F after a couple hours. the stock needle on our cars doesn't even really get off of the bottom tick mark until the motor reaches ~120°F

The only drawback to leaving the heater plugged in longer than 3 hours is that it just makes you spend more money on electricity.

I know that some people are under the impression that a block heater gets the car up to operating temps (180°F +) but it doesn't. It helps to take the edge off the cold temps and cuts off a minute or more from warm up time.