Civic Block Heater Install

[Chris D.]

Heated seat inlay FTW!!!! ;0

[8307c4]

Don't forget assuming you plug it in 8 hours a day for 20 days a month at 400 watts this consumes 160 x 400 / 1000 = 16 x 4 = 64kwh's, so assuming a cost of 11 cents per kwh your electric bill will cost $7.04 extra per month in this particular scenario.

When you find out your actual mpg increase you will want to calculate how much actual fuel it saves, considering that the money spent on the electric would have bought 2 gallons of fuel it is hard to see at this point if this really saves money because heating an engine is one of the most inefficient ways of electricity usage.

Now I do see you're in a cold climate so if the temperatures around your car are in the single digits Fahrenheit this might affect the car to where it would not start unless it was heated then a block heater is the answer of choice, which is to say I have never heard of anyone using such a device unless it was absolutely crucial, such as the car would NOT start otherwise. And yes, there is such a thing as the kind of cold that will affect a car in such a manner, but if it is kept inside and it starts fine unheated then this is as likely just so much more phony baloney and snake oil.

It is one thing to get better economy, it is quite another to push a car up a hill so one can coast down it to get better mpg and then go spend $5 more on a lunch when it would've cost 50 cents or a dollar just to drive up it, but hey, I get unlimited mpg.

Should your calculations differ from mine on the electric bill and the mpg increase make this truly worthwhile I am certainly more than willing to stand corrected. Because I'm not knocking experimentation per se but to ignore the entire cost of the other side of the equation, that frustrates more than not worrying about it in the first place.

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by 8307c4

Don't forget assuming you plug it in 8 hours a day for 20 days a month at 400 watts this consumes 160 x 400 / 1000 = 16 x 4 = 64kwh's, so assuming a cost of 11 cents per kwh your electric bill will cost $7.04 extra per month in this particular scenario.

When you find out your actual mpg increase you will want to calculate how much actual fuel it saves, considering that the money spent on the electric would have bought 2 gallons of fuel it is hard to see at this point if this really saves money because heating an engine is one of the most inefficient ways of electricity usage.

However, if the temperatures around your car are in the single digits Fahrenheit this might affect the car to where it would not start unless it was heated then a block heater is the answer of choice, which is to say I have never heard of anyone using such a device unless it was absolutely crucial such as the car would NOT start otherwise.

It is one thing to get better economy, it is quite another to push a car up a hill so one can coast down it to get better mpg and then go spend $5 more on a lunch when it would've cost 50 cents or a dollar just to drive up it, but hey, I get unlimited mpg.

I'm not knocking experimentation per se but to ignore the entire cost of the other side of the equation, that frustrates more than not worrying about it in the first place.

8 hours is a really really long time... In any case, he already did the math to look at the entire cost (read up on the first page - link to post below)
http://forum.ecomodder.com/showpost....0&postcount=17

[Chris D.]

Originally Posted by 8307c4

but hey, I get unlimited mpg.

Unlimited MPG? You must work for the state/government I take

Originally Posted by trebuchet03

8 hours is a really really long time... In any case, he already did the math to look at the entire cost (read up on the first page - link to post below)
http://forum.ecomodder.com/showpost....0&postcount=17

Interesting info a friend told me about..
Ambulances are almost always plugged into block heaters while parked in cold weather climates..

30 something a year for over night use of a block heater really wouldnt be too bad of a deal.. Its just cheap insurance if ya ask me..

Why make your engine suffer with a harsh cold start when you can do this?
I myself being on call would have to have one of these plugged in at all times for that just in case.. I dont want to sit there and have to wait for a block heater to thaw things out..

If I can pull 455K out of a stock engine w/orignal head gasket, I must be doing something right..

[TomO]

Just a little update:

I filled up my car last night and calculated my MPG..... 46.14 US MPG, with a distance of 394 mi. and used 8.539 gallons.

Previous fill ups without block heater = 41.45 US MPG, 43.12 US MPG, and 43.33 US MPG.
MY GASLOG

Proof that having a block heater installed will help improve FE.

The average temp since my last fill up has been 22°F that is with one day of 42°F high (freak thing) and then a cold few days from -15°F (ironically that was just a day after the 42° day).