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Old 11-16-2011, 09:39 PM   #19 (permalink)
Frank Lee
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: up north
Posts: 12,762

Blue - '93 Ford Tempo
Last 3: 27.29 mpg (US)

F150 - '94 Ford F150 XLT 4x4
90 day: 18.5 mpg (US)

Sport Coupe - '92 Ford Tempo GL
Last 3: 69.62 mpg (US)

ShWing! - '82 honda gold wing Interstate
90 day: 33.65 mpg (US)

Moon Unit - '98 Mercury Sable LX Wagon
90 day: 21.24 mpg (US)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Mechanic View Post
Counterpoint;

If you heat the coolant in an insulated container, you will retain that heat for longer periods of time. A normal block heater is fighting the heat being radiated to the atmosphere. At 40 below (doesn't matter centigrade and fahrenheit are the same at 40 below).

Even if you have the luxury of a heated garage, insulated heat retention vessel will be much better at preventing heat and electrical energy losses.
Well in my case I have a grille block and an engine blanket so the engine compartment is kind of like an upside down, open box. In the case of the F150 the engine "blanket" is 1" foil faced foam, foil facing down. Couple that with me only plugging it in for an hour before use, and I doubt there is just too much electricity and heat being wasted in addition to the benefit of not adding weighty, voluminous equipment to the vehicle.

That said, I like the storage Thermos but feel it is more efficiently used as a means of utilizing waste heat, not a place to pump more electrical energy into.
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