I have a small block heater in my VW diesel. The block heater heats the coolant in the block. I run it for a couple of hours on a timer in the winter. The gauge doesn't show any difference but the engine runs much smoother right from the start. It has to be using less fuel. If the car doesn't start then I have to burn 2x more fuel and get in my minivan making the investment in the heater pay for itself rather quickly.
We pay 15 cents a kwh and the heater probably uses close to a kwh (2 hours) so it is costing me 4-5 dollars a month About a gallon of fuel. You are using 20 cents an hour with both heaters going.
I bet half an hour would be enough using 1100 watts of heaters.
I have thought about mounting a 100 watt lightbulb under the hood near the engine. Kind of a hill billy approach. Of course our government doesn't believe that 100 watt bulbs are a wise use of electricty.
Others have had right about sitting in a running car in a parking lot. They are doing something not acceptable to someone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cosmic_kid
With a 300W block heater and 800W coolant heater installed, how long do they need to be on before you notice the difference? Does the car need to run more than 30 seconds to warm up after started? Have you calculated electricity costs of this method? How much are these two heaters, and how much to install?
Thanks,
Will
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