Quote:
Originally Posted by DifferentPointofView
would that make tank heaters take more time for plug in because of it needing to heat the whole cooling system as well as circulating the coolant?
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If you disregard the usual difference in wattage (500 watts @ 110 volts at best for the frost plug heater, up to 2000 watts @ 110 volts for the tank heater), ... Well, yes - sort of.
A frost plug heater leaves cool/cold coolant in the hoses, heater core and radiator - Which will prolong the time required to bring the engine temperature up from ~170*F to whatever full operating temperature is.
I have known people who used more than one type of engine heater - simultaneously - in the same vehicle.
Lower radiator hose heater + tank heater = fast warm-up to OPERATING TEMPERATURE.
Whole system is toasty.
Frost plug heater(s) = fast warm-up to a reasonable STARTING TEMPERATURE
Protect those expensive moving engine parts..