have any of you guys heard of Espar Hydronic Coolant heaters? I came across them yesterday while doing a search. Pretty cool if you ask me. My problem with my block heater is that I have to park half a block away from my house in the winter, and can't get a cord to it. These hydronic heaters would solve that problem, but for nearly a thousand dollars, not sure it is worth it. Just wanted to see if anyone has ever heard of them or used them. Next question: Since I live in town, I have to switch sides of the road for winter parking. Is it bad to start my truck for only a few moments to move it? Is the $25 dollar parking ticket cheaper than the damamge I could be doung to my truck or not?
Coolant Heaters
- Thread starter workin' diesel
- Start date
you don't need to plug it, its more of a luxury then necessity
ive had mine at -10*f in the mountains not plugged in and it starts no problem
ive had mine at -10*f in the mountains not plugged in and it starts no problem
I've heard of them on tdi's before, never a truck. But that would be nice, push a button on a remote and 20 minutes later your engine's warm without having to start it or keep it plugged in.
It seems to be a product for big rigs, but they have a few for pickups and cars. My truck starts good too in the cold, but I was wondering if that was bad for it. Is it normal for white smoke to come out of it for like 10 seconds after starting?
Cold starts don't do your motor any good. Sometimes it can't be avoided and thats life, at least let it sit and warm up for a while before putting a load against it. Running 5w40 instead of 15w40 can't hurt either.
Slightly off topic, anybody know how many watts the factory block heater uses?
Slightly off topic, anybody know how many watts the factory block heater uses?
1000 watts.
You don't have to let it sit and "warm up" before driving it. High idle it maybe. Straight idling will take a long long time to warm it up and isn't a whole lot better than cold starts. Just drive it gingerly until it gets warm. Use common sense.
The sure do.... I see them on ebay every so often for $300-600 used.
The Espar heaters are good units, but not worth it if you're just using it to avoid cold starting cuz you can't plug in IMO.
Why else are you using it?
I guess if someone doesn't like a warm vehicle in the winter and instant heat defrosted windows then ya waste of money.
Why else are you using it?
I guess if someone doesn't like a warm vehicle in the winter and instant heat defrosted windows then ya waste of money.
Well it all depends... if you've got the money to spend for comfort, then sure, I agree its nice... But I took from what OP was asking as "is it economical to install an Espar heater in terms of reducing premature engine wear". I said IMO, no.
When would I use one? If I lived or frequently traveled somewhere so cold that I couldn't turn my truck off or for some reason had to leave it idling for hours and hours on end.
Why not just do a remote start other then burning more fuel? With the cost of these units and install you can buy a lot of diesel. It doesn't really get cold enough in the States to justify it IMO other then Alaska.
White smoke is normal until the engine is warmed up. I wouldn't just start my truck move it to the other side of the street and shut it down. Thats a good way to kill the batteries if nothing else.
White smoke is normal until the engine is warmed up. I wouldn't just start my truck move it to the other side of the street and shut it down. Thats a good way to kill the batteries if nothing else.
Duramax block heater
The Duramax block heaters use around 1000 watts, but are useless right now with the recall on them that has not yet been rectified, some dealers are just cutting the power cords off them. That is not a valid repair in my view. August 25,2019
The Duramax block heaters use around 1000 watts, but are useless right now with the recall on them that has not yet been rectified, some dealers are just cutting the power cords off them. That is not a valid repair in my view. August 25,2019
Last edited by a moderator:
Coolant heater btu's
Looking to install a diesel fired engine heater, how many btu's are sufficient for a 6.6 ltr Duramax?
Looking to install a diesel fired engine heater, how many btu's are sufficient for a 6.6 ltr Duramax?
