dc to ac inverters for block heater

[malibu795]

since i am at college now..... no place to plug the truck in not that it need to be plugged in it is nice to jump into a warm truck and not have to wait for it to stop smokeing white before i dirve it.

right now i am starting is ~30-45 minute before i have to go any were and let her idle. lock the keys in the truck..

the other idea is is get a inveter. put it on a timer.

talked to adam (special agent) he mention another pair of bats with a electronic disconnect from the main two. so that while the engine ran it would charge all 4 and the inverter would only drain the 1or 2 aux bats.
iirc the block heater is a 1500w unit.

idea is min 1500w rating or pair the 800w i currently got with another 800w
any recommendations on inverters and the said" switch"

BTW the block heater cord will reach inside the cab throught he pass door


any info please :hello:

 

[duratothemax]

how cold does it get there?? You shouldnt need the block heater IMO...

Im a little lower than stock LBZ compression (whatever grade C gaskets takes off of 16.8:1) and Ive never had a problem starting at 0*... and thats with only one battery too...

ben

 

[Max Power]

Inverter won't cut it. Better bet is an espar diesel fired heater. I have one for sale if you want

I doubt it is cold enough that you need to worry about it at all unless you're in alaska.

 

[The Neens]

how cold does it get there?? You shouldnt need the block heater IMO...

It rarely gets below freezing where I live, but I always plug in during the Winter...Kinda figured it's better to have warmer oil/coolant when it fires from a longevity standpoint...We also heat the oil in our racecar if it's below 70*F...

 

[malibu795]

how cold does it get there?? You shouldnt need the block heater IMO...

Im a little lower than stock LBZ compression (whatever grade C gaskets takes off of 16.8:1) and Ive never had a problem starting at 0*... and thats with only one battery too...

ben

like i said there is not problem with is starting all the way down to -20* never had a problem starting it even with out it plugged in.

i have de-lipped .040s and shave to weigh the same as de-liped .020s with C gaskets.
when it dips bellow 45* it smokes allot of white smoke for good 10-15 minutes. and still hazes while i drive down the road after said time. till the engine hits ~100* ect
here in is the problem... or what could lead to problems...

i drive less then 2 miles to school. there is not enough time for the tranny to warm up(100*) or the engine to reach 170-180*f. then re-peat for lunch. by time lunch roles around the truck is completly cold again less then 5 hours later.

the purpose is so get the block warm ~100* range when it is cold out.

sorry dont think i conveyed it clearly

 

[Vrabel]

get a remote starter, hit the button before you hop in the shower.

 

[malibu795]

It rarely gets below freezing where I live, but I always plug in during the Winter...Kinda figured it's better to have warmer oil/coolant when it fires from a longevity standpoint...We also heat the oil in our racecar if it's below 70*F...

x2
not to mention i have quite abit of money locked up in my short block..

 

[malibu795]

get a remote starter, hit the button before you hop in the shower.

thought about that... how long will it let the truck run for? it take my truck ~30 minutes to get from 30* to 100* at idle.

at ~2.50 a gl around here and at idle they burn ~1 gph.....

plus i am sure how comfortable i am about idleing my truck on campus un-attended... :baby:

 

[tinman22]

my remote starter runs for 20 minutes then shuts off. it is adjustable but i'm not sure of what the minimum and max times are... also theres a timed start that you can set the truck to start and run for X amount of time every X hours... so you could set it ro start every 2 hours and run for 10 minutes.

 

[TrentNell]

Adam you can run a battery isolator to your auxilary batteries and it acts as a large diode , so that when the block heater is in use key off ect... it will not drain the truck batteries but the alternator will recharge them as sson as your engine is running . dont know how long the rechage will atke though and between the batteries and isolator and inverter could cost a bit , not sure you can stack the inverters i think it would produce 220 V

 

[TrentNell]

my remote starter runs for 20 minutes then shuts off. it is adjustable but i'm not sure of what the minimum and max times are... also theres a timed start that you can set the truck to start and run for X amount of time every X hours... so you could set it ro start every 2 hours and run for 10 minutes.

this sounds like a much better option . plus a 1500 watt inverter can pull as much as 100 amp surges( guess... been a while since ohms law )

 

[Vrabel]

thought about that... how long will it let the truck run for? it take my truck ~30 minutes to get from 30* to 100* at idle.

at ~2.50 a gl around here and at idle they burn ~1 gph.....

plus i am sure how comfortable i am about idleing my truck on campus un-attended... :baby:

doesnt matter if unattended. no keys, stalls when you apply brake to take out of park

 

[jneal]

I have a 3kw power inverter in my service truck. I run 1500 watt block heaters all the time with it, but I have to have my service truck running and set on load sensing idle to keep the voltage on the batteries high enough so that the inverter does not trip out on low battery voltage. Without the batteries charging it will only run a 1500 watt block heater for about 5 minutes before it trips out on low battery voltage. The other problem with having a seperate set of batteries to run the invertor and then having the alternator charging them is, it is very hard on the alternator. My old service truck did not have load sensing idle on it and as much as I use the power inverter I would go through a set of new batteries and an alternator about every 6-7 months.

Just my experience.

 

[malibu795]

Adam you can run a battery isolator to your auxilary batteries and it acts as a large diode , so that when the block heater is in use key off ect... it will not drain the truck batteries but the alternator will recharge them as sson as your engine is running . dont know how long the rechage will atke though and between the batteries and isolator and inverter could cost a bit , not sure you can stack the inverters i think it would produce 220 V

thats the word i was looking for.....


i would make a lead to run the 800s in parrell twice the current ans still 110-120v

~1500w @ 12v is 125 amp..

what are some good auto starts?

 

[malibu795]

I have a 3kw power inverter in my service truck. I run 1500 watt block heaters all the time with it, but I have to have my service truck running and set on load sensing idle to keep the voltage on the batteries high enough so that the inverter does not trip out on low battery voltage. Without the batteries charging it will only run a 1500 watt block heater for about 5 minutes before it trips out on low battery voltage. The other problem with having a seperate set of batteries to run the invertor and then having the alternator charging them is, it is very hard on the alternator. My old service truck did not have load sensing idle on it and as much as I use the power inverter I would go through a set of new batteries and an alternator about every 6-7 months.

Just my experience.

ooff thats some good info..... thanks J

 

[duratothemax]

Bu, running a block heater on batteries and an inverter is pointless in my own opinion...its not feasible in the slightest unless you have like 10 marine batteries hooked up in parallel.

I left my tech 2 plugged in and on overnight and my truck wouldnt even start the next morning. Thats a TECH 2. How much do you think that draws compared to a 110v block heater?

Are you sure you dont have other problems with the engine...my built motor never smoked like that at those temps.

 

[mainer]

your crazy.... learn to deal with a cold truck or walk if its only 2 minutes, that should keep you warm and in shape

 

[specialagentPK]

Bu, running a block heater on batteries and an inverter is pointless...its not feasible in the slightest unless you have like 10 marine batteries hooked up in parallel.

I left my tech 2 plugged in and on overnight and my truck wouldnt even start the next morning. Thats a TECH 2. How much do you think that draws compared to a 110v block heater?

Are you sure you dont have other problems with the engine...my built motor never smoked like that at those temps.

Thats why I suggested a seperate battery system but I'm no electrician so I don't know what the power requirements of a 1500w inverter was but I did say to Adam that the truckers that I know with them in their trucks would never turn them on and run something without the truck being running.

 

[duratothemax]

get a small generator and mount it in the bed of your truck.

 

[JoshH]

Are you sure you dont have other problems with the engine...my built motor never smoked like that at those temps.

My truck would smoke like that, but I was at about 15:1 compression ratio. I was able to tune most of the smoke out by playing with fuel pressure and idle speed. Might try playing with the tuning some.