Plug in or not?

aquaman said:

Not to hijack the thread, but how cold is it when yall start thinking of plugging it in?

...even though the engine starts fine on its own?

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It was between 15 - 20 degrees at first and when I changed to Delvac 1 synthetic, I haven't plugged in unless its going to be zero. It starts even below that temp without plugging in but I think it is easier on the starting system if its a bit warm.
If it needs to be plugged in at 30 - 40 degrees, you have a problem with the glow plug system.
BTW, the block heaters are 1000 watts, so if the cost of your electricity is 12 cents a KWH, for every hour its plugged in, it will cost you 12 cents. Some areas are less than that and some a great deal more.
Jim

JimmyDee said:

so if the cost of your electricity is 12 cents a KWH, for every hour its plugged in, it will cost you 12 cents. Some areas are less than that and some a great deal more.
Jim

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Around here, it runs around 12cent/KWhr if you don't exceed baseline usage which is basically living in the dark. We have tiered rates based on usage and it pretty much jumps to 30-40cent/KWhr if we go over baseline average which most people do. After all the nickel-and-diming from taxes and fees just like our cell phone bill, it runs pretty close to $0.75-$0.80/KWhr to be realistic. That adds up quick...

I getting the feeling it's cheaper to let the engine heat itself up and burn a little more fuel if it's "not too cold"

oxman504 said:

I thought they put antigelling stuff in the fuel up there for the winter. More is better?

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The fuel up here is a mixture of no. 1 and no. 2 at some stations but most have straight 1 or 2 at the pumps and you blend your own or add additive to no. 2. Our electricity is under $0.10 so heater doesn't cost much to run overnight or all day. I only use it if it is under 15 degrees but it will start down to zero just fine. Nice to have heat almost right away.

Taking the advice of some of the earlier posters.... I have it on a timer now from 5am to 7am. I usually only plug it in when it is forcasted to get down in the mid to low teens.

WD40 said:

Power Service Products, diesel fuel additives, prevent gelling, clean injectors, disperse water, boost cetane, reduce emissions, improve fuel economyPower Service Products, diesel fuel additives, prevent gelling, clean injectors, disperse water, boos
Add this to your fuel, I got a gal today at Wall-Mart for $15.90 to add to my fuel, we are getting down in the low teens here, for the next few days. Keep your fuel treated when it's cold.

Doug

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Really? You got a genuine gallon? By me you get about 3/4's of a gallon. Price is the same, natch.

Hey, I live in Fairbanks, AK and we see -35 or -40 on a regular basis. We are actually having a heat wave right now at 10 above. We use a anti-gel in our fuel that is bought at the dealership. We plug our cars in at night if it is in the negatives. If it hits -30 or more, we plug in anytime my truck will be stationary for more then a few hours. This is a common practice with EVERYBODY in fairbanks. If you go to wal-mart, there are plugs at the parking spots. I would not plug your truck in if it is not going to get below 10 above. Someone on this thread said plug it in below 40. DO NOT DO THAT! You will start cooking your oil if you have a oil pan heater. I dont know if your truck is winterized with a oil pan heater, trans heater and battery pad or just a block heater. We see that on a regular basis with people who are new to fairbanks. They plug in when its "cold" to them and the oil pan heater keeps there oil warm and shortens the life of the oil. Your truck should have no prob starting when in positive temps. Hope this helps.