Block heater?

[hikyuuri]

I live in MN, and it is starting to get cold.

 

The question I have is is the block heater worth it?

 

- Does it make the car heat up faster (heat for passengers)

- Does it increase fuel economy

- Does it save money (cost to use block heater vs extra fuel cost to generate the heat)

- Is it OK to use the block heater and remote start at the same time without unplugging the heater

 

I have been using it and it is about 20F on average right now. I have it on a timer to turn on at 2AM (I start driving to work between 6AM and 7:30AM).

 

My main question though is if I can use it while the ICE is running. I don't have a garage spot, so it sits on the driveway plugged in. I remote start it before I start puting my shoes on, does that damage anything?

 

What would you recommend for using the block heater?

[Easy Rider]

 

What would you recommend for using the block heater?

Except for those days when it gets below 0F, I think it is mostly a convenience more than anything.

 

Any real "gains" are likely very small and are probably more than offset by the cost of the device and the power to run it.

 

I would think/hope that the remote start part would not be necessary as the block heater should give you some small bit of heat after only a minute or so of vehicle operation.

[Griswald]

I live in a fairly warm area, but my FFH doesn't fit in my garage. I was thinking about adding a block heater for our 20 or so "cold" mornings. I generally get low 40's mpg on my morning commute, but when cold, the ICE runs to warm up and I drop to mid 30's. I think 5 to 7 mpg might be worth it. If I didn't need to run the defroster, I wouldn't even turn on the heater but this car really needs defrosting. I assume the steep raked front and rear windows contribute to that.

 

Do block heaters really help for that, or are they not hot enough?

[hybridbear]

Some owners have measured its electricity draw compared to the fuel saved and have found that it really doesn't save any gas. It does mean that the ICE heats up more quickly which means you get heat in the cabin sooner. There are lots of tips for cold weather driving discussed in this thread: http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/7788-preparing-for-winter-with-a-comprehensive-strategy-to-improve-mpgs-including-grille-blocking-more/

[Sailor]

It realy depends were you live. Here in Saskatchewan it is a must if you don't have a garage. This morning it is -25 , -37 c with the windchill.

We use the remote start , twice service engine soon light came on after using the engine block heater.There is a TSB for this and it is going in on Tuesday for the fix.

Edited November 30, 2014 by Sailor

[hikyuuri]

So, I am still using it. We recently added a power monitoring system to our whole house (per circuit monitoring). I found out that my block heater only takes 250W. That doesn't seem right though, I thought it would take more than that.

 

Can anyone confirm this is the correct wattage for this heater?

[billford]

Owners manual states it uses .4 to 1 kilowatt hours per hour and it achieves maximum temperature at 3 hours.

 

I haven't tried this on the Fusion, but on my previous cars, when the block heater is used in a quiet area, you can hear the coolant boiling right away and the engine block gets quite warm after about 1 hour.

Edited January 2, 2015 by billford

[hikyuuri]

Well, .4 KwH is 400 watts, so mine only taking 250 watts is way below even the low side of the manual.

 

I'll bring it up when I go in for my next service.

 

If someone has a kilowatt meter or something that can take a reading and see what theirs is pulling, I would like to know. Thanks!

[billford]

Does the engine block feel warm after a few hours of plugging it in?

[vangonebuy]

A simple space heater (hair dryer) for the interior might be just as efficient.

Since interior heat is most the reason for the engine running.

 

Emission control O2 sensors also need a warmup.

But, my engine will hybrid mode much sooner, when I shut off the heat.

 

I shut off my heat at long traffic light stops on cold days.

Restart it as travel resumes.

[hybridbear]

Check your water temp with the SGII after using the block heater & before the ICE comes on. It should get the coolant about 50 C warmer than ambient temp. Our FFH was always like that. Cold weather, warm weather, it was always 50 C warmer than ambient. The Energi block heater doesn't work as well. It only gets the coolant about 50-70 F warmer than ambient. This is a big drop in EBH performance.

Edited January 3, 2015 by hybridbear

[FrankQC]

If someone has a kilowatt meter or something that can take a reading and see what theirs is pulling, I would like to know. Thanks!

-31 degrees Celcius tonight here in Quebec (-24 degrees F for you guys) so I plugged the FFH for the first time ever. I never felt the need to use it but I just want to give it a try to see if it makes a real difference on the ICE usage on the first couple miles. BTW, mine is pulling a steady 412 Watts @ 117 VAC.

Edited January 8, 2015 by FrankQC

[acdii]

It depends on application. I dont see a use for it in the FFH, nor the MKT however.

 

I had a EBH in the F350 Powerstroke. I left it parked outside overnight and could not get that badboy started. Plugged in the EBH and 4 hours later started right up.