Engine Block Heaters Compared
By Ron Haugen
Engine block heaters
are commonly used in areas that experience bitterly cold winters. Starting a cold engine can prove to be troublesome, and can eventually create unneeded wear and tear on the engine block. These are easy to find in all parts of the country, and can be purchased at any auto parts retailer. While it's not necessary to have these, it's a good idea in certain areas of the country.
An engine block heater is connected to a standard AC plug on one end and fed through the grill of the vehicle on the other end. The idea is these heaters will keep the coolant warm, so it will start easily in the morning. This not only helps to maintain your car in the winter, it can reduce pollution by shortening the amount of time the engine runs roughly before the fuel is warmed up enough to fire correctly. There are several types of heaters available to keep your vehicle warm overnight.
A dipstick heater is placed where the dipstick would normally be. This keeps the oil warm. This will prevent the oil from getting thick and sludging up in extremely cold weather. These are very effective and inexpensive. Anyone can install these without much help.
Radiator hose heaters aren't as common as the other types of heaters, but they are nonetheless effective. These are spliced into the top radiator hose, heating the coolant from here. These are the easiest to install, requiring only a screwdriver and access to the hoses.
These are the most effective types of heaters available, but they tend to be expensive as well when compared to other types of heaters. Even with this in mind, some heaters can be found for under $50. These plug in directly to the engine block and keeps the coolant and the oil warm. These are made for specific car models, but they can be found or ordered online or at any auto parts store. Installation is a little tricky with these, but again can be done with some time and a few tools.
For those who live in areas that do experience cold temperatures, but not often, a heater blanket may be a good alternative to some of the other types of heaters. These work in a fashion very similar to a standard electric blanket, except they are made to be used in harsh conditions. These will plug in to a standard wall outlet, and you just place them over the engine block of your vehicle. They will keep the engine, oil and fluid warm during the overnight hours.
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A magnetic heater is an electric heater that heats the engine or transmission of a vehicle to give quicker starts and protects your engine from damage that can occur during cold weather starts.
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