Block Heater Recommendation

[Lepke]

A block works much faster than a pan heater, if you need the starting help in cold weather. If you're in really cold, below zero weather, you can use them to heat the engineroom. In 0°F I can run the mains block heaters and it gets near 70° overnight.
I plug them in Thermocubes that turn them on at 35° and off at 45°. The cubes will handle 1500 watts.

 

[jleonard]

I had a standard Cummins supplied block heater with the 6BTA I bought to repower my old Mainship I. I think it was supposed to be 120 F but that a foggy memory.
I can say it was great for those first few weeks in the water in early April in New England. It would keep the floors nice and toasty and dry.
However, it was waaaaay to hot if I had to do any work on the engine or in the bilge in general.
I also had a block heater on my Cummins in my old Dodge Ram pickup. I set that up with a timer to be on for 1 hour very day in the winter before I went to work. That time was enough to warm the engine to make it over 56 F so the grid heater would not cycle.

 

[timb7734]

In days of old we just lit a bag of charcoal under the engine on our truck, cheap and didn’t need to find and electric source.

 

[rcsomany]

Another purpose

FWIW...
My Pacific Trawler 40 has a block heater in its single 6 cyl 330 HP Cummins (installed by a PO). I plug it into 110VAC when on shore power over the winter not to make the engine easier to start (which it does) or eliminate blue smoke on startup (which it also does) but primarily to provide some warmth in the machinery spaces to help drive out winter moisture. I keep one of the engine room hatches slightly open and run a dehumidifier in the area above (which happens to be the galley).

 

[Gdavid]

I installed the hotstart today, straightforward install and I am looking forward the seeing the difference in smoke following initial starts

 

[fgarriso]

Most of the big name engine manufactures use the block water heaters today.
They have to start their engines at -40 degrees. I think I would use the same thing they use.

Or, move to Florida

 

[Pete Meisinger]

Pan heaters are often magnetic. Many pans are aluminum. All Ford Lehmans are aluminum.

pete

 

[rslifkin]

Pan heaters are often magnetic. Many pans are aluminum. All Ford Lehmans are aluminum.

pete

Good point. You can use a pan heater with an aluminum pan, but you can't use the magnetic ones. Has to be one of the adhesive stick-on ones.

 

[seasons]

Did it work to eliminate the heavy smoke on your Perkins start up?

 

[Gdavid]

Did it work to eliminate the heavy smoke on your Perkins start up?

Yes, it didn't eliminate all smoke but it dramatically reduced it in cooler and cold weather. The thru-hull installation was easy despite the access to the freeze plug being awkward.

 

[seasons]

Thanks!! That makes me pleased with the direction I am attempting to go.

I'm hoping to have a heater fabricated that will go through the aft plate by the top of the #6 cylinder as I have heavy smoke for 10 minutes after start until the engine comes up to temp. Same as the obsolete Perkins plate-mounted heater from Zerostart. The smoke issue does not appear to be a valve seal per the mechanic because the cylinder pressure is low on that one (305 PSI) and I isolated the smoke to that cylinder by cracking the fuel line. Also rebuilt that injector and then swapped it with #5. So, it's assumed to be a ring/temp related issue.

 

[Gdavid]

Thanks!! That makes me pleased with the direction I am attempting to go.

I'm hoping to have a heater fabricated that will go through the aft plate by the top of the #6 cylinder as I have heavy smoke for 10 minutes after start until the engine comes up to temp. Same as the obsolete Perkins plate-mounted heater from Zerostart. The smoke issue does not appear to be a valve seal per the mechanic because the cylinder pressure is low on that one (305 PSI) and I isolated the smoke to that cylinder by cracking the fuel line. Also rebuilt that injector and then swapped it with #5. So, it's assumed to be a ring/temp related issue.

I didn't have any problem locating a new, old stock
Kim Hotstart PER-751FP, it was $40 off of eBay and took me all of 40 minutes to drain the block, knock the freeze plug out (between the ray water pump and injector pump), install and refill the coolant. Surely you can find one cheaper than a custom unit. The coolant circulates thought the block and the temps are pretty uniform, I would worry about the heat not reaching cylinder #6.

 

[seasons]

I didn't have any problem locating a new, old stock
Kim Hotstart PER-751FP, it was $40 off of eBay and took me all of 40 minutes to drain the block, knock the freeze plug out (between the ray water pump and injector pump), install and refill the coolant. Surely you can find one cheaper than a custom unit. The coolant circulates thought the block and the temps are pretty uniform, I would worry about the heat not reaching cylinder #6.

Thanks, good advice. How do you drain the antifreeze without soaking the Starter? Do you put an adapter in the drain hole to connect up a hose?

 

[seasons]

35mm is 1⅜".

I successfully installed zerostart PN 3100031 in my Perkins engine block. Engine is a 1987 T6-354M (T for turbo, M for marine).


Perhaps it was a very old part with a dried o-ring, but I needed to change the O-ring with an ever so slightly thicker one, and it has sealed perfectly.

I purchased it from a Perkin's Mechanic in Sudlersville MD, that had it in her inventory for decades.

Freeze plug came out just like in the YouTube videos. Tap tap tap, and a vice grips on the edge.

Ran the heater overnight and a 75% reduction in smoke on the first startup of the Spring.

 

[seasons]

Installed zerostart 3100027 in my Perkins with 1⅜ freeze plug hole (vs newer 1 ¼) equivilent to 35mm.

Old stock, had to install a fresh o-ring to get a good seal. Glad I flushed with water to observe the initial leak.

Overnight running of the block heater cut start up smoke by 75%. Very pleased, but wish it was quicker.

 

[Gdavid]

Thanks, good advice. How do you drain the antifreeze without soaking the Starter? Do you put an adapter in the drain hole to connect up a hose?

Sorry for the delay, I didn't see this question till today. On my engine the starter is on the starboard side of the engine and all freeze plugs are on the port side so this isn't a concern.

I think the engine's installed on their sides (H code I think) have the starter on the same side of the block as the freeze plugs but this till isn't an issue because the starter would be not be below any freeze plugs.

 

[seasons]

35mm is 1⅜".

I successfully installed zerostart PN xxxxxin my Perkins engine block. Engine is a 1987 T6-354M (T for turbo, M for marine).


Perhaps it was a very old part with a dried o-ring, but I needed to change the O-ring with an ever so slightly thicker one, and it has sealed perfectly.

I purchased it from a Perkin's Mechanic in Sudlersville MD, that had it in her inventory for decades.

Freeze plug came out just like in the YouTube videos. Tap tap tap, and a vice grips on the edge.

Ran the heater overnight and a 75% reduction in smoke on the first startup of the Spring.

Correct PN 3100027