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At what temperature should I plug in my diesel truck?
I’m a new diesel truck owner, and it gets pretty cold where I live. At what point do I need to worry about plugging the truck in?
Rob Shapiro · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
To keep your truck running in optimal condition, the engine block heater on a diesel truck should be plugged in when the temperature is below 0°F(-18°C).
Some experts will recommend that the engine block heater should be plugged in when temperatures are below –10°F (–23°C), but as a general rule of thumb, they’re most effective when outdoor temperatures are below 0°F(-18°C).
The heater uses around 0.4 to 1.0 kilowatt-hours of energy per hour of use. It will reach maximum temperature after about three hours of operation—keeping the heater going beyond three hours doesn’t improve system performance but rather unnecessarily uses electricity.
If you want to keep your energy bills low, plug your truck in for three hours, then remove it.
A diesel truck can be difficult to start in the winter, so here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind:
- Use a winter fuel
- Use winter fuel additives
- Switch to a light engine oil
- Change your fuel filter
- Change your batteries as needed
- Keep your gas tank full
View full answer
- Gregory R.
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