DTan
Member
- Location
- Northern Minnesota
Has anyone every used anything like this to control receptacles for engine block heaters?
http://www.iplc.com/files/IPLC2006a.pdf
http://www.iplc.com/files/IPLC2006a.pdf
Block Heater Control
- Thread starter DTan
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kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
Who uses engine heaters other than for diesel engines? (the picture in the brochure showed several vehicles that likely did not have diesel engines) Could be handy if you have a fleet of vehicles though. So can a timer control controlling the receptacles. If vehicles are started at same time every day I would use a timer - with contactors if needed. I only have a single vehicle with a heater and just use an plug-in in line timer device, vehicle is started approximately same time every day so timer turns on couple hours before that time to start heating, and turns off several hours later - just in case it is not started at normal time - once you unplug and leave with vehicle who cares when it actually shuts off?
DTan
Member
- Location
- Northern Minnesota
Up here, we get plenty of days where the highs don't get above 0 Fahrenheit. Lows can get to -40. If you want a gas car to start in those conditions, it needs to be plugged in for at least a few hours. I'm looking at something like this for both semis that come and go at all times of day and the employee parking lot where we have enough different start and end times in the plant where a simple timer probably isn't going to work so well.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
I didn't look at the specs too closely, sounds like it would be a nightmare to keep them programmed to meet the needs of the users in that situation, and people would need to use same parking spots daily to start with - I bet it is a competition - whoever gets there soonest gets closest available parking - especially during those kind of conditions.
I also don't think starting a fuel injected engine when cold - even -40oF is as much a problem as it was for carburated engines. Getting right fuel mixture was a problem and was easy to flood them, the electronic fuel controls do a much better job of getting the right amount of fuel in there at the right time. Diesels are better than they used to be but still can use an engine heater.
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
I don't think starting is the only issue. Having a block heater lets you get heat to the interior a lot quicker than without the block heater.
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Occupation
- PE (Retired) - Power Systems
Cold oil is also a problem. It puts a lot of strain on the starting system, as well as not doing its job of being a lubricant.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
Both valid points.
I will say fuel injected engines seem to get a lot more miles on them before they have some of the failures that the carburated engines commonly had, I think this is partly because of flooding when trying to start - which washed lubricant off cylinder walls, and then got into the crankcase and contaminating the oil - all resulting in more lubrication failure related problems.
Even one well tuned that started easy still had raw fuel pumped into it when you "pumped" the gas before/during starting - and this was controlled by the operator who doesn't know just how much fuel is needed, the fuel injection system knows just exactly how much fuel to inject, and when to inject it.
iceworm
Curmudgeon still using printed IEEE Color Books
- Location
- North of the 65 parallel
- Occupation
- EE (Field - as little design as possible)
No, I have not seen this one.
The norm for large parking lots is to use a contactor ahead of the panel with two thermostats and a timer. Usually the first is set for +20F, ingages the timer which switches the contactor 30 minutes on, 30 minutes off. The second turns the contactor on 100% at 0degF. Above +20F the contactor is off. As for telling if the receptacle is hot, the usual is to have either a lighted cord cap on the extension cord or car pigtail, or use a lighted 3prongF to 3prongM adapter between the car pigtail and the extension cord.
Disclaimer - as I understand (not my area of expertise)
The reason for the +20F, 50% on-time spec has to do with emmissions. The idea is to get the intake maniford temp up as quick as possible to be out of the rich range, and also get the cat converter temp (exhaust gas temp) up as quickly as possible. Cold areas tend to have Air Quality issues because of temperature inversions.
I would want to check the specs pretty close for the new equipment. Particularly the temperature specs. It is amazing the amount of cold weather gear that get solid at -20F, pretty useless. Also check the temp spec on the cute little handheld they show. Be nice if that was good to -40F (or what ever your coldest recorded is)
Second:
I would look at the costs. A 200A contactor, two thermostats, and a timer are pretty cheap per space when spread out over 100 spaces. But maybe not so cheap if it is 4 spaces, a 40A 2pole, same timer and thermostats, and also add a 4-6 space panel - could be the new units are competitive here.
I live north of the 65th parallel - so, I've seen and worked several.
Hence the name:
iceworm
andyselec@aol.com
Member
- Location
- durham,nc
- Occupation
- Electrical contractor
Is it ul listed ? Couldn't see how it would be without "inuse" covers.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
Last page of the brochure in post 1 says it is copyrighted 2006, and is a Canada company. They may make them with WP in use covers, and I have no idea if Canada code requires the in use covers?
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