Need some info

From : roy

Q: either that or you could use a thermo-cube inside the engine compartment. my heater comes on at 35 and goes off at 45. so when the engine compartment is above 45 the heater cuts off until it cools down again. now if i were up in fairbanks id probably have to leave the truck running and run the block heater. -dave scott ruby wrote has anyone else corrolated a direct relationship between use of thier block heater and dramaticilly higher electric bills just as cold last month but bill was much lower. and i was away this month i plugged in the ol gal 2 x on exceptionally cold mornings and this month my bill was about double. well it isnt that hard to figure out. block heaters are about 1500 watts im dont know what is in the dodge but the ones i have installed in other trucks are 1500 or 1800. battery blankets are usually 1500 watts. take 1500 watts x number of hours it is plugged in each night x number of nights you plug it in each month. this will give you total watts consumed. divide by 1000 to conver to kw and multiply that by the kw rate you pay for electricity. the easiest way to cut down on cost is to get an outdoor timer. scott .

Replies:

From : nosey

thats pretty much what ive done here. the thing is on wheels so i just roll it along side the house fire it up plug it in and then run cords through out the house for what i want to operate. ditto here but i got real tired real quick of the extension cord game not to mention i didnt feel like converting my well pump and boiler to plugs and receptacles... i went with the single-circuit 200a transfer switch 50a generator input and just run the whole house off the generator. installation was pretty simple - just re-route the feeder cables from the main panel over to the transfer switch after the power company comes out and removes the meter socket that is and run a new feeder from the transfer switch to the main panel. the generator outlet box is run with 6-3 its just on the other side of the wall into the 50a breaker in the transfer switch. cost me about $300 total for the transfer switch outlet box and cable. and because im safety-conscious i have a ground cable mounted to the generator frame with a copper welding clamp on the end of it that i clamp to my exposed ground rod. i also wired a small flourescent light fixture in my basement to an outdoor receptable. i have a double-ended 3-prong cord that i run from the generator into this receptacle. this way when i fire the generator up outside and plug it in i have light waiting for me in the basement so i can throw the transfer switch without tripping and killing myself. i figure the extra 13w of constant load wont effect my run-time too much .