Autos: block heater, part 1

Self-tutoring about automobiles: the tutor mentions the idea of a block heater.

As a kid in the Maritimes, I noticed people “plugging in” their cars overnight. I realized it had something to do with being able to start the car in the cold, since people only did so on cold winter nights. Electric heaters were definitely a thing in the 70s – likely more so than now – so it made sense to me that plugging in the car could heat it somehow. Beyond that, I didn’t think much about it.

When we came to the West Coast, I noticed people didn’t plug their cars in. It made sense: the first year I lived in Victoria, the temp may never have dropped below minus 5°C.

Nowadays, in Campbell River, we sometimes do get nighttime temperatures below minus ten Celsius that might stay for a couple of weeks. My perception is it’s a relatively new thing, starting winter 2017. Some lifetime residents say that, back in the 70s, they had snowy winters here. Anyway, even during the last few years, I can’t recall anyone around here saying they were plugging in their car. Moreover, we have a Jeep that lives in the driveway, and we’ve never plugged it in. It’s always started, even after the coldest winter nights.

All that being said, the term “block heater” is one I notice every year, in promotions. Today, thinking about the coming winter (which is likely to be at least three months away, if we get one at all this year), I looked into block heaters, to find out at what temperature they become important. I found this very interesting video from River City Ford Sales Ltd., apparently from Winnipeg, on YouTube.

In said video, the host explains that when you plug in your car, you’re plugging in a block heater. He continues that, since the block heater warms the engine, the engine oil will run more freely, so decrease friction when starting.

The host mentions another couple of interesting facts: one, that a car’s block heater might only need to be plugged in during temperatures minus 15°C and below. Another point, it seems, is that a block heater shouldn’t be plugged in all night. Rather, Sherwoodford.ca, out of Sherwood Park, Alberta, seems to suggest two to three hours, or perhaps longer, depending on how cold it is.