Powering block heater with small generator...
#11
Board Regular
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Columbus, OH
Posts: 460
That's true, but then again, from that angle anybody with a pair of pliers can break into a freightliner and take whatever they want in about 15 seconds....but we still lock our doors!
I guess the chain and lock would be more of a deterrent. Also, the would-be perp would probably be a bit discouraged with me being in the truck as he attempted to run off with it...I'd imagine I'd hear that chain rattling on the frame if anyone attempted it... :evil:
#12
Senior Board Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Kansas City, MO
Posts: 1,147
Comment about generator ratings.
If the generator DOES NOT have a idle-back feature the fuel consumption will be almost the same no matter what the load is. That is one of the reasons the Honda you listed cost more than the cheaper units. Another thing to look at is does it have Low Oil Shut Down. kc0iv
#13
Guest
Posts: n/a
I have a Rigmaster and it runs at a constant RPM and uses .1 gph. If I put a big load on it you can hear it drag down and then it uses .2 gph. All engines are the same, if your batteries are dead in your car then your engine will use a lot more fuel because of the drag your alternator is causing to charge the batteries.
It's a basic principle. You don't get anything for free.
#15
Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Walking Home
Posts: 76
Originally Posted by rangerroy
looking at the post's bolt cutter hacksaw i didnt think the generator is running plug in a saw cut the chain run off with generator im going back to my squirrel idea.
Simple way to calc your watts. Volts x amps = watts . take an old extension cord and cut the black wire. Put one of the BLACK wires to one side of an amp meter and the other side of the BLACK wire to the other lead on the meter (effectively running the Black wire circuit thru the meter) BE SURE the meter is dialed on to the AMPS setting to avoid meter burn-out. (If a DVM Digital Volt Meter) Using the calc above multiply your amps X your volts(110/115) = WATTS. Now. As for the plug a saw into the gen-set and cut the cable or chain LOL... :lol: Use a Harley Davidson Stainless steel cut-proof cable and lock. It will take a month of Sundays to cut that with a sawsall. I would enclose the gen-set in a simple steel box to protect it from the elements and to further obscure it from thiefs view.
#16
I met a guy who had a gas generator mounted in a tool box on his catwalk. When he used it, he just opened the door and ran a drop cord into the truck. It was much less expensive than one of the diesel generators.
#18
Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 1
Yes 1500-Watt generator is enough to power the block heater. 1500 watts = approx 15 amps
Hey,
My wife is up in Watertown, NY finishing her degree, but my company would not hire me from that area, so I had to move down to Columbus, OH when I got out of the army. I am trying to find a way to take my time off up there, but it seems that the closest Roehl can get me to watertown is Syracuse. Syracuse works fine, there's a pilot that lets me park my truck there during my time off, but there is no place to plug the thing in. I have been toying with the idea of buying a small 1500 watt generator and powering the block heater off of that for 6-8 hours before I go back on the road, but I'm not sure if that will power the block heater or not. My truck is a 2006 Freightliner Columbia with the Detroit series 60 engine. I dont' want to have to fork out twice the amount for a slightly larger generator if the little 1500 watt won't power it, so if it won't, does anyone have any other suggestions? Thanks! |

