Circulating Tank Block Heater Installed

[bguy193]

Installed a circulating tank style block heater on the deuce and it works great. After plugged in for only two hours the heater hoses, intake, and top radiator tank were already pretty warm.
I mounted the tank to the pass side frame rail with the mount in the kit after tweaking it with a 180 deg twist. It is gravity fed (as specified in instructions) from the water pump housing where the lower heater hose is normally located. The lower, or return, heater hose was relocated to the water neck. The heated water, from the top of the tank, is plumbed to the intake manifold in the port that is usually plugged and not used. All this project took was a little time to figure out plumbing and a hand full of fittings. If you install one of these be sure to bleed the system of air before plugging it in or you will destroy the heating element.
Happy Trucking

 

[Strykerboy]

where did you get that block heater at ?

 

[cranetruck]

Nice install. Your engine, starter motor and batteries with love you for it.

 

[bguy193]

where did you get that block heater at ?

Its a Kats 1500 watt #13150.............The cheapest place I could find them was on Amazon. Tractor supply has them although I don't know if they stock the 1500 watt model.

 

[bguy193]

Just wanted to add that if you look carefully at the pics you can see the frost on the engine

 

[cranetruck]

This is how the coolant heater flow is specified for the fuel burning heater.
The lowest part of the engine coolant jacket is the input to the heater and the heater output is connected to the water pump. Flow is the reverse of the normal flow and the loop should be shut off when the engine is running.

 

[rosco]

I recently installed a similar 1500 watt heater, how ever it is best to use the lower rear block drain, as the inlet to the heater. The outlet being plumbed, as you have it, into the manifold. Using the water pump as a supply, short circuits the convection loop, and does little or nothing to heat the rear half of your engine. It will probably work in your temperate climate, but not in serious cold. I long ago found that it is convenient to to plumb in valves at each end of the heaters hose loop. It will minimize efforts if service to the heater is needed in the future. Quarter turn ball valves are the valve of choice. To get at that lower rear block drain, its easiest to just remove your air cleaner.

 

[Chief_919]

Its a Kats 1500 watt #13150.............The cheapest place I could find them was on Amazon. Tractor supply has them although I don't know if they stock the 1500 watt model.

Tractor Supply does stock the 1500 watt model, at least the one here does. I was looking at it a couple days ago wondering how well it worked.

 

[jwaller]

This is how the coolant heater flow is specified for the fuel burning heater.
The lowest part of the engine coolant jacket is the input to the heater and the heater output is connected to the water pump. Flow is the reverse of the normal flow and the loop should be shut off when the engine is running.

thanks for the info bjorn. I am just about to plumb in my arctic coolant heater and that is the one system that didn't come with the install instructions.

 

[cranetruck]

thanks for the info bjorn. I am just about to plumb in my arctic coolant heater and that is the one system that didn't come with the install instructions.

In general, the heater is mounted below the coolant system and its output goes to the top of the engine while it's being fed coolant from the lowest point of the water jacket. For the m809 series, see image below.

Note: If you include the battery box as shown, watch your temperatures as they can be damaged or aged very quickly at high temperatures. The coolant heater can run for hours on end, cycling between "HI" and "LO" while keeping the coolant temp at 135°F or so...not a good thing if the battery box is included.

 

[jwaller]

thanks again for the diagram. I actually have the arctic batt boxes for the M809 and the M35 so both trucks will be fully arctic equipped.

 

[Farmun]

I never knew there were Arctic Battery Boxes !!! Now that's just too cool !! Or warm !!

I just dropped some coin for an 80 watt battery heating pad, hope it works.

 

[jwaller]

I never knew there were Arctic Battery Boxes !!! Now that's just too cool !! Or warm !!

I just dropped some coin for an 80 watt battery heating pad, hope it works.

yup, very well insulated and they have a copper plate under the batteries that gets hot water circulated thru them to keep the batteries warm.

In the M809 5 ton setup you get 2 of them, the upper 2 batteries move inside the cab and the lower 2 stay where they were originally(rearmost box). both boxes are insulated and kept warm with hot water. The M35 system moves the 2 batteries to the cab and they are kept warm with hot water.


My only questions is for how long can you run the system before the current draw of the system becomes an issue for getting the motor started.

 

[cranetruck]

yup, very well insulated and they have a copper plate under the batteries that gets hot water circulated thru them to keep the batteries warm.

My only questions is for how long can you run the system before the current draw of the system becomes an issue for getting the motor started.

The coolant heater draws 3.5 amps when running, so figure several hours at least with stock 6TN/TL batteries.
Ideally, use a "marine" battery set-up where the starting batteries are isolated from the "house" batteries, which can be of the deep cycle type.

 

[bguy193]

It got pretty darn cold here last night...........Had the deuce plugged in for about 5 hours and she started like it was mid July, straight into a smooth idle I believe I have a winner.

 

[rosco]

When I first got up here in the late 60's, most all of the vehicles were Gassers. All were Arctic Equipped. The heaters were viewed with caution, and it was considered prudent, to stand there and watch it, until it was warm enough to start the vehicle (maybe and hour or two). When it gets serious cold, all kinds of funny little stuff happens/or doesn't happen, and it can be a serious problem to fix, under those extremes. My 211's had them. I had occasion to use the heater several times at -50*F. I never considered leaving the heater run a long while (like over night). I would start it a couple hours before I was ready to go. It always started perfect in the shop, but was a problem to start when cold. I finally found that a "little" shot of either would start it, but you could get it flooded too. They were known to start fires and burn things to the ground. Other more common problems were to burn a hose off/leak out all the antifreeze - hence the need for a valve at both ends, to isolate the heater. Worrying about battery temperature is an academic issue. That would not be a problem in the field. In hind sight, I would never have trusted the heater - but let the truck run all night. Its OK for an emergency start, but don't trust it. The Army usually left one truck run, so they could slave jump the rest, if the heater wouldn't start them/batteries got low. If they set too long, got too cold, nothing starts them, unless you use additional heat. -50*F is like being in another world - you better know what your doing and be pretty handy. Cold chambers have little to do with how things work in the field ......

 

[wldrbob]

sounds like our experence with diesel or propain fueled heaters dont trust them. a burnt 200000 $ feller buncher is not a good sight first thing in the morning , if it geta past 35 below we let them run or double shift and work all night

 

[jdgreen]

After seeing Bjorn post about proper location to hook up the coolant heater. What is the correct spots to hook it in on a M809 series truck? I have one of these that i been wanting to put on the M813 this winter. Mine also has the stock cab heater, but i believe you just bypass it in the heater loop correct?

 

[Clint Patterson]

Do they have them for the 5tons? Clint

 

[jdgreen]

I just want to make sure i hook this up right. Can i pull the plug out right here in the side of the block (i believe its a water jacket plug) and feed the heater there and then have it come out of the heater and go in the same place that Bguy plugged his in in the side of the intake manifold?