Thermostat And Timer Operate Block Heater

2017 - Volume #41, Issue #6, Page #35

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“I’ve got a 45 year old Allis Chalmers 185 diesel that’s really hard to start when it’s below 50 degrees. I used to have it plugged in continuously about 6 months of the year and I know for a fact that the heater was using a lot of electricity,” says Ohio farmer Ron Post. “I figured out a clever way to use the heater intermittently rather than continually and save myself money in the process.”
  Post built a simple junction box that connects a thermostat and a timer, so when the block is maintained at a certain temperature, usually 50 degrees, the heater won’t engage. When the block drops to around 40 degrees, the thermostat triggers the block heater switch so that device warms up the block.
  “I took a regular electric source and ran a line into a 4-way junction box,” says Post. “I plugged in the hot line first, then plugged the other line into the thermostat. Then I used power from the hot side and ran that into the thermostat, then into the junction plug. I have it set up from the hot side to a timer, which I bought at the local hardware store. When I’m not using the thermostat, I just go into the timer and flip out the indicators so it starts and stops intermittently a couple times in the night.”
  Post says the device worked so well on his tractor that he made another one that turns a heater on in his pump house. He uses a third one to warm up his snowplow truck in the winter. “I’ve also used it to run a small heater in an old freezer where I keep my tools in the wintertime. It keeps them nice and warm, and I don’t have to bring them into the house. The device is so simple I think it would work on anything where a person needs to control a heat source and not have it run continually. On the tractor I think it kicks in maybe once an hour for 15 min. when it’s really cold, and probably once every 2 or 3 hrs. when it’s around freezing.”
  Post says he’s probably got about $60 invested in each device, about $40 of which goes for a good thermostat and 10 ft. of cord with a junction box. The indoor/outdoor timer he says is only about $6.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ron Post, 726 Skeels Rd., Celina, Ohio 45822 (ph 419 942-1897).

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Thermostat And Timer Operate Block Heater ENGINES “I’ve got a 45 year old Allis Chalmers 185 diesel that’s really hard to start when it’s below 50 degrees I used to have it plugged in continuously about 6 months of the year and I know for a fact that the heater was using a lot of electricity ” says Ohio farmer Ron Post “I figured out a clever way to use the heater intermittently rather than continually and save myself money in the process ” Post built a simple junction box that connects a thermostat and a timer so when the block is maintained at a certain temperature usually 50 degrees the heater won’t engage When the block drops to around 40 degrees the thermostat triggers the block heater switch so that device warms up the block “I took a regular electric source and ran a line into a 4-way junction box ” says Post “I plugged in the hot line first then plugged the other line into the thermostat Then I used power from the hot side and ran that into the thermostat then into the junction plug I have it set up from the hot side to a timer which I bought at the local hardware store When I’m not using the thermostat I just go into the timer and flip out the indicators so it starts and stops intermittently a couple times in the night ” Post says the device worked so well on his tractor that he made another one that turns a heater on in his pump house He uses a third one to warm up his snowplow truck in the winter “I’ve also used it to run a small heater in an old freezer where I keep my tools in the wintertime It keeps them nice and warm and I don’t have to bring them into the house The device is so simple I think it would work on anything where a person needs to control a heat source and not have it run continually On the tractor I think it kicks in maybe once an hour for 15 min when it’s really cold and probably once every 2 or 3 hrs when it’s around freezing ” Post says he’s probably got about $60 invested in each device about $40 of which goes for a good thermostat and 10 ft of cord with a junction box The indoor/outdoor timer he says is only about $6 Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Ron Post 726 Skeels Rd Celina Ohio 45822 ph 419 942-1897

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