I read somewhere that you can prolong Battery Life by leaving the lid off of devices, so heat can escape. Is this true and how much can they be prolonged if so?
No matter what kind of battery you are talking about (as you failed to mention), this is totally STUPID and IGNORANT.
Hi, you're right, they're called block heaters. They heat the engine block, not the battery at all, though some people also buy battery warmers, which looks like some type of heating pad that wraps around the battery. Do they work? beats me, only ones I've seen usually had the cords chewed off by the engine fan. The block heaters, as they are known, do not go into the dipstick tube though, they'd never fit even if you did want to sacrifice your tube. They replace one of the blocks "frost plugs", (known differently elsewhere)..and the heating element sits inside the blocks water jacket, which warms the oil and allows the engine to turn over. 30 minutes on the coldest days are all it takes. You can even put one in each frost plug hole and parallel them. If that's not enough to start it your battery is weak and needs checking /replacing, those heating pads are junk. Cheers
I grew up in Minnesota. My brother is a rock musician, so has to go out at all hours, in all kinds of weather. He used to light a pie-tin full of charcoal, and when it got "ready," slide it under the engine and leave it there for a while - I guess 10 to 30 minutes would be enough. I don't know if that's a Darwin "mediocre mention" or anything, but thought it might be of interest to one or two weirdos out there. ;-) Cheers! Rich
Cicuit racers often light a tray of methanol under the block to warm things up. Not very bright in my opinion.
