block heater

[brokenot]

Not sure the point your trying to make. Yes the temp is still what ever it is with out the wind BUT - The more cold air you move across a warm surface the more heat is dissipated. If your trying to heat up your tractor it will take longer if the wind is blowing 40mph.

True, but let's take the "warm surface" out of the equation. There are plenty of people here, (and elsewhere), that believe their equipment is harder to start when it's out in the wind. They've made no mention of the block heater's output being wicked away by cold air moving across a warmed-up surface. They contend that a vehicle or tractor gets parked under two different conditions. In one situation, it's parked out in the wind. In the other situation, it's protected from the wind. With no mention made of the use of any warming devices, they're absolutely convinced that one example is "colder" than the other one. I hear it almost daily.

That's not to say I don't try to protect a piece of equipment from the wind myself, but I do it for *me*. It's less of a pain to be out on a jobsite trying to get something up and running if I'm protected from the wind while doing so because wind chill affects me. The equipment couldn't care less.

Animate object versus inanimate object.

 

[flyingcow]

True, but let's take the "warm surface" out of the equation. There are plenty of people here, (and elsewhere), that believe their equipment is harder to start when it's out in the wind. They've made no mention of the block heater's output being wicked away by cold air moving across a warmed-up surface. They contend that a vehicle or tractor gets parked under two different conditions. In one situation, it's parked out in the wind. In the other situation, it's protected from the wind. With no mention made of the use of any warming devices, they're absolutely convinced that one example is "colder" than the other one. I hear it almost daily.

That's not to say I don't try to protect a piece of equipment from the wind myself, but I do it for *me*. It's less of a pain to be out on a jobsite trying to get something up and running if I'm protected from the wind while doing so because wind chill affects me. The equipment couldn't care less.

Animate object versus inanimate object.

If you leave equipment parked so it's getting the full effects of the wind, you've increased the chances of it starting harder. The wind will drive the cold deeper into the motor, battery,etc. It will start harder. I'm talking about temps below zero, with a stiff breeze.

Is the motor colder than the ambient air? Doubtful, but the wind can have an effect on how easy equipment starts.

 

[Mace Canute]

Some peoples understanding of physics isn't all that complete...

Here's another example...YouTube - Sprinkler Rainbow Conspiracy

 

[Reverend Blair]

True, but let's take the "warm surface" out of the equation. There are plenty of people here, (and elsewhere), that believe their equipment is harder to start when it's out in the wind. They've made no mention of the block heater's output being wicked away by cold air moving across a warmed-up surface. They contend that a vehicle or tractor gets parked under two different conditions. In one situation, it's parked out in the wind. In the other situation, it's protected from the wind. With no mention made of the use of any warming devices, they're absolutely convinced that one example is "colder" than the other one. I hear it almost daily.

That's not to say I don't try to protect a piece of equipment from the wind myself, but I do it for *me*. It's less of a pain to be out on a jobsite trying to get something up and running if I'm protected from the wind while doing so because wind chill affects me. The equipment couldn't care less.

Animate object versus inanimate object.

I live in a cold place. Believe me, it makes a difference.

A vehicle will cool off quicker, warm up more slowly, and a block heater will have less effect. Then there are all of the side effects.

The wind blows snow and moisture into the vehicle. That can block airways and cause the electrical system to temporarily malfunction, both resulting in harder starts.

If you park a tractor, truck, or car into the wind in the winter, it will start harder than if you parked it the other way. There's more involved than just one physics equation.

 

[tessiers]

There are some things you can't learn in books or by theories and equations, it may not make sence but at 4:00 in the morning with the cows lowing for feed I'll take my chances with a tractor parked out of the wind. Been there, done that. As to length of time, depends on how much you need the tractor. We keep the bucket tractor plugged in all night for feeding in the morning and or snow removal, the rest get the 2 hour treatment, 1 hour usually does it. Block heaters also help gas engines, any engine will benifit from warmer engine temps at startup.

 

[Mace Canute]

I wonder how some people explain why a thermometer doesn't bounce up and down with each gust of wind? lolol

 

[Don87]

There are some things you can't learn in books or by theories and equations, it may not make sence but at 4:00 in the morning with the cows lowing for feed I'll take my chances with a tractor parked out of the wind. Been there, done that. As to length of time, depends on how much you need the tractor. We keep the bucket tractor plugged in all night for feeding in the morning and or snow removal, the rest get the 2 hour treatment, 1 hour usually does it. Block heaters also help gas engines, any engine will benifit from warmer engine temps at startup.

As I posted previously, I am in a nasty area.

Wintertime can give us 30 below temps, with 30 to 40 mph winds.

Ya learn real quick to ignore 'ex-spurts', charts and graphs, and theories.

 

[brokenot]

The wind will drive the cold deeper into the motor, battery,etc. It will start harder. I'm talking about temps below zero, with a stiff breeze.

Is the motor colder than the ambient air? Doubtful

Doesn't the first half of that directly contradict the second half? What difference does it make if the cold is "driven deeper" if the "cold" isn't any "colder"?

The wind blows snow and moisture into the vehicle.

At what temperatures does "moisture" constitute something other than snow? If we're discussing ambient temperatures at which any moisture blowing around isn't already "frozen", then the tractor or vehicle not starting has other issues because it's not cold enough outside for it to not start because of the cold.

That can block airways

Blocked airways are another discussion entirely. A blocked airway has nothing to do with ambient temperature. We're talking about the alleged "wind chill" effect here.

I live in a cold place. Believe me, it makes a difference.

I live in a cold place as well. And my particular situation has an added bonus: The people that call me to get stuff going early in the morning are rental customers that aren't familiar in many cases of the proper procedures with a given piece of machinery. If you're familiar with the drill, (so to speak), involved with getting your tractor started when it's cold....you'll be successful in that endeavor usually. Hand someone else the keys and tell them to try their luck without some step-by-step instructions and see what happens. What happens next, is that after they've been unsuccessful after multiple attempts, then you still need to get it going. But the battery is now nearly dead, the starter has had a couple of years' worth of its useful life depleted, the engine may be flooded, etc.

A vehicle will cool off quicker

We've already agreed on that. Wind will make it cool down quicker, but under no circumstances will it get colder that the ambient temp because of the wind. And that is what "wind chill" is, and why it's referred to as a "factor". It's not "actual". Never has been, never will be.

If it starts *like this* at 10F, then it will also start *like this* at 10F and with a 20 mph wind blowing assuming that in both cases the machinery has sat long enough to cool down to whatever the ambient temperature is.

Anything else is just your imagination at work.

 

[flyingcow]

Doesn't the first half of that directly contradict the second half? What difference does it make if the cold is "driven deeper" if the "cold" isn't any "colder"?



At what temperatures does "moisture" constitute something other than snow? If we're discussing ambient temperatures at which any moisture blowing around isn't already "frozen", then the tractor or vehicle not starting has other issues because it's not cold enough outside for it to not start because of the cold.



Blocked airways are another discussion entirely. A blocked airway has nothing to do with ambient temperature. We're talking about the alleged "wind chill" effect here.



I live in a cold place as well. And my particular situation has an added bonus: The people that call me to get stuff going early in the morning are rental customers that aren't familiar in many cases of the proper procedures with a given piece of machinery. If you're familiar with the drill, (so to speak), involved with getting your tractor started when it's cold....you'll be successful in that endeavor usually. Hand someone else the keys and tell them to try their luck without some step-by-step instructions and see what happens. What happens next, is that after they've been unsuccessful after multiple attempts, then you still need to get it going. But the battery is now nearly dead, the starter has had a couple of years' worth of its useful life depleted, the engine may be flooded, etc.



We've already agreed on that. Wind will make it cool down quicker, but under no circumstances will it get colder that the ambient temp because of the wind. And that is what "wind chill" is, and why it's referred to as a "factor". It's not "actual". Never has been, never will be.

If it starts *like this* at 10F, then it will also start *like this* at 10F and with a 20 mph wind blowing assuming that in both cases the machinery has sat long enough to cool down to whatever the ambient temperature is.

Anything else is just your imagination at work.

Thanks for pointing out, that you think I'm an idiot. Just my "imagination at work" when my trailer truck starts harder because i left it into the wind on a -15 night, with a good wind blowing. Just imagine.

 

[Don87]

Anything else is just your imagination at work.

I suppose that next you'll try to tell us that a diesel truck can't have the fuel gel while driving down the highway...........right?

What would cause this situation if not 'wind chill' ?