Mike
Well-Known Member
Bunk heaters give us the option of staying warm inside the cab, without idling the truck. The drawback, however, is the increased risk of diesel fuel gelling. To add to that, biodiesel present a potential increase in this risk due to biodiesel gelling at a higher temperature.
I had a bunk heater in my truck last year, but it was only good for 5-6 hours, at which point the low voltage protector in the truck would kick in, and kill the heater. Therefore, I gave up on that really quick and just idled the truck, so the gelling concern was non-existent.
This year, I intend on utilizing the bunk heater in temperature as cold as I feel safe doing so, because as the voltage drops, I now have an APU to fire up and keep the batteries charged.
That said, I don't feel safe idling the truck overnight below 10-15 degrees. As a matter of fact, I will most likely idle the truck at any point where the temperature is going to drop below 15 degrees.
For anybody who is accustomed to shutting their trucks down in cold weather, how cold can it get before you feel you have to run the truck to keep the fuel tanks warm?
I've never had my fuel gel, nor do I want to deal with that experience.
I had a bunk heater in my truck last year, but it was only good for 5-6 hours, at which point the low voltage protector in the truck would kick in, and kill the heater. Therefore, I gave up on that really quick and just idled the truck, so the gelling concern was non-existent.
This year, I intend on utilizing the bunk heater in temperature as cold as I feel safe doing so, because as the voltage drops, I now have an APU to fire up and keep the batteries charged.
That said, I don't feel safe idling the truck overnight below 10-15 degrees. As a matter of fact, I will most likely idle the truck at any point where the temperature is going to drop below 15 degrees.
For anybody who is accustomed to shutting their trucks down in cold weather, how cold can it get before you feel you have to run the truck to keep the fuel tanks warm?
I've never had my fuel gel, nor do I want to deal with that experience.