Kat's 15200 90 Watt, 120 Volt Dipstick Style Oil Heater

I am not sure what the other reviewer's problem was with his unit.

Because of his review I purchased this with some hesitation. However, I've used it now for a couple of months and it works.

It is not the best quality in the world. However, it is more convenient than having to install a tank heater, and, it works just as well.

The other reviewer may have received one that was not properly manufactured. On the other hand, he may just not have read the directions.

First, you must plug this in and place it in the oil reservoir while the oil in the vehicle is still hot. That is a tradeoff for the economy of a unit that consumes only 90 watts.

This is perfect for my tractor here in the San Juan Mountains.

When a storm is coming in, I always start up the old tractor to make sure it is working, then, shut it down and hook up the battery maintainer (charger) Deltran Battery Tender 12-Volt 800 milliamp Waterproof Battery Charger to make sure the battery is fully charged. After hooking up the charger to the battery, I remove the dipstick and insert this unit into the oil tube. It maintains the oil at a safe operating temperature of about 100 degrees. The heat seeps from the oil reservoir (under standard principles of fluid and thermal dynamics) into the surrounding metal.

I also use a battery wrap which warms the battery. Kats 22200 80 Watt 36" Battery Thermal Wrap If you charge up your battery, then, an hour or so before you use it plug in your battery wrap and warm it, you will be certain to have full cranking amps in even the coldest weather.

The result is a tractor that starts immediately during a raging storm at temperatures of -20 and below.

The 90 watts for a dipstick heater is 1/10th the cost of heating up the tractor if I used a tank heater (usually around 1,000 1,500 watts), and, it works just as well, and, the heated tractor is ready to work immediately (as opposed to a demand tank heater that takes (usually) at least a couple of hours to warm an engine).

Admittedly, this technology is from a bygone era. However, "if it works . . . . don't fix it."

Description says "Three prong grounded plug". This is not accurate. It is a 2-prong ungrounded unit that shorts out when submerged in the pre-heated oil. I debated purchasing this item due to the negative reviews. I am a retired industrial maintenance tech and yes I followed the directions. Since they were calling for blizzard conditions I thought it would be worth the risk. I installed it in my (warmed up) tractor and plugged the unit in. The following day after the storm subsided, I went out to see if it was working. It was ice cold and I could see by the discoloration that it had indeed heated up and shorted out. I ordered a replacement and I am hoping that I will get the proper 3-PRONG grounded unit.

Just an update: Amazon sent me a replacement. It also was another ungrounded heater. However, they changed the description of the unit to a 2 prong, ungrounded heater. I returned the unit to Amazon. Once again, great customer service.

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I received the 20" Dipstick Heater and it only worked once. The second time I used it the unit never heated up. So as you can imagine my review is not a postive one.

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after reading the reviews i bought this with some hesitation. i had the same affect as the other two guys. i pluged it in one night when the oil was warm and it didnt keep the engine warm but it kept the oil warm resulting in better oil flow for the first couple minutes of start up. the next night i went to use it again with the oil hot and the next morning when i pulled it out and touched it it was ice cold (0 degrees out). i tried it two more nights since then and it does not work anymore. next time ill buy one that goes in the lower radiator hose

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Dont waste your money like I did on this heater. I tried it on three different vehicles and could not get it to fit on any of them. It was to short to reach into the oil on every vehicle.

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