# I hate waking up at 4 in the morning and realising I forgot to plug in the car **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 13, 2017, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023 "2017-01-13T11:08:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/41 "2017-01-14T14:05:40Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Pretty sure the OP has started a thread about that in the past as well. šŸ˜› Yes. {{sigh}} Or rather, the aftermath: [Putting a new three-prong plug on my carā€™s heater - which is neutral prong?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=613078) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/42 "2017-01-14T14:14:13Z")
And of course, this classic, where my tale of woe comes in towards the end of the second page: [Assholes that steal extension cords in winter should be eligible for life in prison.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=710313) ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/43 "2017-01-14T14:20:27Z")
:smack: All this time I thought you were female. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/44 "2017-01-14T14:26:53Z")
Missed edit window: That second thread is worth checking out just for **Bryan Eckers** ā€™s diagrams on how to lock oneā€™s block heater cord to prevent theft, coupled with the various comments by equally dedicated block heater cord boffins. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/45 "2017-01-14T17:31:58Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > :smack: All this time I thought you were female. Some places now let women have wives, if they would like them. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/46 "2017-01-14T18:48:27Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > :smack: All this time I thought you were female. I get that a lot. I donā€™t know why? šŸ˜• ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/47 "2017-01-14T19:17:38Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Yes. {{sigh}} Or rather, the aftermath: > > [Putting a new three-prong plug on my carā€™s heater - which is neutral prong?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=613078) Iā€™d like to smirk but I canā€™t because I did that two weeks ago with my plug in start snowblower. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/48 "2017-01-14T22:21:43Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > Some places now let women have wives, if they would like them. The reference to the OPā€™s ā€œmanly dutyā€ was what challenged my assumption, not the wife. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/49 "2017-01-15T00:44:20Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > OP: thereā€™s a modern invention to deal with this: itā€™s called a garage. Perhaps it has escaped your notice that millions of people live in apartment complexes. Have you ever seen a garage in an apartment complex? > [@elfkin477](#): > > I donā€™t understand why you have to plug the car in to a block heater in the US midwest and Canada. Itā€™s been -20F dozens of times\* in my life, sometimes with a -40F wind chill to boot and most cars that arenā€™t housed in garages still start as normal here unless the battery is very elderly. Whatā€™s different about cars there that require such special attention? Here in Colorado Springs, 0 is about the lowest it normally gets. Every single time, I hear at least one person complain that it was too cold for their car to start. I have an old Chevy that wonā€™t start at that temperature ā€“ but it has a carburetor. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/50 "2017-01-15T01:28:39Z")
Thatā€™s why itā€™s worth the effort to clear out the garage every November and put the car in until April. The garage is partly heated and does not go below 0. It is -8 in Montreal today, but is predicted to go to +3 on Wednesday. OTOH, where I am now (Barbados), it is about +29. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/51 "2017-01-15T04:00:07Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > And of course, this classic, where my tale of woe comes in towards the end of the second page: > > [Assholes that steal extension cords in winter should be eligible for life in prison.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=710313) Oh man, youā€™ve done that more than I thought. I was actually thinking of yet another of [your posts](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=10892550#post10892550). Which, oddly enough, was in a thread I started. I was really proud of that OP. If the [Magnoplug](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/magnoplug/magnoplug-the-electrical-plug-evolved) guys ever deliver\* Iā€™ll have to send you mine. šŸ™‚ \*They have been fighting for two years to get their product approved by UL, but have not yet succeeded. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/52 "2017-01-15T04:49:46Z")
Oh, _that_ episode. ā€œI am vast. I contain multitudes.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/53 "2017-01-16T14:15:05Z")
And you were right to be proud of that OP. I just re-read it, giggling. šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/54 "2017-01-16T18:56:07Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > :smack: All this time I thought you were female. Me too! I was reading and saw ā€œMrsā€ and thought ā€œwait, _sheā€™s_ the Mrsā€¦ā€ > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I get that a lot. I donā€™t know why? > šŸ˜• Iā€™ve always enjoyed your posts and picture you as the lady who lives up north in the cold. Youā€™ve shattered my image of you! šŸ˜› Iā€™m often mistaken for a man on here. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/55 "2017-01-16T19:25:30Z")
When I was a tyke, we lived up in the real mountains ā€“ and area where, a few years back, the was such a snowstorm that the only way some of the ranchers could restock was by mule train. I mean a few _years_ back, not many decades. One night it got to -40, which was a fair bit lower than usual, and my dad did not have a block heater, so he drained the radiator (this was before everyone had sealed cooling systems) and heated the coolant up on the stove. ---
**Author:** ![StrangeBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@StrangeBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrangeBird)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/56 "2017-01-18T10:15:34Z")
Thereā€™s a _minus_ 30 degrees Celsius? :eek: > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I get that a lot. I donā€™t know why? > šŸ˜• Because Piper can be a female first name? Not a very common one, admittedly. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/57 "2017-01-18T12:32:27Z")
> [@StrangeBird](#): > > Thereā€™s a _minus_ 30 degrees Celsius? :eek: > > Because Piper can be a female first name? Not a very common one, admittedly. I bet thatā€™s it. I think Piper Laurie comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/58 "2017-01-18T13:45:44Z")
CCA and RC substantially correlate to battery size, but many treacherous car manufacturers chose not to leave enough space for a larger battery tray or a dual battery tray. Those manufacturers shall spend eternity frozen in Danteā€™s ninth circle of hell. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/59 "2017-01-18T16:04:17Z")
Iā€™m with the previous poster who thought this would be about an electric car. I have enough problem remembering to plug my phone in. I can imagine if I had to remember to plug in my only method of transportation. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023/60 "2017-01-18T17:13:10Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Perhaps it has escaped your notice that millions of people live in apartment complexes. Have you ever seen a garage in an apartment complex? Yes. > [@StrangeBird](#): > > Thereā€™s a _minus_ 30 degrees Celsius? :eek: Thereā€™s also a minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit, which Iā€™ve seen. And, as you probably know, is colder than minus 30 Celsius. I currently have nothing that plugs in and both vehicles have started at -25 or lower Fahrenheit this winter. I wish I could plug them in as, as mentioned above, it would be a lot easier on the engine. I did have one that plugged in. I bought a 2004 F150 back in February and, sometime before that, the engine was replaced. They didnā€™t move the engine block heater from the old engine to the new engine but kept the cord. I found this all out when I came home one day and noticed the engine block heater cord hanging down under the pickup. Good thing I never tried to plug it in. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-waking-up-at-4-in-the-morning-and-realising-i-forgot-to-plug-in-the-car/777023.md?page=4)