PA1195 wrote:Engines breath with changes in air temperature. Exhale when warmed up in the sun and inhale as it later cools. Water vapor can get sucked in and condensed so maybe a constant temp would be better if it's humid. ...

So in a similar vein, during the winter I keep my engine covered in blankets, even though it's in a hangar. My thinking is to keep the engine as close to a constant temperature (frozen, preferably) as possible, rather than let it fluctuate with the temperature inside the (uninsulated) hangar. In doing so I hope to reduce both the "breathing" and condensation.

I don't know if it does any good, but it doesn't cost anything.

For the record, my idea of pre-heating an airplane engine is precisely what Cory described.....engine heater to warm things up, a full insulated engine cover to seal up the entire engine compartment, and, depending on the temps, a prop cover.

Do all that, and plug in a Reiff or Tanis system, and your engine compartment will stay at a very consistent temperature....warm. No temperature variations.

Now, that all absorbs electricity, though, so when I was parking airplanes either outside or in unheated hangars, I left the engine heater off, and drove to the airport to turn it on the day before the intended flight. Mostly to save electricity.

None of this actually matters much if you in fact do what every engine manufacturer recommends: FLY THE DAMN THING REGULARLY.

And, yes, I realize life intervenes.....sometimes pretty regularly. Nevertheless, the best program to prevent corrosion of your engine is to use the dang thing.

MTV

Wow, a lot of angst in this thread given the OP can be scientifically answered with zero opinion required. I think it got said and misinterpreted on the first page?

The sump heaters, light bulbs, and hot air heaters are the ones which come with the condensation risk if left on for days. The proper ones (Tanis / Reiff) should have a lower risk or condensation if left on for days at a time, provided the temp is kept constant. It's the changing temp which can cause issues under certain circumstances.

Lets not forget they get condensation just sitting in a hanger without climate control.

Oh - and MTV has beaten me to it...

Battson wrote:Wow, a lot of angst in this thread ...

Hell, there's ZERO angst in this thread. On a scale of one to a thousand this is a three.