Hey guys,

How are people preheating this winter if there is no 120V outlets nearby? If we cant use the 120V wall power to plug in the engine block/pad heater, are people using Red Dragon and forced hot air blowers with propane?

This guy used a tool box with gas tank and a hot air blower inside like this below. Similar to Red Dragon but smaller.

Any battery setups with solar charging, etc?

Just curious any new solutions people are finding this year.
Phillip

The power cord on this rig can be replace with a lithium ion battery and for "remote" needs the larger propane tank can be replaced with a smaller portable sized bottle.

I have a WhisperLite Universal and some stove ducting I use in camping type situations, it’s basically a poor man’s Northern Companion. It’s nice because it runs on any fuel and can also be used for cooking.

Recently I got my hands on an older Honda EU1000 generator and it’s great. Can leave it running overnight until the gas runs out or just start it in the morning. Super quiet.

If I had to park the 206 turbine out of town this winter overnight ive made a loose plan to cold start.

to start I've put a AC Delco Battery wrap around the battery. ($60 amazon) Looking to just plug in to a wall.

But in the absence of 120v from work I have a DJI 1000 WH battery back that should power it for a while.. in theory overnight but I doubt it in the cold..

Also got a Honda 2000 and id also run a hornet heater under the cowl with that power.

Curious to see other setups!

The ryobi set up is great. Is there any custom parts or attachments?

Can you explain it a little

phillip-an1 wrote:The ryobi set up is great. Is there any custom parts or attachments?

Can you explain it a little

Here's the whole show for your viewing pleasure.

The only additional bits & pieces that you can't see it a rectangular shaped floor register attached to the end of the aluminum ducting. I also attached a piece of fine aluminum screen over the outlet to catch any drips. On an operational level I adjust the length of the aluminum ducting based on the prevailing OAT to prevent an overheat shutdown of the heater; colder shorter, warmer longer. Also make sure to vent the engine cover, there has to be airflow, if you don't heat just backs up and that can also lead to an overheat shutdown of the heater as well. The only draw back is I have to be onsite to start the process; then I go get warmed up, have a coffee or two and hanger talk with others who are "like minded". I take the battery out when the airplane it's in the hanger, keep it warm at home and drop it back on the day of intended operations.

http://www.reiffpreheat.com/product.htm#HotStrip

My plane came with one of these on it.

Cameron96 wrote:If I had to park the 206 turbine out of town this winter overnight ive made a loose plan to cold start.

to start I've put a AC Delco Battery wrap around the battery. ($60 amazon) Looking to just plug in to a wall.

But in the absence of 120v from work I have a DJI 1000 WH battery back that should power it for a while.. in theory overnight but I doubt it in the cold..

Also got a Honda 2000 and id also run a hornet heater under the cowl with that power.

Curious to see other setups!

Turbine is a bit of a different animal as it’s often just the battery that is the issue, if it wasn’t too much of a plain and you have quick type connects I’d probably just bring the battery in with me

Mapleflt wrote:

The power cord on this rig can be replace with a lithium ion battery and for "remote" needs the larger propane tank can be replaced with a smaller portable sized bottle.

This seems the best setup

How hot does the end of that duct get going to the plane?

The Tanis system on my O360 runs off 110V wall power. In my travels, I've found that a long extension cord(s) into hangars, FBOs, and random buildings' walls can work nicely. I rented a shade hangar in AZ during a cold spell just to get access to the plugs they had on the columns. I haven't tried using a car battery, but it seems worth a shot. If all else fails, I just take a generous long time warming up.

Before I had a hanger with power, I used a salamander type heater and made duct work to get the air to the plane. I bought an inverter and ran it from the truck battery. Worked great, you just have to be careful that the air coming out isn’t too hot. For mine about a 2” gap between the heater and the duct work was about right. I don’t think I have any pictures. If I dig any up I will post them. I also have a Northern Companion that was given to me that I would take with me now if I had to pre heat somewhere on a trip with no power.

Pete

This is what I use in the hangar. When I’m out I use a whisper light with a similar but 4” duct.

I honestly don’t think I do much good in less than 45 mins to an hour. It’s a big chunk of metal to warm through.

daedaluscan wrote:

This is what I use in the hangar. When I’m out I use a whisper light with a similar but 4” duct.

I honestly don’t think I do much good in less than 45 mins to an hour. It’s a big chunk of metal to warm through.

I carry a Whisper Lite as well in my winter "out landing" kit, it keeps the engine warm while I'm parked visiting others.

daedaluscan wrote:

This is what I use in the hangar.

What device is that exactly??

What, no Wham-O or Sportcat catalytic heaters being used?!

It’s called a Big Buddy. Some have a fan, mine does not.

https://www.mrheater.com/big-buddy-port ... er-nf.html

Lots of threads on ways to pre heat with some good tips in them. If you all ready have a 110 V system on the engine I would say a generator would be about as easy as it gets. My favorite is to fly with my buddy 185 pilot and plug into his 2,000 watt Honda !! As far as the Propane/blower systems you have to be worry about having a battery to keep the fan running so they have to be closely monitored. I got a hose pretty crispy on my Read dragon heater when the blower stoped and the burner kept going. A simple propane heater (Black Cat )will work fine but takes a while to warm up if you are below zero. The old white gas catalytic heater will keep engine warm overnight if you stick it under the cowl (engine blanket ). One issue with any propane heat is keeping the bottle warm so the gas will keep flowing. For real hardcore lightweight I use the 35 year old MSRG XKG camping stove out of my emergency gear. Metal hat and scat tubing to the cowl stays in the plane in the winter. You just have to monitor it closely. On a recent winter moose hunt at 0 degrees my catalytic heater was giving me trouble. Engine temp had only dropped down to 30 degrees after 8 hours (2 AM) so I pulled the cowling cover and fired it up ran it leaned it out at hard at 1800 RPM and ran it for 20 min until oil temp was 160 degrees then shut it down. That held until 10 AM the next morning engine temp was 30 degrees. Not normal procedure but worked fine. We had a nice cub burn up this fall at Birchwood from a preheater (parked outside) I don't have the full story yet but but open flame of any type has to be watched closely. The key is to understand how your system works and practice using it on a warm day to figure out any issues in advance.
DENNY

DENNY wrote:Lots of threads on ways to pre heat with some good tips in them. If you all ready have a 110 V system on the engine I would say a generator would be about as easy as it gets. My favorite is to fly with my buddy 185 pilot and plug into his 2,000 watt Honda !! As far as the Propane/blower systems you have to be worry about having a battery to keep the fan running so they have to be closely monitored. I got a hose pretty crispy on my Read dragon heater when the blower stoped and the burner kept going. A simple propane heater (Black Cat )will work fine but takes a while to warm up if you are below zero. The old white gas catalytic heater will keep engine warm overnight if you stick it under the cowl (engine blanket ). One issue with any propane heat is keeping the bottle warm so the gas will keep flowing. For real hardcore lightweight I use the 35 year old MSRG XKG camping stove out of my emergency gear. Metal hat and scat tubing to the cowl stays in the plane in the winter. You just have to monitor it closely. On a recent winter moose hunt at 0 degrees my catalytic heater was giving me trouble. Engine temp had only dropped down to 30 degrees after 8 hours (2 AM) so I pulled the cowling cover and fired it up ran it leaned it out at hard at 1800 RPM and ran it for 20 min until oil temp was 160 degrees then shut it down. That held until 10 AM the next morning engine temp was 30 degrees. Not normal procedure but worked fine. We had a nice cub burn up this fall at Birchwood from a preheater (parked outside) I don't have the full story yet but but open flame of any type has to be watched closely. The key is to understand how your system works and practice using it on a warm day to figure out any issues in advance.
DENNY

Absolutely; 100% all of these process work well if you understands it's limitations, risks and operate accordingly. I for one have zero trust in anything that I can't keep "eyes on" but that's just a ME thing. I witnessed the loss of a beautiful Cub as well, it saw very unfortunate.

Regardless of the source of engine "pre-heat", it all comes down to one thing, TIME. That heat needs to propagate all the way to the crankshaft to achieve the desired objective. My analogy is thawing a frozen turkey.
As Denny stated, the simplest (and safest) solution for engines with electrical heating systems is the compact portable generator. Get one with the longest run time under rated load because to be effective, it needs to run all night. My 1800-watt generator runs near 7 hours with the draw of a full Tanis system, less if I also run a small ceramic heater for the cabin interior. I run a 50' arctic rated cord out to its full length which is far enough away for me to be comfortable leaving it while running. If you need more assurance, use a 100' cord, just ensure wire size is adequate. Another advantage is no need to carry fuel, its already in the aircraft. I have been running my generators on 100LL for coming up on 3 decades (chainsaws as well).
As for combustion heaters, they are my least desired heat source for pre-heating an engine. You cannot turn your back on them, which leads to impatience and terminating the heat short of its goal with the net result of the engine not being properly heated. Save the flame throwers for making coffee, the AC source is not only safer, but more effective as well.

TR