I just put one on my beast to keep the engine warm. I went with the non thermostat model, 507GL thinking I was going to save some money.. Oops. The thing is rated at 300 watts and if ya leave it plugged in all the time to oil gets to 210. Since I am running a V-8 all aluminum Ford I was concerned that hot oil would shock the motor on fire up so,,, A call to Grainger and one multi event timer later for about 100 bucks and now I can control the temp to 140-160. In hindsite I should have got the thermostatic controlled unit for 120 bucks or so. Good quality and they shipped it out the next day. Best price I have seen for heaters too.

Just google 'archeat' and look at their selection.

whee wrote:There is some guys around here that just duct the exhaust from their car into the bottom of the cowl. In my opinion not too smart for obvious reasons. But I guess it would work in a pinch. When i was doing electrical work we sometimes would use the truck exhaust to heat pvc conduit so we could bent it, but that was only if there was no electricity to run the heater.

Jon

Whee beat me to it. In a pinch, using a car's exhaust does work. It has saved me three times when I've flown into places that told me that they had preheaters. Actually, I guess one of them was an unexpected stop due to weather. Three days, 11 inches of snow, and two nights on the FBO's couch (small town and I was a poor college student) later, the weather cleared and it was time to figure out how I was going to get the cold soaked airplane started. The preheater the elderly lady had at the FBO about blew up on me when I tried to get it working...brittled the entire sleave on my winter coat. I don't think it had been used in years and was in sad shape.

So it was to plan B. She gave me a ride to Ace Hardware where I bought some dryer hose and asked if I could use her truck for a while. You have to be careful with the dryer hose though, because it is thin and will melt against the exhaust, resulting in you haveing to hold it in place. Not too much fun in sub zero temps, but it will get the job done.

Killing small defensless animals is right next to flying on the fun list LOL!!!

Here's my preheater. The lawn mower engine drives the GM alternator and charges the Odyssey battery which powers the inverter and makes 120vac. Slightly convoluted but you don't have to run the engine until the battery discharges. It charges the battery in just a few minutes.

Rube Who??

If it works, make yerself happy. It would be a bit of a pain to carry all that stuff around, though.

MTV

Don't forget that propane heat through galvanized pipe can cause sparks. Sparks that close to a gascolator can ruin your day.

In fact, any high level of heat applied in the immediate vicinity of a gascolator is generally to be avoided.

If you've got electricity to run this thing, why not use electric heater?

ANy combustion heater has the capability of lighting your airplane on fire. That is ANY of them.

MTV

John-
Looks pretty sporty to me. I like the temp control. Be careful with open flame and don't try to light your stogie with it.... it's hard on the eyebrows and in your case the beard.

Hey Mike, is that true for other types of fuel too? I'm currently using a one-burner Coleman stove w/ White gas and 6" reducer covering the burner and 5' of 4" duct up into but beyond the Gascolator. It exits about 4-5" onto the oil sump. After 2 hours of heat we went from 0 to 65 degrees (When the oil temp gauge begins to register) I kept a vigil on the gascolator by touch to ensure it didn't get too warm. But I was not aware of the spark factor w/ galv. pipe & propane. When at home, I keep a 200w bulb in the cowl with the blanket on and keeps it 75 or so. It'll work for now until I step up and get the Tanis or reiff (sp?) and I'm leaning to the later.
Would appreciate any first hand insight from those that have. My current system (s) work for the time being depending on if I'm home or out at the cabin. But I would love to get the flame away from the engine/plane and would enjoy being inside the cabin watching my little Honda genset heat the plane while I'm warm. I won't leave a flame unattended. Might burn as good as John's stogie....

Maybe put a spark arrestor on it...in the form of screen or coarser wire mesh?? Might impede the airflow a little, but better than the alternative.

Almost any combustion heater puts out a few sparks. Camp stoves are notorious for this. That's why the "simple appearing and easy to duplicate" Northern Companion heater has a fine mesh screen to catch some of them.

I also keep the hose well away from the gascolator, and keep a couple of good bends in the hose as well, to try to discourage these little sparklers from going up into the engine.

The two most important things to remember about combustion heating:

1) It is fast heat. while the cylinders will be really warm to the touch, and the exterior of the engine also, what you really care about in this context is what is the core temperature, at and around the crankshaft. Heat it, throw the engine cover on it for a while to allow the heat to soak, then go fly.

2) ANY combustion heater can light your pride and joy on fire. ANY of them. Keep a close eye on the process. I don't even like removing wing covers, etc. while using one. Keep an extinguisher close at hand.

Oh, and your fire extinguisher has been filled and certified recently, right??

If there is any way to get to electricity, I'd install a Reiff, or one of their pan heaters if you live in warmer parts of the world.

By the time you cobble up all that stuff, and work for free, plus have to go out an hour before fllight time, stand around, etc. every time you fly, you'll find that the Reiff is pretty cheap.

My airplane lived for many years outside, some years with access to electric, some without. I flew a LOT less those years when I didn't have electric.

MTV

MTV

Greenhorn:

I also store my plane in an unheated hanger and try to fly once a week all through the winter. Last year I bought an E-Z Heat, Inc engine heater for $139.00 out of Aircraft Spruce & Specialty.

I installed it on the oil pan myself, which is a good indication of how simple it is to install, and it worked great all winter. I just call the airport 3-4 hours ahead and some one will plug it in for me.

If you buy a heater like this, they say you should make sure to get one that it is thermostatically controlled so as not to cook the oil.

A ZeroStart Little Buddy arrived today. These came up on a SC forum thread. These are made in the USA and appear to be very good quality. It will be used to heat the wife's Suburban and will have back up duty pre-heating the planes engine compartment. At 900 watts, this is a great little heater for that! They are on Amazon for about $90.

http://www.amazon.com/Zerostart-260-.../dp/B000NM73ZA


I'm already thinking about getting another one to keep with the plane. Don't confuse this one with the propane fired little Buddy which is totaly different.

I don't know about ice and snow but here in Vancouver on the wet coast I could use one of these heaters to evaporate the rain..... that would work right?

That said I have to deliver an airplane to the Praries in the next week or so. This airplane has spent its live in Southwestern BC and doesnt have a preheat system or engine blankets. If anyone is in Pincher Creek, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat or Swift Current and has some heated hangar space or engine heating gizmos, dragons or otherwise I'd be forever grateful.

blackrock wrote:A ZeroStart Little Buddy arrived today. These came up on a SC forum thread. These are made in the USA and appear to be very good quality. It will be used to heat the wife's Suburban and will have back up duty pre-heating the planes engine compartment. At 900 watts, this is a great little heater for that! They are on Amazon for about $90.

http://www.amazon.com/Zerostart-260-.../dp/B000NM73ZA


I'm already thinking about getting another one to keep with the plane. Don't confuse this one with the propane fired little Buddy which is totaly different.

Yup, that's the good kind. Consider getting two for the plane- one for the engine compartment and one for the cabin/ under the panel.

denalipilot wrote:

blackrock wrote:A ZeroStart Little Buddy arrived today. These came up on a SC forum thread. These are made in the USA and appear to be very good quality. It will be used to heat the wife's Suburban and will have back up duty pre-heating the planes engine compartment. At 900 watts, this is a great little heater for that! They are on Amazon for about $90.

http://www.amazon.com/Zerostart-260-.../dp/B000NM73ZA


I'm already thinking about getting another one to keep with the plane. Don't confuse this one with the propane fired little Buddy which is totaly different.

Yup, that's the good kind. Consider getting two for the plane- one for the engine compartment and one for the cabin/ under the panel.

Just bear in mind that those things get HOTTER than hell. Don't put them on or under anything that MIGHT be combustible or melt. When using these things, I put them in the UPPER portion of the engine compartment, NOT in the bottom. Those heating elements get red hot. Dripping gas or oil on them would be a bad idea. Often, it's possible to perch one of these on top of an exhaust manifold.

MTV

FWIW, I had one exactly like pictured, which I mounted under the passenger seat. It lasted less than one season, before the heating element burned out. When I took it apart, thinking that perhaps I could repair it, I was really disappointed with the quality of the stuff inside--great sturdy box, not so great parts. I suppose that they could have improved it since then (that was a good 8 years ago).

I replaced it with a Kats interior heater, which is cheaper and plastic, but I made the mistake of mounting it upside down. Turned out that its design is such that upside down, the bearings on the fan fail. Upright, they last forever and ever. So my second Kats is mounted the way Kats says it should be, and it has worked fine for about 3 years now, if I recall. I also have a Kats in my car, and it's now in the 3rd car and is about 12 years old. Cost is about $75-$80, at any auto parts store (often has to be ordered). This pic is upside down, as it's designed that the intake should face down.



Cary

We put a new engine in the T210 a year ago. While we were at it, I installed the Reiff turbo heat system. It's a lot more expensive, but I have to say I'm very satisfied! With a cowl cover over it, it only needs 20 minutes heat at moderately low temps, -12°C? I usually leave it on overnight, and at -12°C the cylinders were over 100°F, and the oil was too.

I just installed a Reiff Turbo system on my 172 with Lycoming 0360. I had one on my first 172 also and really liked it. The full package for the turbo is two heat pads the are cemented on the oil pan and a non-instrusive heat band around base of each cylinder. Very good track record. Just plug in a few hours before (or day before) flight.

One little tip for those who decide to get a Reiff system; ...Included in the package I received from Reiff was a little packet of epoxy to be mixed and used for the adhesion of the heat pads on bottom of engine. My first Reiff system I installed about 7 years ago did not have the epoxy included. They had a certain JB Weld type that they recommended. I went ahead and attempted to use the epoxy included in the Reiff package I received and was disappointed. The little packet that they provided and the method used to mix the epoxy elements just did not work (for me). Very difficult to get a proper mix, I finally just gave up and after creating quite a mess went and bought the JB Weld version that they say can be used in place of what they provide. That worked great.

For those who are concerned with a lack of electricity when out in the bush, it seems that one could carry along one of these new compact gas generators for preheat power. I'm still looking into it. I think we are talking about 20-24 lbs and they are quite compact. Honda makes a real nice one (don't they always) but of course it is the most expensive (about $500). There's cheaper ones and I am not sure if they will work with 100 avgas. If I can find one that is compatible I will likely bite and figure I can use it for other stuff as well.

BTW, there have been some negative comments on Reiff about customer support on some of the other forums. Personally I have had great experience with customer support. This time there was a question about my mailing address (I had moved) and they called me on the phone to make sure everything was correct on my Internet order form. I got it promptly, I installed it, it's working as advertised, I am very pleased.

whynotfly wrote:For those who are concerned with a lack of electricity when out in the bush, it seems that one could carry along one of these new compact gas generators for preheat power. I'm still looking into it. I think we are talking about 20-24 lbs and they are quite compact. Honda makes a real nice one (don't they always) but of course it is the most expensive (about $500). There's cheaper ones and I am not sure if they will work with 100 avgas.

The Hondas are great. The Turbo Reiff will require the 2K Honda, particularly on a 6-cylinder engine. For a Tanis on a 4-cylinder you can get by with a 1K Honda. Owned all of the above, pleased with both systems. When supplementing with 100LL in the generator, don't wait until you're empty and then add straight 100LL. Just add a little 100LL at a time as the unleaded gets consumed, to dilute the 100LL. Will easily get you out of the field, as these things run for hours on a tank, particularly on eco-throttle mode.
-DP

I don't own a honda but the concern would be starting the generator (any brand) when it is cold soaked.