Engine heater

[seastar]

Here in Indiana the temperatures drop pretty low in the winter.
We have had some 15 dF mornings so far.
Our Carbon Cubs don't like to start at anything below freezing unless they are heated.
To help solve the problem I built a heater.
This is the unit I purchased from Ace Hardware for $20


I popped the handles off the front and added an aluminun right angle vent adaptor from Home Depot to the front with sheet metal screws.
A dryer vent hose and a plywood base to keep it from tipping completed the unit. Total cost -- less than $40.


I added a movers blanket from Harbor Freight for $7.99 on sale.
This keeps the engine warm to the touch on the lowest (750Watts) setting.


Works great!
Bill

PS - nothing gets very hot . You can lay your hand on the bottom surfaces.
When It gets really cold I will use the 1500 Watt setting.

[Ben Redman]

Nice set up Bill.

[randylervold]

Very nice, good workmanship!

Pleases be careful though, if you see any fuel or oil leaks don't put the heater on!

[seastar]

Very nice, good workmanship!

Pleases be careful though, if you see any fuel or oil leaks don't put the heater on!

Randy's comment concerned me so before I flew my Cub yesterday morning I made some measurements.

The heater had been on all night and was set on the 750 Watt setting.
The hangar air temperature was 34dF. (Warm for this time of year)
The outlet air temperature of the heater was 86dF.
The engine temperature measured at the top through the inlet cowls was 74dF.
The highest temperature I could find on the outside of the heater was 99dF. Since the unit is made of thin aluminum the inside temperature is probably about the same.

I increased the heater to the 1500 Watt setting.
After the temperature stabilized, the highest temperature I could find on the outside surface was 119dF.


Various sources give the ignition temperature of gasoline as about 495dF.
That gives a large margin of safety for any drops of gas or oil that might drip on the heater.


As an additional test, I placed the heater outside, set on the 1500 Watt setting and dribbled some gasoline down inside the air tube.
It evaporated immediately with no ignition.

I certainly don't want to burn up my Cub and believe the system is safe as built.
Bill

[Dan L]

I tried various solutions to the pre-heat situation with the Carbon Cub too. With my previous PA18 I had an sump heater. And I also used a propane catalytic heater with a cowl blanket to keep it warm if I was away from the hangar and electricity. But with the Carbon Cub there wasn't room in the cowl area to slide in the catalytic heater. Heating was no problem in the hangar with a sump heater and cylinder bands but when I was out and overnight somewhere the dryer heat vent and catalytic heater method I tried and described in another thread didn't work out so well. There was too much heat loss through the vent tube.

So here is my current solution; bring the electricity with me.

IMG_0315.jpg

It is a Honda 1000 watt generator. I had a BFR at Kalispell City airport last month and Murdochs Farm & Ranch Supply is located on the airport property so I went over there and picked one up. It weighs 29 pounds. Plugging my engine heat system into it to test things while it was still warm outside in September had the CHT's showing over 400º in about 30 minutes.

I'll be already come ski season.

[Ccater]

I like you ingenuity Bill, looks like that heater works great. I have a question for any one reading this thread, I installed a tanis heater last year and it works great but what is the thought process on keeping them plugged in all the time or just a hour or two before you fly?

[randylervold]

I like you ingenuity Bill, looks like that heater works great. I have a question for any one reading this thread, I installed a tanis heater last year and it works great but what is the thought process on keeping them plugged in all the time or just a hour or two before you fly?

My opinion: keep it on all the time. The heating/cooling cycle is asking for moisture condensation.

[Pete D]

I know of another CCK customer who uses one of those generators for pre-heat in the winter as well. Its amazingly quite!

[Clay Hammond]

There's a couple neat ones here:

http://maulepilots.org/forums/viewto...b1e5a76bbdafc5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5bK_ivwXs4

[seastar]

Thats clever and portable but ---------
I don't want anything homemade that has flames putting heat into my $200,000 airplane.
The only way I would use anything like that is if it was a dire emergency and I was standing by with a fire extinguisher.
Bill