Preheater

Especially when you consider the huge amount of wear an engine experiences
while cranking. A weak battery costs you big, big, bucks. So does not
keeping your ignition system tuned up so the engine lights right off.

We've found that just a couple hours of electric heat on the pan alone are
enough so oil temp comes up on taxi or in flight as fast or faster than in
the warm months. The engine doesn't seem to crank any harder for the
cylinders not being warm. Cowl plugs are essential though. Our engine
started in 3 - 4 blades every time last winter. This year, we have a cowl
blanket which should warm the cylinders a bit more.
--
Roger Long

So...do you want to lug around a tank of LP, mess with connecting a
heater to your engine and battery and then run down your battery, or
would you rather drain a little fuel into a generator, plug it in,
and await a warm cockpit and freshly-charged battery?

--kyler

Roger Long wrote:
Especially when you consider the huge amount of wear an engine experiences
while cranking. A weak battery costs you big, big, bucks. So does not
keeping your ignition system tuned up so the engine lights right off.

I think there is extra wear because the engine parts are moving against one
another and the oil has not yet circulated to all the bearing surfaces in the
engine, but I can't imagine what difference it makes whether the moving of the
engine parts is motivated by electrical power or combustion.

Dave

I can't imagine what difference it makes whether the moving of the
engine parts is motivated by electrical power or combustion.

Imagination is a wonderful thing. Without it, we wouldn't be flying today


The oil pump is more effective at running speed than at that created by the
starter.

There is also an effect that is counter intuitive. Slower speeds often
create more metal wear than fast ones. Much of the lubrication in your
engine is created by a hydrostatic film of oil. One part rides up on a thin
film of oil sort of like a water skier. At lower speeds, one surface simply
plows through the oil film maintaining metal on metal contact.

The metal surfaces, when they are moving in contact, are also subject to
some odd effects. You can sometimes see this by taking a tool and trying to
gouge or mark another piece of metal. Move quickly and the tool may simply
skip across the surface. Move slowly and deliberately with the same
pressure and you can make a deeper mark. Somewhere in the Lycoming
literature is a recommendation against turning the prop of a cold engine by
hand before starting for this reason.

--
Roger Long

Roger Long wrote:

We've found that just a couple hours of electric heat on the pan alone are
enough so oil temp comes up on taxi or in flight as fast or faster than in
the warm months.

Ah. That answers my question. Now. How do you define a "couple hours"? Two, or
some indeterminate number between two and five (that's my wife's definition)?

In any case, I'll take my propane bottles. My CHT gauge will be off the peg in
20 minutes when the OAT is 5 degrees F. Propane doesn't work well below that
temperature, but then, neither do I.

George Patterson
If you're not part of the solution, you can make a lot of money prolonging
the problem.

I define it pretty much the same way as your wife. The colder it is, the
longer a "couple" is.

Remember that the cylinders are designed for efficient transfer of heat from
metal to air and work that way in reverse. After prompting by our A&P, I
started looking critically at oil temperature and concluded that the 20
minute preheats we were getting from the FBO's big blower were not doing
much for the oil deep down in the pan. There is a lot of thermal mass in
the engine. As our A&P says, "Have you ever tried to thaw out a frozen
turkey on Thanksgiving morning?" The oil sump is at least that massive.

The cylinders are designed to operate at a range of temperatures and
accommodate the size changes. Sure, starting them cold, they are tight.
However, the 50 degree spread between a typical winter day and no-preheat
conditions is a relatively small part of the overall operating temperature.

The oil flow is the lifeblood of the whole engine however and proper
viscosity is critical. Trying to pump molasses around until the combustion
and friction (engine wearing out) heat warms it up enough to flow properly
is what really screws up your engine.

In the high cam Lycomings, the molasses also doesn't get up to the cams very
well.
--
Roger Long




G.R. Patterson III wrote in message
...


Roger Long wrote:

We've found that just a couple hours of electric heat on the pan alone
are
enough so oil temp comes up on taxi or in flight as fast or faster than
in
the warm months.

Ah. That answers my question. Now. How do you define a "couple hours"?
Two, or
some indeterminate number between two and five (that's my wife's
definition)?

In any case, I'll take my propane bottles. My CHT gauge will be off the
peg in
20 minutes when the OAT is 5 degrees F. Propane doesn't work well below
that
temperature, but then, neither do I.

George Patterson
If you're not part of the solution, you can make a lot of money
prolonging
the problem.

Kyler Laird wrote
I second the generator idea. Electric heaters are *so* handy. You can
even put some in your cabin to keep your seat and instruments warm. If
you run the generator off of 100LL, you won't have to mess with carrying
(other) tanks of fuel.

Small generators often have 12VDC
outputs
http://www.mayberrys.com/honda/gener...ls/eu1000i.htm
so if your plane has a 12V system, you're all set.


Kyler,
What heater system do you power with the Honda generator? We are
deciding on what type of electric heater to put on our new Lycoming
engine which will work with a portable generator:

1. Tanis: ~$400-$600 (250w -500w) - cylinder/oil pan heaters
http://www.tanair.com/heatersystems.html
2. Reiff: ~$350 (4cylindersx50w= 200w + 100w oil sump = 300w) -
cylinder/oil pan heater
http://www.reiffpreheat.com/faaelig.htm#price
3. E-Z heat: $160 (300w or less)- oil pan heater
http://www.e-zheat.com/index.htm
4. Safe-Heet $130 (300w) - oil pan heater
http://www.aircraftsupply.com/categories.asp?cID=133
5. ProHeat pad - Model 512 $55 (250w) - oil pan heater (not specified
for aircraft but should work the same)
http://www.engineheaters.com/

We are leaning towards the Tanis/Reiff type system (for more
complete heating) but not sure whether they can be powered with a
portable generator such as the Honda EU100i or the equivalent Yamaha
EF1000iS (
http://www.usalight.com/yamaha/ef1000is.htm)

Thanks.

(hlongworth) writes:

What heater system do you power with the Honda generator?

Sorry if I mislead you. I *don't* use a Honda generator with my
heaters. I do have a (big clunky) generator, and I do have Reiff
cylinder bands and oil heaters though.

For quite awhile I thought I'd get a generator to carry in the
plane but with 120VAC so readily available I haven't been able to
justify it. (It wouldn't take much for me to justify a spiffy
little generator though.)

We are leaning towards the Tanis/Reiff type system (for more
complete heating) but not sure whether they can be powered with a
portable generator such as the Honda EU100i or the equivalent Yamaha

Resistive heating elements can be run by just about anything.
They aren't sensitive to frequency or waveforms, they don't have
super-high startup demands, and they can take over- and under-
voltage situations without a hiccup. With the light load you
have, it should be easy to find something adequate. (I have
12*50W + 2*150W = 900W of heating so I'm on the edge of some
generator capacities.)

EF1000iS (
http://www.usalight.com/yamaha/ef1000is.htm)

That looks good. I wonder if I could find a Yamaha dealer to
take my FJ1100 in trade.

--kyler

Kyler Laird wrote in message ...
(hlongworth) writes:

What heater system do you power with the Honda generator?

Sorry if I mislead you. I *don't* use a Honda generator with my
heaters. I do have a (big clunky) generator, and I do have Reiff
cylinder bands and oil heaters though.


We will most likely order the Reiff system but will go for the Turbo
version (4x50watts + 200watts = 400watts). The two main lightweight
portable 1Kw generators are Honda and Yamaha. Unless I find something
negative on the Reiff system and these generators, these combo seems
to be the best choice. Thanks.

I've had Tanis in two planes and now have the Reiff product. The Reiff was
easier to install, doesn't mess w/ the CHT probes and is owner installable
w/ an A&P signoff.

I also leave a cube heater in the cabin w/ a t-stat cube on both products.
--

Thx, {|;-)

Victor J. (Jim) Osborne, Jr.



take off my shoes to reply

I also leave a cube heater in the cabin w/ a t-stat cube on both products.

Doesn't it fog up/ice up as soon as you pull the plane out of the hangar?

That's what happened to me when I tried pre-heating the cabin. The heater
melted all the water that had frozen into the carpeting after the last
flight, and then when I pulled the plane out into the cold -- whoosh! It
all condensed on the windows, and instantly froze!

Took a long time sitting there with the defroster on before I could
depart... ;-(
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"