Engine Preheater - any good?

My partners and I are considering this preheater:
http://aerothermheaters.com/

It's advantages seem to be that, unlike Tannis and other sump heaters, it's
not permanently attached to the airplane, and therefore doesn't require an
STC or W&B recalculation (unless you forget it and leave it attached :-).
Anyone ever use something like this?

--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)

I made up my own for $40. Got a ceramic heater from WallyMart for $19 (6" x
6" x 7.5"), then went to Home Depot and got aluminum flex duct (not the
aluminum covered plastic - I'm talking flex/corrugated aluminum), a duct
collar, and a flange. Bend the flange to the shape of the heater, mount the
duct collar in the 4" pre-drilled hole in the flange (home depot sells these
right next to the duct collars). Then fasten it to the front of the heater.
I cheaped out and used aluminum duct tape until I got it positioned right.

Set up with a timer and you've got 1500 watts of heat. I place the free end
of the duct in the nose wheel opening in my C172. After 3 hours, it's ready
to go.


"Bob Chilcoat" wrote in message
news
My partners and I are considering this preheater:
http://aerothermheaters.com/

It's advantages seem to be that, unlike Tannis and other sump heaters,
it's
not permanently attached to the airplane, and therefore doesn't require an
STC or W&B recalculation (unless you forget it and leave it attached :-).
Anyone ever use something like this?

--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)

. After 3 hours, it's ready
to go.

3 Hours? Way too long.
I still use (and love) my trusty Red Dragon.

Last Friday it was 6 degrees when I had to do a shoot . . . preheated for an
hour and ready to go . . . warm as toast.


www.Rosspilot.com

"Rosspilot" wrote in message
...
. After 3 hours, it's ready
to go.

3 Hours? Way too long.
I still use (and love) my trusty Red Dragon.

Last Friday it was 6 degrees when I had to do a shoot . . . preheated for
an
hour and ready to go . . . warm as toast.


I believe such products (this thing, Reiff, Tanis) are for over-night warm
ups, not spur of the moment.


--
Matt
---------------------
Matthew W. Barrow
Site-Fill Homes, LLC.
Montrose, CO

In article , "Matt Barrow"
writes:

I believe such products (this thing, Reiff, Tanis) are for over-night warm
ups, not spur of the moment.


Why so? I find that my Tannis does a pretty good job after and hour or two.
After all, you don't have to get the engine up to operating temp. If I have
raised the engine temp 20 or 30 deg I have done a lot of good.

Chuck

"PaulaJay1" wrote in message
...
In article , "Matt Barrow"
writes:

I believe such products (this thing, Reiff, Tanis) are for over-night
warm
ups, not spur of the moment.


Why so? I find that my Tannis does a pretty good job after and hour or
two.
After all, you don't have to get the engine up to operating temp. If I
have
raised the engine temp 20 or 30 deg I have done a lot of good.


Same with my Reiff. But around here, quite often, raising the temp 20
degrees would still not have it above freezing. :~(

Every little bit helps, even the old "light bulb in the engine compartment".
Thanks, but as so many have pointed out, you do more damage to an engine in
the first minutes of a very cold start than in 100 hours (or so) of cruising
at high speed.

For a turbo'ed (or turbonormalized) plant, the effect can be even more
devastating.

It's also nice to come into an engine compartment that's 80 degrees and have
the cabin heater kick out nice warm air from the 'git go.



Once again, every little bit helps.

Last Friday it was 6 degrees when I had to do a shoot . . . preheated for
an
hour and ready to go . . . warm as toast.


I believe such products (this thing, Reiff, Tanis) are for over-night warm
ups, not spur of the moment.


I am tied down outside--no hangar, no power. I've had a Tanis heater since
owning the plane (it came with it) but it's useless to me.
www.Rosspilot.com

Lee,

We're tied down outside, too, but we recently scored a tiedown next to a new
hangar when it was put up and several of the tiedowns (ours included) were
moved. The new hanger has outside power outlets five feet from our wingtip!
That's the main reason we're thinking about a simple preheater - nearby
power.

We would have had to run an extension cord across a taxiway where we were
before. Not practical.

--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)


"Rosspilot" wrote in message
...
Last Friday it was 6 degrees when I had to do a shoot . . . preheated
for
an
hour and ready to go . . . warm as toast.


I believe such products (this thing, Reiff, Tanis) are for over-night
warm
ups, not spur of the moment.


I am tied down outside--no hangar, no power. I've had a Tanis heater
since
owning the plane (it came with it) but it's useless to me.
www.Rosspilot.com

"Rosspilot" wrote in message
...

3 Hours? Way too long.
I still use (and love) my trusty Red Dragon.

Well, I use a timer, so it doesn't matter if it's 3 hours or 15 minutes.
When I get to the plane, it's ready to go. For the $$$ I saved, the time is
not a factor for me!

Bob Chilcoat wrote:
My partners and I are considering this preheater:
http://aerothermheaters.com/

It's advantages seem to be that, unlike Tannis and other sump
heaters, it's not permanently attached to the airplane, and
therefore doesn't require an STC or W&B recalculation (unless
you forget it and leave it attached :-).
Anyone ever use something like this?

Here's what I did:
http://www.burningserver.net/rosinsk...86.640x480.jpg
Cheap 1500 Watt heater from Kmart fits neatly between nosewheel and
lower cowl.

Maybe I'm missing something, but the heater you point to strikes me as
another typical aviation ripoff: Take the normal price you'd expect
something to cost (in this case I'd say around $30), then multiply by
10 to get the actual price because it's for an airplane.

Jim Rosinski