Here's the ABS Article I authored on
Pre-Heating in the
December 2012 issue of ABS Magazine.
Click
HERE for an Avweb article on pre-heating ops.
This
CSOB Ceramic Heater runs on 110V AC and I've used it for the
interior of my Beechcraft.
I just put this
Honeywell Model HZ-315 in my plane and it works great
mounted on the right side floor to allow the air to rise and warm the gyros as
well as the rest of the plane.
Another mounting option this thing gives you is
that it will fit wedged right between the seatbacks of the front seats and the
plastic housing does not even get warm. I like this unit because it's case does
not get hot at all and it has a nice footprint that would not seem to tip
easily.
A Beech Lister reports using a cookie sheet underneath his heater, a
good belt and suspenders approach, IMHO. This HZ-315 heater puts out 1500 watts and in
about three hours I got the inside of my B55 a nice toasty warm from an OAT of
about 25F!
See it mounted in my B55:
Click
Through 3 Pics The Baron makes it easy to get an extension cord in through
the firewall of the baggage compartment so that you can leave the entry door
fully closed while powering it from the nose baggage hatch.
Pre-Heat Your Engine Too!
If you and your plane reside or
visit the frozen tundra much at all, you've really got to read this
article
by Peter Tanis, then go think about starting your aircraft engine without some
sort of pre-heater system. My personal system is an older
Tanis
system with cylinder heaters the shape of the valve cover gaskets, a sump pad
and a top block pad. I have nothing but praise for the Tanis quality and service
they gave me when I needed a replacement pad element.
Here's an
article that debunks
the myth that engine heaters left on constantly contribute to corrosion. You
decide what works for your aircraft!
Here's the greatest CSOB Engine
Pre-Heat system I've ever seen. Beech owner
Max G.
took a 1500 Watt ceramic heater like the one above and put it into service as an
engine Pre-Heat system on his Bonanza. See the complete
BeechTalk thread
HERE
Max reports that his hangar
started at 28F. Using his CSOB Pre-Heater system he got the oil and cylinders to
90-100F after an overnight cycle with the heater. WOW, and for $20!!!!
(Actually, Max's heater cost him $12, an even better CSOB find).
Put this thing on a sizeable
amperage timer switch and you've got one hell of a system to come on for your
flight the next day.
Max wants you to be sure to use
the blanket over the cowling and to stuff the air intake holes with the blanket
to prevent the heat from escaping out the front. Blocking the front cooling
holes insures that the air will
flow back out the other cowl opening.
Simple, effective and low cost! Just what
CSOB is all about!
Thanks Max!
Max's set up pics are below
Here's another few Bonanza owners
innovative use of the portable heaters
Here's Bob S.'s CSOB heating
interpretation for his interior and engine heating:
My hanger typically gets down to around 35º on cold days (sometimes more) and
I decided to do something to help.
This design is courtesy of a hanger mate who also has a 36. Heater was $10.00
from Walmart (sunbeam) Duct work from Lowes about $18.00 Dryer hose about $8.00
I haven't had a change to try it yet, but my test with the hanger at about
50º showed about a 20º increase in cabin temp over a 30 minute period. Oil temp
went up 10º during the same time.
This is without placing a blanket over the engine cowl.
Great job Bob!
Here is another variation on the
theme by Dan B., for a dehumidifier or a heater. Heat loses in the long length
of duct work might be problematic though, just depends on the hangar air temp.
Dan offers the following thoughts on his set up:
I've been using a similar setup for a dehumidifier for a
number of years. You can easily make a "connector plug" for the pilot window
using a couple of pieces of foam. Cut two pieces of soft foam rubber a little
larger than the window with the drier hose going through them. Stuff one piece
on the inside of the window, the other piece on the outside (sandwich the window
between). Done. I was going to cover the foam with soft cloth (like an old T
shirt) but never got around to it. I've used it for years as-is. I had another
hose pointed into the engine compartment, just holding it in place with a cheap
plastic clamp attached to the cowl flap. Works great, easy to attach/detach.
In my case I put the dehumidifier (heater for you) behind the
aircraft with a "duct" running under the center of the aircraft. "Duct" was PVC
sewer pipe. Never had to be moved, just disconnect the drier hoses attached to
it and drop them where they are. Being a heater (vs dehumidifier) you might want
insulated ducting if you find you lose too much heat.
Here's Beech Talker Bill T.'s
CSOB pre-heat solution for his E55 Baron, two Conair ceramic hair dryers! At $15
each, this has got to be one of the best CSOB options to consider for your
engine bay.
"What I have used for the last
twenty years (and don't laugh) is two (2) $20.00 hair dryers. I prefer the
Conair ceramic model units which are two speed heaters (1200watt / 1875watt). I
lay them on the bottom of the nacelles on my E55 through the cowl flap panel. I
cover the nacelles with a thermal blanket and also pull the oil dip sticks. The
blanket keeps the air inside the nacelle contained yet allows the humidity and
moisture in the air to escape. I am sure some of you BTer's are thinking "so
what" heat is heat.
Not so, the hair dryers are
heating the air and engine by convection not conduction. The convection process
heats up the air in the cowling, keeps recirculating the air around the engine
and most importantly drives off the humidity. The silicon pads heat the engine
by the conduction process which won't drive off the moisture and leads to more
condensation in the engine. These hair dryers will run three (3) continuous
months, are UL approved and have circuit breaker switches so I feel are safe to
use inside the nacelles."
Here is a CSOB solution used by
N35 Bonanza owner Paul S. in the frozen tundra of Northern NY:
After trying a few set-ups in my un-heated northern NY hangar, I now have two
125 watt infrared bulbs in a couple cheap metal clip-on holders that I stick up
in the nose gear well.
With a blanket over the cowl, and the legs from a pair of sweats over the
prop blades I get at least a 40F boost from ambient when left on at least 8
hours (as measured by remote/recording thermometer on top of the oil cooler, it
sleeps that way now Oct. to Apr.).
Worked great in SC last winter when it was 18F overnight.
A couple clips hold the blanket/legs on tight around and under the prop.
Paul
Here is another engine heating
solution, probably for aircraft stored outside in the frozen tundra of the north
lands from Aircraft Spruce called the Northern Companion:
It's a little over $600 as of
12/23/2010 so it's not a CSOB solution. Here is what Canadian Bonanza owner,
Marc C. has to say about it:
"Here is a solution that will work wherever you are. It does
not require ac power or dc power of any kind. Once it gets going it blows heat
through a scat tube and it throws a lot of heat. It burns white gas the best but
will also burn any other kind of fuel, including 100LL. I have owned it for
about 4 years and as of yet have never used it, except to check out how it
works."
The NH100
allows a user to remotely control power to any device that can be plugged into a
standard household outlet. Simply page the unit just as you would an ordinary
pager. It's completely wireless, no phone line is required. The NH100's smaller
size makes it perfect for rebooting and simple on/off applications. Convenient
installation options include an audible alarm and serial data port allowing for
printed messages which makes it a popular choice for emergency notification
applications.
Priced at about $225 plus your annual pager
subscription (reported to be around $70/year).