really. where do you think I am. just other day I woke up to -5.
I preheat below 65 in both my planes. I want the best out of my engines and they start so nice when plugged in. You guys can have your portable heater and hoses. too much work and you have to worry about the units that are used not sparking out and cause a fire. been there with a hair dryer by the way. was in my house, but luckily I was home at the time when the hair dryer, just setting on the counter NOT working started sparking out at the control switch on the unit.
I like my setup. I pull up to the hangar, remove the cord, pull out the plane, start it(real nice start). by the time I get to the runway I pull on the runway and go fly, no long extended warm ups. I have to many things in my life to do. I don't need to be messing with the airplane for warm ups and preheats.
even back in my youth, if I went fishing, snowmobiling. anything, if it wasn't easy without hassle, I didn't want to do it. same with the plane. I have two hangars. I don't want one big one. much easier to just open the doors, pull out the plane and go fly. total time from when I get to the plane. 5 minutes and I'm generally in the air. for me convenience is everything.
I just read the 65 degree comment, and from somebody else's post had Texas
stuck in my mind.
I have a milkhouse heater with an aluminum dryer vent hose.
It's bungeed to a small step ladder. I plug it in, and stick the hose into my
oil access door and walk out. It's been running all winter like that. I set the thermostat to trip somewhere between 30-40F in the hangar. This results
is a warm to the touch, but not hot engine all winter.
When the weather is typically above freezing (say 40+) I don't preheat. I
run 15W50 Aeroshell, and while it cranks a bit slow in cold(er) weather it
starts up, and I give it a decent warm up at idle before taxi.
Below freezing my engine (IO-240B) is pretty much impossible to start
without preheat.
Regards,
Jeff
I find that if I don't use the heat under 65 then it's harder to start, this is the 912uls. even the rv with the IO360 has trouble with heating up after start. I don't like to waste time or money on gas. for every minute I sit at the end of the runway waiting for the oil to heat up I'm burning fuel. The kitfox just hates the cold weather on start up. when I heat the engine under that it's just a flip of the switch and I'm gone. I even plug in my truck when things get cold. Like I said, I go for convenience. I just plug the cord into the front of the engine. I don't cover it or nothing. just plug it in. how easy is that. when I go to fly I unplug, pull out the plane and jump in and go. I have my own hangar, it's a t hangar. I always stop by the hangar and check out both airplanes for fuel and look em over. unless the little artesians have messed with my airplane(joke) than the plane should be as I left it. when time is tight when I go to fly, I don't have to do nothing but jump inside and go. sure I always eye the plane to make sure the tires are fine and stuff like that.
plugging the plane in a 65 doesn't hurt nothing but sure makes start up and warm up a nothing event. I have it, why not use it.
Rule of thumb for me is 5C which is right around 40F
I don't think experimental has anything to do with this. My neighbor has a 210 lots of money in it. fly's ifr has balloons on the wings heaters on the prop. 540W in the panel with an expensive auto pilot. yet he puts a light bulb in the engine area. why not the cylinder wraps and block heater like I have. He wraps the whole outside of the engine area. spends the money for that, but not on the actual heater for the engine. don't get it. oh well back to work
How many leave their planes plugged in over night. I have been very reluctant to do that mainly because I use the hairdryer. Being from Texas I was really having problems justifying buying something better. However, When it is below 50 Degrees I must admit it takes forever to warm up the engine. I duct tape the Oil Cooler to block 75% of the airflow, but I am then worked about having it over heat. I have been thinking of getting a Reiff PreHeat System for the same reason Slyfox posted “I don’t like to waste time or money on gas. for every minute I sit at the end of the runway waiting for the oil to heat up I’m burning fuel." The day it was in the 20s, it took almost 45 minutes to get the temperature up to 120 Degrees so I could fly.
Paul Zimmermann
LSRM-A
Garland, Texas
The owner of the Cherokee i fly is an AME (A&P for you southerners) and he says only to preheat for a few hours before you go flying and that preheating all the time isn't good for the engine either. Why this is I don't know but I will ask him next time I see him
I use an Aerotherm, pricey but very nice, usually call it the night before and fly in the morning.
Dorsal ~~^~~
Series 7 - Tri-Gear
912 ULS Warp Drive
It looks like the Duce, since it is square, a lot more reasonable price then the “Aliens”. They are proud of their heaters. What is the small white brick on the floor by the cord on the floor? Do you use a timer or leave it plugged in all the time?
Paul Zimmermann
LSRM-A
Garland, Texas