SomeDay7
04-28-2020, 08:35 PM
The heater option for the kit seems simple in it self. Plumbed to the cooling system of the engine. A radiator which has one or two computer fans to blow cockpit air through the fins which are vectored downward toward you feet. An angled piece of aluminum points the heat to either side of the center of the foot box area. It has no valve to shut off the coolant flow. The flow of heat is only regulated by the fans.
Yesterday my purchase from Kitplane Parts arrived and I proceeded to try to understand if this was a better system or substandard of the kit option.
This heater has a shutoff valve which stops the flow of coolant to the heater radiator. - Good
It has a box which houses the fan and traps the heat which is then projected out of tubes to the dash (Defroster). - Good to defrost the windshield.
Two vents which would heat the foot box area like the kit heater option. -Same as the other.
And two other outlets to place tubes on which can be routed to the under dash side. These you can point directly at you to heat your body with heated air. -Warm your hands.
I am still not 100% on this install though as the size of the radiator seems about half the size of the kit option. - maybe poor output for all those vents.
I will pick up my kit in about 6 weeks so I have plenty of time to decide. On trying to decide though, I was confused about the actual sizes I was looking at. Kitfox doesn't actually have a BTU rate for their heater. This one does which is about 12000 BTUs. I guess I was trying to compare apples to oranges.
My concern is the actual output of this small radiator. I do like all the other options it has though.
Any input on how well these heaters perform would be great of just advice on which might be more effective in a plane?
I have a heater like this in my kit cobra. It works great to warm the body and hands. Another option I really don't see on these planes are seat heaters. Some cobra guys totally pass on the heater and just use seat heaters. They are correct. The seat heater in an open cockpit keeps you mighty warm. Both keep you perfect down in 30 degree weather in the cobra.
Here is a couple of pictures of both.
Yesterday my purchase from Kitplane Parts arrived and I proceeded to try to understand if this was a better system or substandard of the kit option.
This heater has a shutoff valve which stops the flow of coolant to the heater radiator. - Good
It has a box which houses the fan and traps the heat which is then projected out of tubes to the dash (Defroster). - Good to defrost the windshield.
Two vents which would heat the foot box area like the kit heater option. -Same as the other.
And two other outlets to place tubes on which can be routed to the under dash side. These you can point directly at you to heat your body with heated air. -Warm your hands.
I am still not 100% on this install though as the size of the radiator seems about half the size of the kit option. - maybe poor output for all those vents.
I will pick up my kit in about 6 weeks so I have plenty of time to decide. On trying to decide though, I was confused about the actual sizes I was looking at. Kitfox doesn't actually have a BTU rate for their heater. This one does which is about 12000 BTUs. I guess I was trying to compare apples to oranges.
My concern is the actual output of this small radiator. I do like all the other options it has though.
Any input on how well these heaters perform would be great of just advice on which might be more effective in a plane?
I have a heater like this in my kit cobra. It works great to warm the body and hands. Another option I really don't see on these planes are seat heaters. Some cobra guys totally pass on the heater and just use seat heaters. They are correct. The seat heater in an open cockpit keeps you mighty warm. Both keep you perfect down in 30 degree weather in the cobra.
Here is a couple of pictures of both.