Heater core fittings, size ?

[kmach]

Hi all,
I have a model 5 that has a kitfox factory heater kit in it.

I am trying to find out what size/ type of fitting the barb is ? , that attaches to the heater rad and goes thru the firewall.

I can only see hose and firewall blanket with it hooked up right now.

I am going to install a cockpit controlled shutoff for the heater and will require to put a 90 degree elbow on the heater rad at the firewall exit. I would like to have all my fittings and supplies on hand before I drain the coolant and change all the hoses and such.

Thanks

[jamesmil]

the heater kit that we got from kitfox for our model 7 used 5/8 id hose. we also used a thermostat kit from "highwing" that works very well, along with that we installed a 3/4 ball valve in line and a push pull cable from "mcfarland" and a 3 position fan switch.hope this helps:)

[kmach]

Hi thanks,

do you know if the barb fittings on the heater core were female AN ? I would think they would be.

The T's into the 1'' rad hose have 5/8 " barbs for the hose going to the heater barb on my setup , but for some reason the person who built the plane used 1/2" hose to the heater. It has been working but is stretched over the T fitting barbs.

I am doing this as part of the rotax 5 year rubber replacement recommendation , along with all the other coolant hoses, fuel lines, o-rings....

[jiott]

The SS7 heater kit from Kitfox now comes with 1/2" hoses. They also supply the tee fittings with 1/2" barbs.

Jim

[jamesmil]

kmach, as i recall our heater kit had 2 - 1/2x5/8 hose reducers with it. you might call kitfox to get them.

[jiott]

You don't need reducers. Kitfox has 1"x 1/2" tee fittings. I got some from them just recently.

Jim

[kmach]

Hi all,

After some thought and a look at the heater setup from the cockpit side, I can fit a 7/8" wrench over the fittings that go onto the heater rad , so I think that equates to AN-8 fittings. (looks to be a straight an-8 barb thru the firewall)

The T's into the 1" rad line could be 1/2" , they don't have enough barb showing to get a caliper on, but the 1/2" hose on them does not appear to be "stretched" at the barb bulge.

I have an automotive turn cock shutoff ( requires cowl off to turn)that definitely has 5/8" barbs and the bulge on the barbs in very noticeable.

Thankyou all for the replies and giving me ideas to sort this out without taking things apart.

[kitfox2009]

Hi Kevin
I have an automotive type flow valve mounted on the engine side of the firewall with a cable/ push pull knob on the panel. This allows you to adjust the water flow and control the heat much better than a ground adjustable valve. I am not being a smart ass here but maybe in Sask you just open it up in October and shut off next May!!!(sorry).
Cheers;)
Don

[kmach]

Hi Kevin
I have an automotive type flow valve mounted on the engine side of the firewall with a cable/ push pull knob on the panel. This allows you to adjust the water flow and control the heat much better than a ground adjustable valve. I am not being a smart ass here but maybe in Sask you just open it up in October and shut off next May!!!(sorry).
Cheers;)
Don

Hi Don,
October to May, that's pretty much what I have been doing.:(

I am going to install a cockpit push /pull and shutoff you described when I switch out all the coolant hoses.

Got any pics of your shutoff install firewall forward ?

[Dorsal]

That's what I do with mine, on around October, off in May. When I do use it the two fan speeds work pretty well. I can open and close the valve through the oil door if I find conditions to be cooler than I thought :)

[War Eagle]

Hi Kevin
I have an automotive type flow valve mounted on the engine side of the firewall with a cable/ push pull knob on the panel. This allows you to adjust the water flow and control the heat much better than a ground adjustable valve. I am not being a smart ass here but maybe in Sask you just open it up in October and shut off next May!!!(sorry).
Cheers;)
Don


I also installed an automotive valve and used a push/pull cable to operate it from the panel. It has been working well for me.

The operating knob is shown as the round one to the right of the throttle. This picture is before the labels were put on.

[Twister]

This might be slightly off-topic, but I figured I'd might as well tap into a current discussion.

I'm in the process of purchasing a Kitfox 4-1200. The seller says the heater is "not too hot." Any ideas about how to set it up for fall/winter flying, or am I stuck with down jackets and chemical foot-warmers?

[cap01]

Down jackets and foot warmers in Southern California ? On mine the fan doesn't blow enough to get any heat to the pilots side . Stopping the drafts of cold air that come from all over the cabin does help a little . Some have installed shutters on the cooler

[Av8r3400]

I'm in the process of purchasing a Kitfox 4-1200. The seller says the heater is "not too hot." Any ideas about how to set it up for fall/winter flying, or am I stuck with down jackets and chemical foot-warmers?


Look at the thermostat (http://www.highwingllc.com/thermostat.html) housings offered by Highwing LLC.

A buddy has one of these. They work awesome and help stabilize the coolant temps for heat and cooling of the engine. I plan on getting one of these for my plane, too.

I'm sure it gets cold in so-cal. Maybe down to a frigid +50° at night... :eek:

[Twister]

Down jackets and foot warmers in Southern California ? On mine the fan doesn't blow enough to get any heat to the pilots side . Stopping the drafts of cold air that come from all over the cabin does help a little . Some have installed shutters on the cooler

I like to travel, often farther north (to Alaska, I hope), and we like to travel in the fall and early winter in the Lower 48, at altitude.

[HighWing]

My current Model IV has the heater that came with the original kit, though I mounted it according to the instructions that came with a Series 6 I helped with. It seems to work fine, but I have yet to fly in real cold temps like those some have mentioned. I learned some things from my first Model IV when I installed a home brew heater that was fed by ram air. That heater had one chance to warm the air and if really cold outside, it had to transfer a lot of heat on one pass. Our fan heaters will add a some heat to air that is progressively being warmed as it is recycled throuth the heater core. I would think that if most of the cockpit leaks could be eliminated, it could be relatively toasty inside. In the group of six that would fly together a few years ago, one of the guys had a heater in his Model IV and he would often fly in shirt sleeves while I flew in Down Sleeves.

Another thought on heaters. The owner of the Series 6 I helped with had Alaska on his mind as well and having flown there before, one thing he really wanted was a windshield defroster. We worked that out by building a fiberglass device that captured some of the heated air and deflected it upward through a duct and through a diffuser at the glare shield. In some of our late Spring (flight of six) trips to the Idaho Back Country, one of the most common delays to an early morning start was fog on the windshield that would not stay off when wiped off.
Lowell

[kmach]

I am having a tough time finding an automobile shutoff valve that has 1/2" barbs on it . most are 5/8" .

If anyone has a company name or part number for a cockpit controllable shutoff valve with 1/2" barbs I would very much appreciate the info.

Thanks

[jamesmil]

i used a 3/4 ball valve that has the barbs for pex water pipe on each end, 5/8 heater hose goes right on. i will try to post some pic,s to night. you can buy the valve at lowes or home depot. hope this helps.

[Dorsal]

I am planning on replacing (a silly multi turn type) to one of those ball valves for PEX. Glad to hear that works well, I plan on getting the one with 1/2" barbs.

[jamesmil]

here are some pic,s of the heater valve install and the cockpit control, hope this helps.

[jsimmo97]

Folks.... needing some help with m Kitfox IV 582. The prior owner had a heater core installed in the cabin and I'd like to hook it back up. Question? Does it matter where you tap into the coolant system for both inlet and outlet to the heater core? If so, can you detail what the best setup is for max heat and maybe even add some pics of the engine-side setup not the heater core itself.

Thanks!

~Jason
Austin, Tx