Heat: R2800 vs 912?

[whitewulfe]

Haven't had much luck finding this out, so figured I might as well ask. I see in the parts catalog there's a dual cabin heater kit for the 912, but haven't really seen anything for the R2800.

Naturally this begs the question: is cabin heat even an option with the R2800? And if there is such an option, how would it be compared to the more widely accepted Rotax 912?

[chargerbill]

I have been compareing these two powerplants as well. Here's is what I have found concerning heat:

1. The Rotex would be much easier to equip. Although, I wouldn't consider the heating qualities ideal. The cooling system is much smaller than an automotive system. Basically, you would add a heater core and route the cooling system inside the plane.
If you experiance a coolant leak, it could be catastrophic.

2. The Rotec would require a heat tube around the exhaust and ducted into the cabin. Not sure how well it would actually heat. No coolant to leak!

[Av8r3400]

With a 912 80 hp, I have enough heat to be comfortable in the cabin down to at least 0° F.

I've never seen an exhaust-heat system keep up with that.

[whitewulfe]

That's good to hear, given that winters regularly reach those temperatures (or lower!) up here (last week we had -22F weather with -31F wind chill at ground level, and the local flight school was still doing flights in Cessnas!)

As nice as the Rotec looks and sounds, I'm not quite certain I'd be willing to take the extra 70 or so pounds up front (and the potential cg issues many have mentioned) with a trade-off of there not being as much heat available.

[SaskFox]

could you use engine oil to heat with?

[HighWing]

ChargerBill,
To possibly help remove some of your concerns regarding the possibly of a catastrophic coolant leak - All fittings to the heater core are forward of the firewall. The only part of the set-up in the cockpit is the heater core itself. These are the same cores that are used as oil coolers in our airplanes as well as hot rods and racing cars and are pressure tested by the manufacturer to several times the coolant system pressures. From a practical perspective, the most common coolant failure would be a leak detectec by drops of cooant or most likely stains. The in cockpit fuel runs, I think, pose much more of a concern, but history has suggested they are safe as well.

Lowell

[whitewulfe]

After some thought, I'm curious about another thing that's somewhat related to this... is the 914 able to have a similar heating arrangement as the 912?

[War Eagle]

If your question is: can you use the same type of heater core (for cabin heat) on the 914 as you would use on the 912s, then the answer is yes.

I believe the 914 will generate a few more BTUs in the coolant than the 912s but you would still run the engine coolant through the heater core located in the cabin and up under the dash.

[whitewulfe]

Indeed that is what I was inquiring about, and am glad to hear the two are compatible.

[av8rps]

Another interesting thing about using a heater core for heat with a liquid cooled engine (like a 912) is that if you need more heat, just put a heat muff around the exhaust and have two sources of heat rather than one. And if having a heater core and a heat muff doesn't keep you warm, then you flying where it just too damned cold...

Regarding the Rotec, I just can't imagine why you can't make a heat muff work for cabin heat? As far as I know, any internal combustion gasoline engine makes well over a thousand degrees of exhaust temp. It should just be a matter of making an effective heat muff system.