Any opinions among other owners in cold climes?

This debate rages every year at this time. Some folks swear that you
shouldn't leave them plugged in all the time (due to condensation
build-up), others have devised cell-phone switches that allow you to
call your plane to turn on the heat a few hours before each flight.

Personally, I used to leave mine plugged in all the time, with an
in-line sensor that turned the heater on automatically when the temp
dropped below 40 degrees.

When that sensor went T.U. last year, I just started plugging it in,
and leaving it on all winter.

Some people say that this risks "burning" the oil right near the heat
pad (we also have the cylinder heaters) -- but I'm betting that this
heat pales to insignificance compared to the temperatures generated by
the titanic forces inside the engine during regular operations.

I'm also betting that it's better to leave the heat on all the time
than it is to forget to pre-heat, and just start it up and go. I've
had to do that once or twice, and I just cringed at how stiff and
clackity everything sounded at start-up...

Probably the thing I worry about most is burning out the heat elements
from over-use.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"