Tanis heaters

"dave" wrote in message
...
Matt, if the entire engine was warm you'd be correct. The problem is
that any unheated parts of the engine may be cold enough to allow
condensation. You need to keep the entire engine at the same temperature.
So if you use a pan heater and cylinder heaters and also use an insulated
cowling cover, you should be fine by leaving the heaters on all winter
because the entire engine should be warm. That's the theory anyway.

Yes, but I can't imagine anyone using an engine heater without a thermal
cover. I have a semi-custom cover that goes clear over the cabin. It's sweet
in that the cabin is nice and warm, too. No frozen butt cheeks when you
first get in.

Using an engine heater without a thermal blanket is like having a furnace in
your home and leaving the windows open. Yet, stranger things have
happened...


I'm trying to decide which way I want to go. I had a pad heater on my
citabria that I would turn on for several hours before I flew if it was
cold out. I just got my bonanza a couple of weeks ago and I'm thinking
about using the full Rieff package or getting a portable red dragon.

What I like about the Reiff is that it's always with you and only needs an
electrical outlet. I've seen a few places that have like T-hangars with an
electrical outlet near by.

The advantage of the red dragon is that you can use it anytime and it
should warm the engine up in about 30 minutes. The disadvantage is that
to make it truly portable, you need to get the 12V model and run it off
your battery. Not a problem at my airport, I'll simply run it off my car
battery but I can imagine being at some airport on a cold Sunday afternoon
with a very warm engine and a dead battery.

Will it fit in your baggage compartment?

--
Matt
---------------------
Matthew W. Barrow
Site-Fill Homes, LLC.
Montrose, CO (MTJ)

Matt Barrow wrote:

The advantage of the red dragon is that you can use it anytime and it
should warm the engine up in about 30 minutes. The disadvantage is that
to make it truly portable, you need to get the 12V model and run it off
your battery. Not a problem at my airport, I'll simply run it off my car
battery but I can imagine being at some airport on a cold Sunday afternoon
with a very warm engine and a dead battery.

Will it fit in your baggage compartment?


No problem with putting it in the baggage compartment.
Dave

Matt Barrow wrote:

Matt (prefers the Reiff heater, and keeps it on six months of the year)


I purchased a Hot Padd heater from Reiff. The heater could not be
mounted
on my engine in accordance with the supplied instructions, so I made do
as
best I could. The adhesive didn't cure and the pad easily peeled off.
I
returned the pad to Reiff for a refund, they sent it back to me with
more
adhesive. Apparently I violated the warranty by not following the
instructions to the letter, (the fact that it was impossible to follow
them
was of no interest to Reiff). I don't know if the Reiff heater is any
good
or not, I do know that their product support and customer relations are

terrible. I won't do business with them again.

cpw wrote:
I live in northern lower Michigan where we have real winters some years
(not this one yet). My partner and I own a 2000 Cessna 182. We are
currently debating the proper use of the Tanis engine heater. It has
been our practice in the past to plug the heater in after a flight and
leave it plugged in until the next. We have heard lately that best
practice is to only use the heater for a few hours prior to flight.
Any opinions among other owners in cold climes?
Thanks. CPW

Since there is usually a week or two between our flights in winter, it
seems pretty inefficient to leave it on all the time. In our case, we
drive past the airport nearly every day so it's no big deal to stop and
plug it into a timer to get a few hours of heat just before a planned
flight. Wish I knew if it was OK to leave it plugged in or on a
thermostat, but everyone it so busy covering their backsides that there
is no useful info available.
--
Gene Seibel
Tales of Flight - http://pad39a.com/gene/tales.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.

I leave mine on all the time when the temperature is close to freezing.
That is most of the winter.Before that, I make a trip a day or two prior
to plug them in. Over ten years, no problems.

Down the row the guy plugs in after every flight, always on. Most of the
year. All but for the middle of summer. Ten plus years, no problems.

John

cpw wrote:

I live in northern lower Michigan where we have real winters some years
(not this one yet). My partner and I own a 2000 Cessna 182. We are
currently debating the proper use of the Tanis engine heater. It has
been our practice in the past to plug the heater in after a flight and
leave it plugged in until the next. We have heard lately that best
practice is to only use the heater for a few hours prior to flight.
Any opinions among other owners in cold climes?
Thanks. CPW

cpw wrote:

Any opinions among other owners in cold climes?

I plug in my Tanis heater immediately after a flight, loosen the oil filler
cap and cover the exposed filler hole with a lint-free, old cloth to catch
the humid air that escapes, and wrap the engine and prop with an insulated
cowl blanket. This is in central NY state.

The aircraft will then sit for three nights until I pull it out of the
unheated t-hanger to fly again.

--
Peter

I had the Reiff oil sump heater installed back in August. Last time
I went flying was 2 weeks ago. Put the 2 car blankets (those blue
quilted things from your favorite Big Box hardware store) over the
cowl after flying, made sure the heater was plugged in, patted the
putt-putt on the spinner and went home.

I live in the 'burbs of Denver.

Today was a *wonderful* day for flying. Cold, clear, no wind.

The city plowed the street and I have a 10 foot high
pile of snow that is now the consistency of concrete blocking my
driveway.

"Blanche" wrote in message
...
I had the Reiff oil sump heater installed back in August. Last time
I went flying was 2 weeks ago. Put the 2 car blankets (those blue
quilted things from your favorite Big Box hardware store) over the
cowl after flying, made sure the heater was plugged in, patted the
putt-putt on the spinner and went home.

I live in the 'burbs of Denver.

Today was a *wonderful* day for flying. Cold, clear, no wind.

The city plowed the street and I have a 10 foot high
pile of snow that is now the consistency of concrete blocking my
driveway.

Ahhh...memories of the Christmas '82 blizzard!

At least they plow your street! In '82, my car sat at the bottom of the hill
(Hampden & Tamarac) for four days because it couldn't make the last 150
yards up the hill through 25" of snow (and 8 foot drifts). In them days,
they maybe plowed the main thoroughfares, not the arterials and certainly
not the residential streets.

That was the storm that got Bill McNichols bounced out of office -- no, not
30 years of corruption, but that he had them plow the parking lot for
McNichols arena (named for a sitting mayor, no less) instead of the streets.

--
Matt
---------------------
Matthew W. Barrow
Site-Fill Homes, LLC.
Montrose, CO (MTJ)

Matt Barrow wrote:

"Blanche" wrote in message
I had the Reiff oil sump heater installed back in August. Last time
I went flying was 2 weeks ago. Put the 2 car blankets (those blue
quilted things from your favorite Big Box hardware store) over the
cowl after flying, made sure the heater was plugged in, patted the
putt-putt on the spinner and went home.

I live in the 'burbs of Denver.

Today was a *wonderful* day for flying. Cold, clear, no wind.

The city plowed the street and I have a 10 foot high
pile of snow that is now the consistency of concrete blocking my
driveway.

Ahhh...memories of the Christmas '82 blizzard!

At least they plow your street! In '82, my car sat at the bottom of the hill
(Hampden & Tamarac) for four days because it couldn't make the last 150
yards up the hill through 25" of snow (and 8 foot drifts). In them days,
they maybe plowed the main thoroughfares, not the arterials and certainly
not the residential streets.

That was the storm that got Bill McNichols bounced out of office -- no, not
30 years of corruption, but that he had them plow the parking lot for
McNichols arena (named for a sitting mayor, no less) instead of the streets.

Yup -- BTDT.

Ah yes, that hill...not nearly as much fun as I-70 at Floyd Hill, or
the west side of the tunnel, but still entertaining.

I had 5 unexepected friends stay with me for 3 days because they
Couldn't get home. I'm near the bottom bend of I-225. In those days,
J really thought his Volvo could get thru everything and anything. And
this was a group of people from Chicago, who were used to unplowed
side streets, mayors who believed in Solar Snowplows, etc. But they
had never been thru a Colorado storm.

Just remember, McNicols named the stadium, but Webb (another sitting
mayor) named the new local Gov. building after himself. Fortunately
I don't live in Denver, just the 'burbs.

On the other hand, at least we have buried utilities so unless someone
cuts thru, we keep power on, unlike Buffalo and western NY earlier
this year. The paternal side of the family had no water or power or
heat for 8 days. They thought the same thing was happening down
here and called in a panic.

The airports, on the other hand, are another matter.
Once KAPA opened, the Citations and Lears
were coming in every 3-5 minutes, non-stop on Friday. DIA, on
the other hand (KDEN to those here) got the first Frontier flight
out just after 1200 MST. All the local news stations carried the
shot, much like a Shuttle lift-off. But there are people who have
spent 3 nights there already, and may not leave until after Christmas.
The local cities and hotels have a "distressed traveler" plan, put
into planning back in 2003, the last time this happened. Once the
road gets opened, buses get out to the airport and bring the folks
to the hotels. About 3000 people took advantage of this on Friday,
but not quite 2000 stayed at the airport to try and get stand-by
seats.

I'm still astonished at
1) all the people who have 4-wheel drive and think they are invincible and
can travel thru anything
2) and/or have lived here more than 3 winters and don't prepare --
far too many folks don't even have snow shovels!

On 23 Dec 2006 16:50:45 GMT, Blanche wrote:

Matt Barrow wrote:

My daughter was marooned in Cabo San Lucas with a direct Frontier
flight due in around 5:00 on Friday. They did get in around the same
time today. Me? I think I'd have waited for a wind off the mountains
to melt the snow. Cabo sounds a whale of a lot better this time of
year than Denver, but OTOH a whole lot more expensive too.

out just after 1200 MST. All the local news stations carried the
shot, much like a Shuttle lift-off. But there are people who have
spent 3 nights there already, and may not leave until after Christmas.
The local cities and hotels have a "distressed traveler" plan, put
into planning back in 2003, the last time this happened. Once the
road gets opened, buses get out to the airport and bring the folks
to the hotels. About 3000 people took advantage of this on Friday,
but not quite 2000 stayed at the airport to try and get stand-by
seats.

I'm still astonished at
1) all the people who have 4-wheel drive and think they are invincible and
can travel thru anything
2) and/or have lived here more than 3 winters and don't prepare --
far too many folks don't even have snow shovels!

Kevin's dad didn't even have an ice scraper in his. Of course Deb and
Kevin left theirs at his folks (with chains, shovel, and ice scrapers
- They do live on the second rage back where they had 12 feet of the
stuff two years ago)

Fortunately the sun had already melted the ice on the wind shield and
it wasn't too bad once they were out of the parking lot :-))



Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com