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Tanis heaters
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 |
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Tanis heaters
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 This is a "hot" topic (grin) and you will get strong opinions on both sides. I belong to the 'church' that says you can't get condensation if the engine stays warmer than the ambient temperature. Had a discussion with John Deakin who believes this is correct, as well. I plug mine in after flight and open up the oil filler tube (IO520) to allow any humid air to escape the engine. Others believe that leaving the heater on all the time will promote corrosion brought about by changes in the ambient temperature. Both Tanis and Reiff do not recommend leaving it on all the time. I have several airport friends that have rigged up devices to turn theirs on and off with a cell phone timing device. Perhaps a factor is what kind of winters your plane must endure. What's right for Michigan may be wrong for Tennessee. Rich SE Michigan |
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Tanis heaters
"Rich" wrote in message ... I belong to the 'church' that says you can't get condensation if the engine stays warmer than the ambient temperature. Had a discussion with John Deakin who believes this is correct, as well. I plug mine in after flight and open up the oil filler tube (IO520) to allow any humid air to escape the engine. Or to enter the engine. When the engine is cooling from operating temperature to the temperature maintained by the heater, doesn't outside air get drawn into the engine? |
#4
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Tanis heaters
"Rich" wrote in message ... cpw wrote: Others believe that leaving the heater on all the time will promote corrosion brought about by changes in the ambient temperature. Both Tanis and Reiff do not recommend leaving it on all the time. Caveats: http://www.reiffpreheat.com/FAQ.htm#QA3 -- Matt --------------------- Matthew W. Barrow Site-Fill Homes, LLC. Montrose, CO (MTJ) |
#5
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Tanis heaters
Rich wrote:
I belong to the 'church' that says you can't get condensation if the engine stays warmer than the ambient temperature. Had a discussion with John Deakin who believes this is correct, as well. I plug mine in after flight and open up the oil filler tube (IO520) to allow any humid air to escape the engine. That does seem to make sense. Probably much better than being on a thermostat that turns it off and on. -- Gene Seibel Tales of Flight - http://pad39a.com/gene/tales.html Because I fly, I envy no one. |
#6
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Tanis heaters
I too take of the filler caps after every flight and let the steam
escape. But thigs are covered up enough to prevent anything from going in. Gene Seibel wrote: Rich wrote: I belong to the 'church' that says you can't get condensation if the engine stays warmer than the ambient temperature. Had a discussion with John Deakin who believes this is correct, as well. I plug mine in after flight and open up the oil filler tube (IO520) to allow any humid air to escape the engine. That does seem to make sense. Probably much better than being on a thermostat that turns it off and on. -- Gene Seibel Tales of Flight - http://pad39a.com/gene/tales.html Because I fly, I envy no one. |
#7
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Tanis heaters
On 12/22/06 07:38, "Rich" wrote:
Both Tanis and Reiff do not recommend leaving it on all the time. My Tanis paperwork (circa 1997) says it's okay to leave it plugged in all during cold weather. The website still says the same thing, "It can be left plugged in continuously, keeping engine safely warm for starting even in sub-zero weather." - Don History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. - Dwight D. Eisenhower |
#8
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Tanis heaters
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" |
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Tanis heaters
"cpw" wrote in message s.com... 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? THINK: How would keeping the oil at 70 degrees differ from, say, Florida, where those are typically year-round temperatures? -- Matt (prefers the Reiff heater, and keeps it on six months of the year) --------------------- Matthew W. Barrow Site-Fill Homes, LLC. Montrose, CO (MTJ) |
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Tanis heaters
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. 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. 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. Any red dragon users out there? How long to warm up an io-470? Dave 1960 M35 Matt Barrow wrote: "cpw" wrote in message s.com... 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? THINK: How would keeping the oil at 70 degrees differ from, say, Florida, where those are typically year-round temperatures? |
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