Thanks Ben

[jpowell13]

Thanks to Ben Fraizier for the letter regarding wrapping exhaust pipes. Seems like most of the airplane fires I hear about are exhaust related. Just witnessed an SR22 being extinguished due to an exhaust leak on the ramp at BTR. Thankfully, the young ladies (pilot and passenger) were preparing to fly back home to TX and the fire started while they were still on the ground. John

[Bob Martin]

I agree.
The more experience I get at maintenance, the more I watch and maintain the exhaust system.
Clearances, heat shields, anti-seize the joints etc.
Early on I fell for the wrapping thing and had problems.
Luckily, Larry Vetterman fixed me up and set me straight.
No Wrapping!

[RKellogg]

I am all for safety, and fires in cowls are bad.

But there are many variables in the system. The method of exhaust pipe support (or lack thereof) may be more critical to header pipe fatigue. Roll frequency vibration is significant on flat fours.

Did the SR-22 mentioned as 'proof' have a wrapped exhaust? Never seen a wrapped Cirrus exhaust... Web search found pictures of cracked Cirrus exhausts, but none wrapped.

Without the ability to cross-examine partial data, one cannot draw meaningful conclusions.

[SgtZim]

You may be right - more data may be needed, but it does make sense to me. If you insulate the exhaust pipes, they will reach much higher temps, and the cooling is slowed after shutdown - possibly annealing the metal. - I'd keep a close eye on them if you have insulated them.

Originally Posted by RKellogg

I am all for safety, and fires in cowls are bad.

But there are many variables in the system. The method of exhaust pipe support (or lack thereof) may be more critical to header pipe fatigue. Roll frequency vibration is significant on flat fours.

Did the SR-22 mentioned as 'proof' have a wrapped exhaust? Never seen a wrapped Cirrus exhaust... Web search found pictures of cracked Cirrus exhausts, but none wrapped.

Without the ability to cross-examine partial data, one cannot draw meaningful conclusions.