A review of my EZ-Heat oil sump preheater

[cfmcowboy]

I recently installed a sump heating pad system in my RV7A. Works great!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3t9VgPcUrE

[Jpm757]

Love mine.

[BCP Boys]

I would encourage you to do some more research on leaving the heater on or plugged in all the time during the winter. There are plenty of folks here on the forums that have had experience with that. I do not live in the cold country so I can't comment but I still do have a heater pad on my oil sump and only turn it on the morning of my flight.

[flightlogic]

My EZ heat has been on the sump three years. That and a space heater (with tilt switch) that sits on the cockpit floor are driven by the switchbox.
When I venture to the loo at around 3 am, the iPhone sends a text to the RV9A. By the time I get to the hangar in the morning (which has hovered around freezing the last few weeks) the oil is at 95F. and the cockpit is 80 degrees.
The RV starts like we are in Florida for the winter. smile
Short of moving to a warmer place for winter (which is not on the option list) this is the best working solution I have found.
I pay too much for the T mobile number since it is on auto monthly billing. That is probably just lazy on my part. I could just add money manually about every 90 days.
Anyway, these sump heaters are simple and reliable. With cowl plugs in, even the cylinders are warmed by convection and heat rising from the sump.
I am reducing start up wear and tear and it is worth the cost and the late night text to the plane!

[Dean Pichon]

Originally Posted by cfmcowboy

I recently installed a sump heating pad system in my RV7A. Works great!

What size or model number did you install? I have an O-360 in my -4 and would like to know what size to buy before I remove the cowling.

Thanks,

Dean

[Sam Buchanan]

Originally Posted by BCP Boys

I would encourage you to do some more research on leaving the heater on or plugged in all the time during the winter. There are plenty of folks here on the forums that have had experience with that. I do not live in the cold country so I can't comment but I still do have a heater pad on my oil sump and only turn it on the morning of my flight.

I'm not offering a recommendation but only a datapoint because this subject gets some folks all bent out of shape.

I've run a Reiff sump heater on my RV-6 24/7 for four months out of the year for the past 19 years. I have found no issues thus far.....the plane thinks it is spending the winter in Florida.

[bobnoffs]

i worry about what happens when one of these ''milk house'' heaters is remotely fired up and because of the cold, well used motor, etc. the fan doesn't start turning. i see it all the time when the temp is in the 20's [f] or lower. it the motor gonna meltdown or is the element gonna superheat with no cooling air blowing across it? i don't think it is a good idea to trust your 100k airplane to a breaker or hi temp auto-off. and have you ever found a mouse nest somewhere that wasn't there yesterday?
but i am a big fan of stick on heaters.

[Mark Dickens]

Originally Posted by Sam Buchanan

I'm not offering a recommendation but only a datapoint because this subject gets some folks all bent out of shape.

I've run a Reiff sump heater on my RV-6 24/7 for four months out of the year for the past 19 years. I have found no issues thus far.....the plane thinks it is spending the winter in Florida.

That's a pretty convincing data point, especially for those of us in the humid south

[cfmcowboy]

Originally Posted by Dean Pichon

What size or model number did you install? I have an O-360 in my -4 and would like to know what size to buy before I remove the cowling.

Thanks,

Dean

I have the 442 model, it wraps around three sides of the oil sump. They do have specific sized for each model of engine, I know this because I originally bought the continental IO360 pad by mistake! Doh

[Sam Buchanan]

Originally Posted by Mark Dickens

That's a pretty convincing data point, especially for those of us in the humid south

Let me qualify my situation:

I try to fly the plane at least once a week, but the past year it is more like once every ten days.

It resides in an insulated hangar with a blanket on the cowl and plugs in the inlets.

The oil and all the engine remains above the ambient dewpoint at all times (85-90*F).

This may not be a good idea for colder climes where it wouldn't be possible to keep the entire engine warm with just a sump heater.