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Engine pre heater

rvdave

Well Known Member
Wondering if there are any pireps on this oil pre heater?





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I don?t have any experience with this model.

I have a Reif heater with both a sump and cylinder bands for heat. It works as advertised and I?m very pleased with.

I think in our northern winter climates, we need more than just a sump heater.
 
I've used these for years on my airplanes. With inlet covers on and a blanket over the cowling of the RV-10, the entire engine compartment will be over 70 degrees, with oil between 85-95, in about 4-5 hours.
Tuesday, when I was parked outside in 15 degree weather at KFDK for 3.5 hours, I just plugged it in with the inlet covers installed (no blanket). The oil stayed over 100 degrees and CHT's were about 90 when I started up.

Yesterday morning it was 18 here again in Atlanta and I had to go to another airport for a couple of hours. Not knowing if there was power where I was parking, I grabbed a charged Odyssey PC925, an inverter, and an extension cord. I was on the ground for about 3.5 hours again and the engine was still very nice and warm with only the inlet covers.
I measured the battery draw and it appears to be around 7 amps, so the battery is good for about 3-4 hours. Works as a nice portable setup when needed.

Vic
 
it's -23 f. as i type this so it qualifies as cold here. i will fly down to 15-20 deg. . i have a 175 watt stuck to my oil pan and 175 watt stuck to the top of my block on a jab 3300. 3-4 hrs and oil is always 100 deg and heads at least 50 deg. jabs are lousy starters even at 35 deg. but i have never had a problem with this set up. this is auto stuff and i have 20 yrs experience with stick ons on my cars and never had an issue.
i also cover my cowl with a thick ''comforter'' and plug my air intakes, i think that makes a big difference, especially for the heads. auto stick ons are maybe $25 a piece.
 
Yes, on 3 separate planes. They are fantastic. They heat the oil and that heat rises up to heat the entire engine. You can leave it on continuously, or plug it in the night before. Many people hook them up to cell or wifi activates switches.
You do need to be very careful with the proper installation. If any part of the pad is not in good contact it will burn out. All paint needs to be removed where it will go, and any casting numbers on the sump will have to be filed down smooth.
You will never regret it.
 
I had the first model in the picture on my RV-10 since day one. It did a good job of heating everything up. I made a cowl blanket out of two moving blankets sewn together and sewed on some straps. I also fabricated cowl air inlet plugs out of some 2" thick sponges with a soft terry cloth cover. I would always install the blanket and plugs when I put the plane away in cold weather and plug the heater into the cellphone switch. With 4 hours of heating, the cylinders were even warm.
 
Just the sump

Just the sump needs to be at 70 degrees. So go fly it first and you are all set. They include instructions for cold weather application. It has you intermittently plugging the heater in for 5-10 seconds at a time.

Vic
 
If you are installing them in cold weather, drape the engine with blankets, install an electric heater under the blankets and leave it on long enough to get the metal up to good working temperature. Install your heater pads and then leave the engine draped and your other electric heater running for 24-48 hours.

I did this when installing our Reiff preheaters. I had lots of old bed sheets which allowed me to drape the engine so the bed sheets went right to the ground, fully tenting the engine. A thermostatically-controlled ceramic micro-furnace was more than adequate to keep the engine toasty while the epoxy cured in relatively warm (-10C) ambient temperature. Of course I had a couple of quilts over the top of the engine as well for added insulation. And don't forget to cover the prop blades as they seem to shed a lot of heat.
 
BTW Vic I like your idea of using a battery and invertor to power your sump heater. I was thinking of using a small sine wave generator but the battery idea is even better as it is silent.
 
Had a single $30 stick on pad from Amazon that would heat my 540 all the way to the rocker covers overnight. There are hundreds of shapes and power levels available - no need to look at any of the "aviation specific" models, IMHO.
 
I?ve looked at some generic pads but the ones I?ve seen don?t have thermostats which I would want to be sure they have. I would be interested in seeing others that are thermostatically controlled though.
 
I have the far left one in that picture. I don't go to the detail that Vic does (although i just learned a trick or two) but I have it plugged in to one of those GSM switches. I use the app to turn on the plug when I wake up about an hour or so before getting to the hanger. It's in the 20's here now and by the time I get to the hanger the oil temp will be between 50 to 60 without any inlet covers or blankets. This is obviously not as nice as 75 but it way better than 30 :D. I guess it's been so cold here I better cover the cowl and the inlets before the next flight.
 
I?ve looked at some generic pads but the ones I?ve seen don?t have thermostats which I would want to be sure they have. I would be interested in seeing others that are thermostatically controlled though.

Why the need for a thermostat?
 
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My engine heater for cold weather is probably the cheapest and easiest to make. Just a couple of short sections of 4" aluminum dryer vent tubing and a couple of light bulbs in each one. And of course blankets over the cowl and plugs in the holes. At temperatures of -20 my engine is about 45 degrees and easy to start. Here is a short video of my set up.
https://youtu.be/eVaqcLNe3IY
 
My engine heater for cold weather is probably the cheapest and easiest to make. Just a couple of short sections of 4" aluminum dryer vent tubing and a couple of light bulbs in each one. And of course blankets over the cowl and plugs in the holes. At temperatures of -20 my engine is about 45 degrees and easy to start. Here is a short video of my set up.
https://youtu.be/eVaqcLNe3IY

Same for me an except I just stick the light bulbs in safety cages face down inside the bottom cowl. Back of safety cages prevent any oil drips contacting the hot bulbs.
 
For a Standard IO 540 D series with the Vans throttle bracket attached to the oil sump do you order the O540 kit with the two pads or do you use the single pad version.
 
For a Standard IO 540 D series with the Vans throttle bracket attached to the oil sump do you order the O540 kit with the two pads or do you use the single pad version.

When I called ez heat they recommended the 540 dual pad for D series. Not sure about the vans bracket as I have the afp bracket. Would think it doesn?t make a difference.
 
I have 2 of the "Wolverine" type - both work really well.

The main reason for posting is to say I have a WiFi socket attached to them. I can set them off with my cell phone from anywhere, I've set them to come on for an hour once activated, on a 30f day I usually see around 70f Oil Temp at startup

The Wifi sockets are getting cheaper all the time - I paid ?20 (about $28) for mine, You can also get ones that use a GSM cell card if you dont have WiFi.
 
I now have my oil preheater installed, how are you letting the 115v plug end rest in the engine compartment to keep from bouncing, chafing, rubbing, etc?
 
I now have my oil preheater installed, how are you letting the 115v plug end rest in the engine compartment to keep from bouncing, chafing, rubbing, etc?

Mine is zip tied to the dipstick tube. Not an approach I like, but it has worked well for >10 years.
 
Ok so you are tying the plug end so it?s rigid and bringing an extension cord to it instead of letting a foot or so to come out of the oil door when heating?
 
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