Serious issue preventing me from working on my -10

[rleffler]

Originally Posted by Palamedes

Does a kerosene heater heat a larger area? I've never used one.

The answer is, it depends......

You can get various BTU outputs regardless of the fuel used to heat it.

When I originally looked at heaters (I'm in a city owned T-Hangar with a 15a electrical circuit), kerosene was the most cost effective solution. I also didn't want to haul the 40g propane tanks to get refilled either.

I have a 130k btu torpedo kerosene heater. I can raise the temperature in the hangar 25-30 degrees with it. I found that using a box fan pointed at the ceiling of the hangar does wonders to circulate all that hot air around the ceiling. It burns about a gallon/hour if its running consistently. Mine does have a built in thermostat, which I highly recommend. The downside is the noise, smell, and potential CO issues. There are additives for kerosene to help reduce the odor. A CO monitor is a must have.

There is a newer technology kerosene heater that a couple friends have purchased this past year. This unit you can barely hear it, even when standing nearby. The downside is that the list price is about $2k. Geoff Combs and Pete Britton are both on VAF, so they may volunteer their experience if somebody asks them.

[bcondrey]

Just to be clear - my point wasn't to try to push what I did as the solution for everybody. Having your work environment be comfortable makes a HUGE difference in your productivity. Whatever you can do to achieve that will pay great dividends. For those just getting started and working in a garage in a cold climate, seriously consider some sort of permanent heat upgrade. Just about everybody I know that's done it initially considered it too much money (usually a few hundred $ plus install). Talk to those same people and they'll tell you that it was something they should have done much earlier.

Bob

[maniago]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Dyna-Glo-...9?N=5yc1vZc4k7

You can get these pretty much anywhere. One good point about them, which I hadn't considered until I saw it used as such, is with a little flexible ducting, they will double as an engine pre-heater after your airplane is built.....K1 is about $4/gal, so depending on how you use it, can be way more expensive than an in garage heater off your existing natgas supply. Def need to have a ceiling fan to move the heat around though.

[Paul K]

Man I wish it would get up to 19 here! Every day for the last several weeks, I watch my OAT showing on my car dash and it's usually well negative. This morning, -13f. Also haven't flown but twice in the last 6 weeks, just to darn cold. Even with my RV in a heated hangar it's hard to get excited about pulling it out.

[RV3bpilot]

Some of the guys will tell you that's not cold, but I'm with you when it is colder than 30 degrees F. the fingers do not work well and one looses body temperature quick. So now I wear insulated coveralls for my body and for my fingers I build a small tent over the aircraft that way what ever type of heat you use it not have to heat much space.
I've been working on different electrical ideas through out the winter. Two weeks ago when I went flying I had to first pre-heat the engine and hangar door motor then break loose the hangar door from the ice. Outside air temp. that morning was -4 F. on the ground. Cheers...

[flion]

Originally Posted by chazking

Than New York & New England, you'll be back to the bucking bar.

My wife says I spend too much time at the bar...

Seriously, though, my major work stopper is teaching; during the semester the students and grading takes up a huge amount of time outside class. And when I get back to it in the summer, I've usually forgotten where I left off before. I do get some stuff done in Winter, though, thanks to a propane space heater. I also note that sometimes it's easier to work in difficult spaces when the cold has numbed your nerve endings ... though warming up afterward can be a painful experience.

[Paul K]

OK, its finally too cold to fly or even think about it! On my way to work this morning, my car registered -22. by the time I gathered my phone and took a photo of the dash, I was on top of a hill and it had warmed up to -18f.

I am supposed to fly to upper Michigan this morning and while on ForeFlight, took a shot of the Pellston airport temp. Had planned to stop there for breakfast.

[Vlad]

Originally Posted by Paul K

OK, its finally too cold to fly or even think about it! On my way to work this morning, my car registered -22. by the time I gathered my phone and took a photo of the dash, I was on top of a hill and it had warmed up to -18f.

I am supposed to fly to upper Michigan this morning and while on ForeFlight, took a shot of the Pellston airport temp. Had planned to stop there for breakfast.

Wow Paul! How do you people live there? Move to Garden State it's balmy -11 here

[Palamedes]

All you die hards convinced me to go get a kerosene blower/heater. Works nicely. Amazing what 70k BTU will do for a garage. Not "warm" by any stretch, but its no longer so cold I can't stand to be in here.. Probably warmed my immediate area up to 50?F or so.. so win!

[BruceEicher]

...we went camping in our warm dry NW for President's Day Weekend. Low tempature was 44 high 65. Our ski resorts are hurting some though.
Two others on the field, Manzanita too.