How to Route Hot Air?

[f1rocket]

I flew this weekend for several hours with my cabin heat valve slightly open. Like most, I have a Van's stainless steel flapper valve heat box mounted on my firewall. On the cabin side, I didn't attach anything to route the air. I found out this weekend that it blows right on my avionics stack and makes it quite warm.

Are there any standard, easy to purchase fittings that can be attached to the cabin side of the heat valve to help route the air a little bit? What have others tried?

[rv969wf]

Look in 'Aircraft Spruce' ..... Buy an aluminum 2" flange or whatever size you want then attach it to your cockpit side firewall outlet and add Scat tubing. You can direct the heated air anywhere you want to put it with the Scat tubing.

[Bob Axsom]

I routed my heated air in one path toward the passenger's feet and the other to a valve on the left side of the cockpit. In one position (control knob in) the output goes to the pilot's feet area. In the other position the air is routed to the rear edge of one of two screened avionics heat vent holes in the upper fuselage skin (the one on the pilot's side) to provide a windshield defrost function. I have an avionics multivent "ice box" cooling fan blowing on the avionics all the time that the "Avionics Master" switch is on. It all works very well in the slider version. In the tip up you will have to get a little more creative to support the free standing defrost hose.

Bob Acsom

[sprucemoose]

The el-cheapo plastic eyeball vents and flanges supplied by Vans. Since I upgraded to aluminum vents for fresh air, I decided to try the plastic one to direct heat. The white flange is just the right size to fit inside the 2 inch tube on the Vans heat box. Well, 5 minutes into the first flight, the thing fell off onto my foot, and examination revealed that it had melted and deformed beyond repair. Apparently there's more heat there than you think.

That said, an aluminum eyeball vent should work (but $$$.)