Kyle Boatright
Well Known Member
This morning, I was attempting an early departure and there was fog in the vicinity of the airfield (the field is adjacent to a river). Some parts of the runway were fogged in, others were not. I was in the runup area waiting for temps to come up and the RPM began sagging. They probably dropped from 1500 to 1300 before I figured out the cause - carb ice.
In hindsight, it isn't surprising at all - very high relative humidity and a low power setting are two of the common causes.
So, to sort it out (before I realized it was carb ice) I checked both ignitions, then had the aha moment and pulled the carb heat knob. I have the standard Van's carb heat and it cleared the ice within a very few seconds. I was impressed with the performance because I've always wondered about the effectiveness of the system.
Anyway, I thought it was interesting and that I'd share..
In hindsight, it isn't surprising at all - very high relative humidity and a low power setting are two of the common causes.
So, to sort it out (before I realized it was carb ice) I checked both ignitions, then had the aha moment and pulled the carb heat knob. I have the standard Van's carb heat and it cleared the ice within a very few seconds. I was impressed with the performance because I've always wondered about the effectiveness of the system.
Anyway, I thought it was interesting and that I'd share..