I would not use a light bulb. I believe I currently have an old (worn out?) Reiff silicon(e) pad sump heater. I just ordered another from Wolverine which I will add soon to see how it works.

Bottom line, I am a firm proponent of a permanent sump heater.
 
Dean,

Try doing a search. This topic comes up every winter. There is a lot of info already out there.
 
You-all can do as you like but, it was -10F in our neighborhood this morning and when I checked the oil temp and cht of my trusty Lycoming, it was 87F/76F respectively. That's with 4 rings and one sump strip of the Reiff type. Also, based on a report in a well known aviation magazine, the humidity inside the engine is down around 15%. These heat systems do dry out the engine.

The oil temp is measured up at the filter and it is an indication of how warm ALL of the engine is. I have no heat in the hangar and at 300 watts, this is a good deal and good for the engine whether you can fly or not. Why go chincy on something as important as preheat?
 
I just bought two of the stick-on type 50-Watt Kats heaters. I bought each for about $15 on Amazon.com, and shipping was free, I believe. I spliced them both into a single plug so I wouldn't use up another outlet.

This morning I went flying...ambient temps were right at 32 F. After starting the engine, it took about 2 minutes to register above 70 F on my oil temp gauge. The last time I did that without the heaters it took closer to 8 minutes and I could hear the oil pump cavitating! :eek: I'd definitely recommend heat of some kind.
 
I'm with David on this one...

I installed the Reiff two pad system on my -10 and bought a timer and set it to come on at midnight Friday. I cranked her up at 10:00 a.m. Saturday and the oil instantly registered 80 degrees, with the OAT at 19deg.

Best,
 
I installed both a pad heater and Reiff cylinder heaters. Even though it's not that cold in Reno, it sure is nice to call my hangar a couple hours before a flight and arrive to an engine that is 100 degrees all around. Never a problem starting!

greg
 
I got my Wolverine sump heater today. Everything looks good. I may have to wait until Feb to remove the other one and install this one before I can assess any improvement.
 
Sump Preheaters

dadroot said:
Check your 'NAPA' store. Search for oil pan heaters.
Click to expand...

Not to disparage the aviation aisle at NAPA but first do some research. Some heaters can scorch the oil if left on too long at a milder temperature, especially the dipstick and oil drain plug heater types.

I have the EZ Heat from Aircraft $pruce. Love it;)
 
The Reiff system comes with adhesive

....that you knead to activate. They used to come with JB weld and silver tape to hold the heater up there 'til it cured.

Best,
 
I have always had good luck with the Tanis systems. Expensive, but so is your airplane. The sump and 4 cylinder heaters keep the engine warm and dry.

JMHO

Roberta
 
The Kats heaters have adhesive backing on them. The directions also have you put RTV around the edges, I'm assuming to keep oil from getting on the adhesive and loosening them up.
 
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