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prkaye

Well Known Member
I re-jigged some of my firewall-forward routing to allow for a shorter run from my heat-muff to my heater box. As a result, my starter cable is forced to sit about 2" from my heat muff. I worry that this might be a bit close. Is there any kind of firesleeve or insulation that can be wrapped around 2AWG wire to protect it?
 
Phil,

Try one of the heat shields that you secure to an exhaust pipe. 2" is a good distance. Don't forget, there is a lot air moving through your engine compartment to cool such things.
 
Firesleeve

Bill is right, and 2 inches is probably OK for Tefzel cable. To add a little piece of mind, you could slip a little fuel line firesleeve over it. Secure it with a couple of tefzel zip ties, and inspect it at first cowl off after the airplane is flying.

Regards,
Chris
 
what about exhaust-wrap, just in that short section where the wire passes close? I know Vetterman recommends against wrapping his exhaust systems, but I'm only talking about wrapping maybe a 6-inch segment.
Then again, i'm probably worrying about nothing.
 
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prkaye said:
what about exhaust-wrap, used in the racing world? I could apply that to my exhaust pipes to keep the temps down (this was suggested to me by another forum member for the purpose of keeping my cabin-heat air hot).
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Phil,
Using exhaust wrap on the exhaust has a down side. It tends to trap moisture against the steel of the exhaust as the system cools down. It acts like a sponge, keeping the steel damp. This will greatly shorten the life of your exhaust system. I suggest you call Larry Vetterman before installing heat wrap on your exhaust system. Using the wrap on the starter cable would be better. The previous suggestion of a heat shield is probably the best idea.
Charlie Kuss
 
yeah, that makes sense about the wrap being bad for the exhaust.
Can't put a heat sheild there, it's right where my heat muff is. But maybe the heat muff itself will act as a bit of a heat-sheild. The wire sits 2" above the heat muff.
Towards the front i have a similar situation with my alternator wire being about that close to my forward exhaust pipes. I could put a heat sheild there.
 
The heat muff is cooled continuously

Remember that cool air will always be flowing through the heat muff, so the outer surface of the heat muff will always be a lot cooler than the exhast pipes.
 
speaking of which... what about wrapping just the heat-muff, to ensure the cabin-heat air is as hot as possible? It get's cooooool up here in Ottawa.
 
prkaye said:
speaking of which... what about wrapping just the heat-muff, to ensure the cabin-heat air is as hot as possible? It get's cooooool up here in Ottawa.
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A ceramic coating like Jet Kote would be better. It won't hold moisture against your heat muff. Plus you can coat both sides of the muff.
Charlie
 
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prkaye said:
speaking of which... what about wrapping just the heat-muff, to ensure the cabin-heat air is as hot as possible? It get's cooooool up here in Ottawa.
Click to expand...

Phil,

I recommend this. This will not hurt your exhaust and you will have to remove the wrap once a year to inspect the heater muff. So, any deterioration will be caught fairly quickly.
 
I also recommend ceramic coating and if you are worried about cold there are other options. I have put heated seat which my wife loves it and also aileron boots to keep the cold air coming from the stick boot.

Mehrdad
RV7A - IO360M1B
 
Bavafa said:
I also recommend ceramic coating and if you are worried about cold there are other options. I have put heated seat which my wife loves it and also aileron boots to keep the cold air coming from the stick boot.

Mehrdad
RV7A - IO360M1B
Click to expand...
One problem with the ceramic coating, it reduces the amount of heat that will be transferred to the heat muff. Also, Larry Vetterman doesn't recommend it.

Heated seats are nice but back when I was building and thinking about installing them some else posted that the heated seats in there car had just caught fire and they were just barely able to pull over and get out of the car in time. :eek: Man, I would hate for that to happen in one of our planes!

The aileron boots are HIGHLY recommended!!! I also suggest you make some aluminum plates to cover the cutout around spar to block the air that comes in there. You probably don't want to use a foam seal as that area could get wet. A simple .032 aluminum plate with rubber seals that can be held in place with either Velcro or platenuts would be good. Just a thought, I haven't made mine yet but will now that the plane is back home.
 
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