Rear Cabin Heat

[TroyBranch]

Just want to get some input from other RV10 owners on how they find the rear cabin heat working. I now have 120hrs on the Rv10 since this march and have been coast to coast. Had a chance to fly in temp from -20C to +35C. The problem I am noticing is the passengers in the back start to get cold if the temp get around the freezing mark or less. I understand after a certain tempurature there is nothing you can do to keep warm. High flights in mid summer can make the location uncomfortable. I crank the heat which is plenty hot coming out the back but that just means they get sweaty feet and the rest of them does not stay warm. My but gets pretty hot too as it is blasting in the general area. I very seldom ever turn the front heat on. One item that I am just finishing is closing of the rear bulk head with insulation as there is a large draft that comes from the tailcone. I am guessing that it comes though the bent stiffners of the baggage bulhead closure. That should help some but I think the best help would be to deflect the heat with a small elbow more towards the rear passengers to help warm them up. There is not much room there to do that but I have a couple of ideas.
Any thoughts out there??

 

[Nukeflyboy]

I got a chance to ride in the back seat of a 10, looking for drafts. There is no doubt about it - there is a huge draft from the tailcone via the baggage compartment bulkhead corrugations. Covering or filling them should make a big difference. Also make sure that the baggage door and rear vents don't leak. I would see how that works before doing anything more exotic.

 

[TroyBranch]

So I got the insulation in..

the aft bulkhead and had a chance to go for an XC over the rocks at 12500 with OAT of +2C out to Penticton this weekend. The draft was still there but less noticable. The only additional sealing I can do is the little slots near the flanges that attached the bulkhead to the skin. Does anyone have any other ideas as to where the draft will be coming from?? Next step is to fit a small elbow in the exit of the heat duct to deflect the heat higher than the feet of the rear passengers. After that I am out of ideas. Just have to get the passengers to have there jackets ready when we get to altitude I guess.

 

[RV10inOz]

Move to somewhere warmer!

This is of little help to this, but food for thought, we made sure all our doors seal well and little air comes in that we do not control.

We also set up the two heat vents for front Left and front Right, meaning you could control either side and the flow will move rearwards. Not sure how this would work at -20C

Of course we are not so concerned with low temps here!

 

[sportpilot]

tailcone topskin

How did you seal the overlap for tailcone top skin onto the cabin top in front of the 1006 bulkhead? Did you glass it over outside? Did you use proseal before installing the cs4-4? that joint would act like a big air scoop if it isnt sealed. otherwise, I dont see where forced air can enter from the tailcone area unless from under the horz stabilizer or down the sides of the cabin. I used proseal and I hope that will keep out the water and air. I plan to glass over it on the outside also.

 

[TroyBranch]

Moving somewhere...

warmer sounds like a great idea. But then again I would have to worry about being to hot. The front seats is very comfortable no matter the temperature. Vans has done a great job in making sure the air coming into the cabin is hot, almost enough to burn your hand it works so well.

As far as the attachment to the glass canopy, I did feather it all out with glass so it is completely sealed. The doors are sealed well with Alex's special seals and no draft is noticed there. I have had comments from other RV builders that they get the same thing on their 2 seaters. I just never noticed on my RV9. I guess I was only paying attention to the blast of cold air coming out of the stick boot as I did not have the pushrod holes sealed. The tailcone must be creating a low pressure and the air would be coming in around the fairing where the elevator torque arm goes through.

I am going to figure out how to fit a small elbow in the rear exit to blast the air upwards and see if that helps. Maybe the guys with a complete interior kit have less drafts in the cabin? That will be my next project when I get time.

 

[RV10inOz]

They are most likely going to be kids..... they will whinge anyway.....

Buy them a warm coat and climb to FL140..... then they will sleep nice and quiet! Make sure you turn your O2 on first!

 

[TroyBranch]

Just to close this off a bit better I figured I would let everyone know of my findings.

There is a few items that are a must do to keep the back warmer. If you have not installed a head liner and still have the holes visible in the luggage bulk head bulkhead you must seal them. It is amazing how much air comes through these little slots. I just used silicone and it was the source of the draft in the rear. The ribbed closer panel must be sealed as well as this has a big passage for air. A simple thin insulation on the entire panel with holes for the screws to go through solves that. The insulation is compressed in between the panel and bulkhead.

An interior kit is a must. The side panels radiate so much cold that the heater cannot keep up. I insulated all the side walls now and I am installing the Aerosport Products side panels. I am sure that when I am finished it will be even better.

If you do not think the back is colder, just reach your arm way back and it is easy to tell it is much cooler than the front.

If you do all this, there is not much more that can be done other than looking for any possible air leaks. Weight is a penalty for comfort but I think it is worth it in this situation.