Engine Preheaters

[farmboy]

Winter is closing in what are the pros & cons of Tanis vs Aerotherm preheaters for a 912 engine.

[Dave S]

Don't know about the pros....however the cons for both are cost.

This might not be what you are interested in but maybe worth a thought considering cost.

My preheater, which is a simple milk parlor heater, cost $28 plus some aluminum tubing from Menard's for $4-$5. It has very nearly the same power settings at 750 and 1500 watts as the Aerotherm (800 and 1600 watts.) Have never needed to run it for more than an hour.

The only change to the heater was to fabricate a plenum to fit the heater to the tubing.

Been using this for 4 winters. No problems.

Dave S

[farmboy]

Dave that looks like an excellent idea and much cheaper and better yet I have one sitting collecting dust.

[cap01]

ive been using a rig similar to daves milk house heater , works great . like dave , an hour is more than enough time to heat up the engine and oil . for the 912 , makes starting easier and shortens the warm up time . cant beat the price

[kmach]

I have the Rheiff 150 watt preheat setup on my 912ULS , used with a timer it heats the oil real nice and warms the engine block. and just a cord to plug in if you are away from home.

So far i have used it with good results down to 0 deg F ,cold hangar, with blanket over cowl. timer set to 4-5 hrs before start.

It warms similiar to the Tanis , but less cost and no bolt replacement.

might be an option to consider

[wwillyard]

I use a hair drier from Walmart $20, 1800 Watts. 45 minutes does the trick. No ducting needed, I simply stick it in the outlet by the exhaust pipe and cover the cowling with a blanket blocking the inlet openings. The EIS shows 80+ degrees oil temp when I start up.
Classic IV
Grand Rapids, MI

[farmboy]

This is another fine example of how you can find out so many different ideas and ways of doing something when fellow aviators-kitfoxers help each other out. How boring it would be without TeamKitfox!

[Av8r3400]

$9.95 cube heater on top of a broken work light stand along with a cover of my own design and manufacture.

[DanB]

Looks good Larry.

[Esser]

Does anybody have suggestions for a more mobile solution? I know there are block heaters for the 912 but I am not planning on putting a 912 in my plane and I need something since I plan on flying below -20 at several different airports.