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

[SWeidemann]

Tanis is the only heater I've used. I just bought a Vixen with the 912 ULS and am considering a Tanis for this as well. I have installed the Tanis on two Continental 4 cylinders, a Lycoming 4 and a HKS 700E. With any engine however, part of the complete pre-heat package is having a good & efficient insulated engine cover. If you don't have the cover, there is a lot of heat loss that does no good. So...in my case, if I open the door to the best pre-heater kit, I need to follow up with a good cover as well. My opinion is Tanis is the best but the most expensive. My two cents. Skot

[n85ae]

MSR Whisperlite Backpacking stove blasting into an aluminum funnel into
dryer duct tubing works as a good emergency heater. I have NOT actually ever
needed to use mine, but I have tested it and it works great. I use the milkhouse
heater solution on mine and typically leave it plugged in and running on low in
the hangar. This works great down to and below 0 degree temps here in
Chicagoland.

Regards,
Jeff