Preheating off-base

RyanB

RyanB

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It’s that time of the year again. . .

What do y’all do when you’re off base somewhere and don’t have access to a hangar or power supply to pre-heat your engine? We’re talking low to possibly mid 20’s, maybe colder? Do you just bite it and start it sans heat?
 
I've been working on this problem as well. Surfing the backcountry forums have given me a lot to think about. I am shooting for simple.

Insulated engine cover
Oil pan heater
Portable high power electric battery (like a jackery)

The battery will certainly suffer in super cold weather. Charge the battery overnight where you sleep (warm place), take it to the airplane a few hours before you want to crank. Plug it in, leave battery in the airplane with some insulation around it.

That has worked so far on the Super Cub down to about 20F; I don't want to go a lot colder. If I did, I would be looking into a gas powered generator or directed flow gas heater.

Fair warning - from what I've read elsewhere, everyone has their opinion and they are all 100% sure that any other ideas will not work and will result in immediate combustion of the aircraft and 4 surrounding states.
 
Things I’ve heard of but haven’t tried and have no idea how good or bad of an idea it ism
- run starter without fuel to get some oil pressure or oil moving at a slow speed
- bring a generator like a jackery or small Honda

For me, I have confidence in being able to find a source of 120 power somewhere and bring along a 100’ extension cord.
 
Single digits in Saint Paul, the oil was like toothpaste. I paid for a pre-heat, well worth it. One time in Ashland, Wisconsin it was below zero, but the rented Piper Arrow started. Thank goodness. The FBO was closed on Sundays.
 
Years ago, I had to leave my plane at IAD on a very cold November weekend. I asked if they could possibly either put it in a hangar or move it close enough to the building to plug in the block heater. I came out the next day to find my plane sitting in an otherwise empty cavernous hangar... and the block heater was plugged in. Sometimes service works.
 
EvilEagle said:
I've been working on this problem as well. Surfing the backcountry forums have given me a lot to think about. I am shooting for simple.

Insulated engine cover
Oil pan heater
Portable high power electric battery (like a jackery)

The battery will certainly suffer in super cold weather. Charge the battery overnight where you sleep (warm place), take it to the airplane a few hours before you want to crank. Plug it in, leave battery in the airplane with some insulation around it.

That has worked so far on the Super Cub down to about 20F; I don't want to go a lot colder. If I did, I would be looking into a gas powered generator or directed flow gas heater.

Fair warning - from what I've read elsewhere, everyone has their opinion and they are all 100% sure that any other ideas will not work and will result in immediate combustion of the aircraft and 4 surrounding states.
Click to expand...
Jackery batteries are on sale right now, both on the Jackery site and Amazon. Amazon's cheaper. I have a small Expedition 160 (no longer available) at the hangar, ordered the Explorer 300 last week (delivery week of Dec 4). Since I'm in a hangar with electricity, I have the engine heater and cover already set up. As a rule, I don't do overnights during the winter. Just in case, the cover and 100 ft cord are ready to go. 100w engine heater = about 3 hrs on the Jackery. Get the Ex500, almost 5 hrs heating but almost double the weight and about $140 more, even on sale.

I've had the 160 in the hangar for over a year, haven't used it, haven't charged it up since I got it, and it still shows 99% battery. That convinced me to get another one.
 
First choice pay for a pre heat and enjoy a cup of coffee while someone else does the cold work.
Second choice take the battery to a warm space overnight.
I carried a sound shield Honda gen for my engine heater. As a last choice take the oil to a warm space till needed.
 
I paid the going rate of $50 for before headed home yesterday. The guys had to tow the plane next to hangar so they could plug in their pre heater. (Yeah, odd, but the pre heater needed an outlet). Plane had spent the night in the 20's, and although it was low 30's around noon, I just didn't want to chance it. Not as much cold oil, but wanting it to just start. Cold carb, flooding the thing, back fire, catch fire, cats and dogs living together, etc.

Oh yeah, don't forget to tip the line guys. Especially if it's a holiday week / week end.
 
Bring this, fire it up and let it run an nice sized space heater for a spell.

1764531689893.png
 
You can get a little camp stove and some ducting to blow hot air through the engine and preheat it off-grid. You can also heat a can of drained oil up on it and pour it back in when you’re ready to go. Just don’t let it spill and catch fire, as happened to Carl Ben Eielsen a time or two in the early days of Alaskan aviation.
 
Inlet plugs and insulated cowling covers, the kind that extend down and close up around the lower outlet opening. If the engine gets covered up while it's nice and toasty and you're only talking about overnight, you might get away with not having to preheat. An idea I was thinking of was one of those bluetooth thermometers so you could see what the temperature is inside the cowling before you uncover everything.
 
wilkersk said:
Inlet plugs and insulated cowling covers, the kind that extend down and close up around the lower outlet opening. If the engine gets covered up while it's nice and toasty and you're only talking about overnight, you might get away with not having to preheat. An idea I was thinking of was one of those bluetooth thermometers so you could see what the temperature is inside the cowling before you uncover everything.
Click to expand...
I'm in a hangar, with a insulated cowl cover that covers the inlet, altho not nearly as tight as the inlet plugs. I can check the temp from home (thank you, switcheon). Outside temp is 24 F, inside the hangar is 33 F (at the switcheon box). No idea what the temp of the engine is. It was 60F when I flew last Friday. This coming Friday's the next opportunity to fly with temps in low 40s.

I forgot to put the oil cooler cover on while I was there. Dumb.
 
RyanB said:
It’s that time of the year again. . .

What do y’all do when you’re off base somewhere and don’t have access to a hangar or power supply to pre-heat your engine? We’re talking low to possibly mid 20’s, maybe colder? Do you just bite it and start it sans heat?
Click to expand...
Continental says cold is in the 20s. Either way I’m bringing a cowl blanket, my jackery and a long extension cord. I hope for close by power, if not I’ll let the jackery provide power while I get ready. My reiff heater warms the oil and cylinders but it does take time. If it’s really cold, I’ll pony up for a heated hangar.
 
I was wondering how many btu-equivalent a large lithium booster battery (the ones used to jump a diesel) would have, and how I could hook up a 120v oil pan warmer and timer to it, so I could do my day ski trips with it.
 
If I recall correctly, in one episode of “Ice Pilots - NW Territory” someone said they don’t bother preheating anything until it drops below freezing. I preheat and consider it adequate when the oil is warm enough to drip off the dipstick.
 
WDD said:
Bring this, fire it up and let it run an nice sized space heater for a spell.

View attachment 147699
Click to expand...
This. Or a smaller 2-stroke 900w unit, if you can find a good used one.
500-1000W space heater in the cowl, cowl plugs and covers to keep the heat in.

Do a trial run in a controlled environment to make sure you're not overheating things and burning your plane.

Best would be to have the heater external to the plane, recirculating the cowl air through a couple ducts going to the heater box.
 
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Let'sgoflying! said:
I was wondering how many btu-equivalent a large lithium booster battery (the ones used to jump a diesel) would have, and how I could hook up a 120v oil pan warmer and timer to it, so I could do my day ski trips with it.
Click to expand...

Not accounting for conversion losses / efficiency, 1 kWh = 3412 BTU.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I was wondering how many btu-equivalent a large lithium booster battery (the ones used to jump a diesel) would have,
Click to expand...
Not enough. They rarely exceed 10-15Ah.

A 100Ah, 12V battery can store 1200Wh. Assuming you'd run a 12V heater (so no inverter losses), that's 45 minutes of heat. Barely enough to warm things up.

The booster pack would barely give you 6 minutes.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I was wondering how many btu-equivalent a large lithium booster battery (the ones used to jump a diesel) would have, and how I could hook up a 120v oil pan warmer and timer to it, so I could do my day ski trips with it.
Click to expand...

I’d bet the insulated cowl cover blanket that was ordered from Reiff when I purchased their preheat system would keep your oil warm enough for a day of skiing. Put it on right away after parking, first thing. I’ve come back to the plane 4 to 6 hours later in really cold and windy weather, and amazingly the engine compartment still feels toasty.
 
Beavers? Or ground hogs?
 
Asking the more experienced folks to chime in on this, but wasn’t it once common practice (written in the operating procedures) to dilute the oil with gas to thin it for start up in cold weather operations on some of the big old radials? I’ve heard it many times (and have done it to an old truck in -28F to get it to turn over fast enough to start). I’m not recommending it, but.. if I was stuck on a glacier in alaska and the oil was too thick to get the engine running….
 
Funny the timing of this thread. I've started flying my airplane to work, and where I park it's very far away from any plugs for my tanis heater. I decided to buy one of those Jackery battery deals to see how well it works. Even if it just provides an hour of heat, that should be enough to at least raise the temp a bit and loosen the oil up. I don't plan on leaving it there if it's below 20f. I'm gonna try it out at the home base. If it doesn't work I'll just return it.
 
iamtheari said:
You can get a little camp stove and some ducting to blow hot air through the engine and preheat it off-grid.
Click to expand...
We did this in Whitehorse, Canada using an old Coleman heater in sub-zero temperature. It worked well but we did get some strange looks from the lineman as we struggled to get it lit.

wilkersk said:
An idea I was thinking of was one of those bluetooth thermometers so you could see what the temperature is inside the cowling before you uncover everything.
Click to expand...
Powering up the engine monitored for a moment will provide all the information you need.

frfly172 said:
I carried a sound shield Honda gen for my engine heater.
Click to expand...
I have been considering this option. Have you had any issues using this at public airports?
 
RyanB said:
It’s that time of the year again. . .

What do y’all do when you’re off base somewhere and don’t have access to a hangar or power supply to pre-heat your engine?
Click to expand...
If I'm going for a $100 burger and the engine is only going to be shut off for an hour, I pop the cowl plugs in and don't worry about it.

If I'm going to be somewhere longer, I call ahead about availability of an outlet to plug into and/or a heated hangar. If the airport has neither, I don't go there.

RyanB said:
We’re talking low to possibly mid 20’s, maybe colder? Do you just bite it and start it sans heat?
Click to expand...
Never, ever, ever. Cold starts cause way more wear than anything else you do with your engine. Not worth it.

Groundpounder said:
Funny the timing of this thread. I've started flying my airplane to work, and where I park it's very far away from any plugs for my tanis heater. I decided to buy one of those Jackery battery deals to see how well it works. Even if it just provides an hour of heat, that should be enough to at least raise the temp a bit and loosen the oil up. I don't plan on leaving it there if it's below 20f. I'm gonna try it out at the home base. If it doesn't work I'll just return it.
Click to expand...
My Reiff ("Standard System") is 400 watts total (50/cyl plus 100 on the sump), and it takes about 4 hours to warm everything from 20ºF to somewhere near room temperature in a hangar with cowl plugs in and a blanket on top according to their data. 1.6kWh. Not too bad, but I wouldn't expect it to work so well if it were outside as air movement will cause significantly more heat loss.
 
AV8R_87 said:
Not enough. They rarely exceed 10-15Ah.

A 100Ah, 12V battery can store 1200Wh. Assuming you'd run a 12V heater (so no inverter losses), that's 45 minutes of heat. Barely enough to warm things up.

The booster pack would barely give you 6 minutes.
Click to expand...
So, you just need an EV with a V2L adapter...
 
flyingcheesehead said:
My Reiff ("Standard System") is 400 watts total (50/cyl plus 100 on the sump), and it takes about 4 hours to warm everything from 20ºF to somewhere near room temperature in a hangar with cowl plugs in and a blanket on top according to their data. 1.6kWh. Not too bad, but I wouldn't expect it to work so well if it were outside as air movement will cause significantly more heat loss.
Click to expand...

The battery thing I just bought says it’s a max of 300W, so it probably won’t work.
 
Flatiowa said:
Asking the more experienced folks to chime in on this, but wasn’t it once common practice (written in the operating procedures) to dilute the oil with gas to thin it for start up in cold weather operations on some of the big old radials? I’ve heard it many times (and have done it to an old truck in -28F to get it to turn over fast enough to start). I’m not recommending it, but.. if I was stuck on a glacier in alaska and the oil was too thick to get the engine running….
Click to expand...
That or drain oil on landing into metal bucket and heat on the fire. Pour back in hot.
 
I wish. Now I'm intrigued by the idea of a camp stove and a squirrel cage fan...

Hmm... $87 for a diesel rv heater...
 
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Winter 1976/77(memory fails), near Toronto during one of the coldest, snowiest winters ever.
Dave had the learn-to-fly bug.
Dad allowed use of the mid-60’s 172 with the O-300-D -stored outside, no hangars at this airport.
Lessons were always 8:00am
That meant;
-drain oil day before, store by furnace in basement
-same with battery
-in the freezing dark, by headlights, run homemade propane heater into cowl (imagine loud blower, scary flame cone) while scraping crusted snow off surfaces, chopping ice around tires. Shovel pathways for tires to escape snowed-in tiedown area to hard packed snow of (grass) ‘taxiway’.
-Once snow removed, get battery from warm, running car, pour oil in, remove propane heater (3rd degree burns likely here), hop into cockpit in which seats are frozen solid and cold & hard as a block of ice. Breath hangs frozen, mid air - till it finds a window to cling to (which also needs scraping later) Master on, hear DG/AI scream & groan, prime a bunch, crank. Fires a few cylinders then nothing.
Yep, frosted plugs; heater wasn’t enough.
Oh well, the sun is going to be up soon -that will make pulling cowl, heating up plugs easier. Leave cowl off till this is all over.
Usually during all this, have to pull car up to airplane to boost the abused battery.
Hearing that engine catch and run is one satisfying sound! Sit there idling for 15 minutes, trying to massage some feeling back into toes and fingers.
Going to make my lesson after all today!
 
WDD said:
Bring this, fire it up and let it run an nice sized space heater for a spell.

View attachment 147699
Click to expand...
I actually went into Harbor Freight on Black Friday fully intending to buy one of those puppies. When I saw it on the shelf, and after lifting it up, I reconsidered - that's a big puppy!

I'm sure it can be the right tool for some, but I had hoped to find something I could reasonably bring along on a flying trip during the cold season to power my Tanis heater, and this wasn't it.

- Martin
 
Martin Pauly said:
I actually went into Harbor Freight on Black Friday fully intending to buy one of those puppies. When I saw it on the shelf, and after lifting it up, I reconsidered - that's a big puppy!

I'm sure it can be the right tool for some, but I had hoped to find something I could reasonably bring along on a flying trip during the cold season to power my Tanis heater, and this wasn't it.

- Martin
Click to expand...
A bit too heavy? Shoot - thought it might be an idea for someone. I wonder if they make a smaller size? Then again, how many watts do you need for your Tanis?
 
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