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Thread: Engine Oil Dipstick Heaters: Any Experience in Shortwings?

  1. #11
    nicka's Avatar
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    Dec 2009
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    Alaska
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    Default Re: Engine Oil Dipstick Heaters: Any Experience in Shortwings?

    I was thumbing through an AERO PARTS catalog and they sell a cell phone timer for the electric oil sump heat pads, send a text and it turns itself on. Try this link:

    http://www.aeroinstock.com/products/...5lIGhlYXRlcnM=

    The Cell Switch CS-100.

  2. #12
    Glen Geller's Avatar
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    Dec 2007
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    Beaverton, Oregon, United States
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    Default Re: Engine Oil Dipstick Heaters: Any Experience in Shortwings?

    I really like that portable heater idea with the ducting. I have been thinking about making one for some time and perhaps this weekend I will cobble one up.
    The elbow is very important I think, as I was considering making one but just having it lay on it it's back (on feet to allow ~3" ground "intake" clearance) and a duct pointing stright up into the lower cowl. Then I remembered airplane engines can drip petroleum products. So a ~24" horizontal run and an elbow seems like a prudent addition.
    I found several heavy-duty (15A) 7-day timers which could be programmed to come on, say, Saturday morning at 6AM for two hours, so when you arrived at the hangar at 8AM the engine would be nice and warm, and even the hangar would be warmer.

    http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...8976%2d%5f%2dN

    http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...884&ci_gpa=pla

    Thanks for all the great comments, you people are a font of information and cleverness!

    GG

  3. #13

    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    Graham, WA
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    Default Re: Engine Oil Dipstick Heaters: Any Experience in Shortwings?

    I've been using a 100 watt light bulb for years, hooked up to a thermostat from Grainger. I took an old heavy sleeping bag, cut and sewed to fit tight around the cowl, set the thermostat at about 60 degrees and leave it on all winter. Warm enough for instant oil pressure on a cold start-up, not so warm that it causes any problems. It probably wouldn't be enough heat for Alaska or Minnesota, but works great here in the Pacific Northwest.

  4. #14
    cgfyl's Avatar
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    Jun 2010
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    Leduc, Alberta Canada
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    Default Re: Engine Oil Dipstick Heaters: Any Experience in Shortwings?

    l bought a portable propahe heater with fan, adapted it with 10 feet of 10" ducting, seems to work exceptionally well!

  5. #15
    cwo4ret's Avatar
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    Feb 2008
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    Topeka, Kansas
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    Default Re: Engine Oil Dipstick Heaters: Any Experience in Shortwings?

    I don't have any problem warming my oil in the hanger with my electric oil pan heater. My problem is where I stopped for that $100 hamburger. After lunch the eng oil is cold soaked again sitting in the wind at 20 degrees. So I had a bright idea. I went to walmart and bought a $35 portable eng starter, not the one with compressor and other gadgets. Then I bought a 300 watt DC to AC converter for $25 on Ebay. Before my cold winter flight, I make sure the eng starter is charged up.

    When I get to the airport with the $100 burger, I plug the Eng starter into the DC to AC converter and the converter to my electric oil pan heater (which takes 110 volts at 300 watts to heat the oil). The oil is already hot, so this setup keeps it nice and toasty. As an additional benefit, if my aircraft battery ever decides to die away from home, I can jump start myself.

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