moosebreath Posted January 28, 2015 Report Posted January 28, 2015 I have just completed installation of a Tanis preheat system. The power connection Tanis supplies is a large female three conductor connector exactly as used for a heavy duty power extension cord. There are clamps supplied to attach this to the oil fill tube. I did not care for this method of termination for several reasons. The oil filler is a long plastic tube and it did not seem advisable to attach a plug to it that might have significant forces applied as the power cable was mated and disconnected. The connector was also much larger than the power conducted required. Mounted in the suggested location it would partially block access to the right hand magneto. Attached are pictures of what was fabricated as a termination. The local avionics shop provided a four connector screw type panel mount connector and jack rated for the power drawn by the Tanis system. The panel mount connector was attached to a sheet metal bracket clamped to the upper engine mount tube. It is easily accessible from the oil fill door and requires virtually no force to mate and disconnect. I considered attaching the male plug to the end of a standard extension cord to be left in my hanger. The problem with that is I could not then use the system on trips as there would not be a mating connector available at other locations. My solution was to mount the male connector on the end of a ten foot orange outdoor 16/3 extension cord. This is light and compact as well as brightly colored to serve as a reminder to remove before flight. The female connector under the cowl is protected by a plain red plastic cap when the system is disconnected. You can see it on top of the cowl in the picture. None of this is rocket science but I thought others might be interested in considering alternatives to the clunky Tanis termination.
John Pleisse Posted January 28, 2015 Report Posted January 28, 2015 Weber installed my Tanis in under three hours.....easy-peazy. Never a problem, works great and of high quality. My Tanis is installed on the oil filler and this is just fine. I have 12 years of service with it. Just get nylon wire ties, loosen your clamps and pull your wire a little higher above the filler cap ring (1.5 inches of play) and you are in business. Simply put your left hand on the filler cap while you affix your male extension cord. Literally grab the filler cap and the female Tanis plug in one grip. The Rife is not different in this regard. This issue is so incredibly minor, I would implore you to adjust it with some play and wire-tie it down. Took me 5 minutes. I can assure you any other manner is a PITA. Tanis has full time support, modern website and flexible purchase terms. Well worth the price for a better product. You made the best choice. Rife, not so much. Just bought a Rife for the Bonanza, not happy with it. Careful, you can burn the finger prints off your fingers if you touch a Rife element.
BorealOne Posted January 28, 2015 Report Posted January 28, 2015 Clarence (M20Doc) did a fantastic job with my Tanis. He installed a marine-grade male socket in the air-intake opening of the cowl. It's very clean - just plug and play. I was always concerned that running the plug through the filler door would lead to grief as I'm often using heavy winter grade covers, and I feared that they'd snag on the door one day.
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