rblauson Posted December 22, 2015 Report Posted December 22, 2015 New Mooney owner now renting an unheated T - Hangar in CT. I have a Reiff preheat system installed. What's a good way to keep the cabin pre heated? I bought a small ceramic heater that's the size of a small box. Put it in the baggage compartment and leave it plugged in a few hours before a flight ? Also I do not have a good method of pulling/ pushing my M20J in and out of the hangar? Ideas? Power tow bar? Thanks! Mark Quote
carusoam Posted December 22, 2015 Report Posted December 22, 2015 Mark, the search function is your friend.... First you need to know how much of a CB you are. then go from there... Power tows com in varieties of repurposed lawn tractors to small 4X4s to full size trucks... tow bars can be made of pipe from the aviation department of HD. My repurposed Sears lawn tractor uses a redline tow bar https://www.redlineaviation.com/mooney/be-3-xl-mooney-airplanes/ really good customer service getting to the point of having a Mooney section on their website to make it easy for me to find. The guys at redline have an electric one for an AMU or so. You are also going to need a cell switch to turn your heaters on remotely. Enjoy the reading on that.... Best regards, -a- Quote
Jeff_S Posted December 22, 2015 Report Posted December 22, 2015 I know it can get cold in Connecticut, but as far as cabin pre-heating goes, I would ask the question as to what cold weather days do you intend to fly. If it's on a sunny day, then rather than pre-heat the interior with a fan of some sort, you may be better off just dragging it into the sun and letting nature do its job. You'd be amazed at how quickly the sun will warm an enclosed cabin. The problem I see with pre-heat is that it has the potential to create condensation when the air warms up faster than the instruments, and condensation inside an older panel, with possibly less-than-airtight gauges, is not a great thing. We don't get many sub-freezing days down here in Atlanta, but that's the approach I take. As to tow-devices, as Anthony says, there's tons of info here in prior posts, so get that search bar working for you. I have a battery-operated Power Tow brand which works fine (did for my J as well) but you've got lots of options. Quote
BorealOne Posted December 22, 2015 Report Posted December 22, 2015 In addition to my Tanis engine and battery warmers, I use an Aerotherm unit in my cabin when the temps are below about -10C. I place it on the floor near the left seat, with the 'blow' directed up into the instrument panel and the 'suck' directed under the seat. It is thermostat controlled, so I don't worry about leaving it plugged in overnight. It does an excellent job of keeping things room-temp in the cabin under the covers, even when it's frightfully cold outside. As to condensation issues mentioned by Jeff_S, as any Northerner knows, they occur in any event and will be worse if you don't use cabin heat, and simply get in and try to warm the cabin while breathing in an enclosed space. Much better to warm things in advance absent your input of humid heat. Quote
gsengle Posted December 22, 2015 Report Posted December 22, 2015 As for tow, it's a workout but I push my heavier ovation around by hand! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote
Marauder Posted December 22, 2015 Report Posted December 22, 2015 Ah, another on their search for the proverbial warm plane in the winter. I flew for years in Buffalo, and between the snow removal and cold -- on a daily basis, I'm happier here in Delaware. For years I did the propane duct heater and finally went with a Reiff XP system. Just got my remote activation problem sorted out, so I can fire it up when I need to. For cabin heat, I had been using a ceramic heater but I was never comfortable leaving it alone. It was not a problem when I was using a propane heater because I wouldn't let that run alone either. For the last few years, I have been using Golden Rods in the cabin. They are fine for keeping humidity at bay and warming up the cabin on cooler days. Enough that I can throw the ceramic in for 1/2 hour while pre-flighting and have it warm enough. I asked Santa for a couple of these; http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00127WLFC?keywords=portable%20space%20heater&qid=1450790722&ref_=sr_1_274&sr=8-274 I will do a PIREP after I see them in action. If they work, I will replace my Golden Rods with them. If they don't, I'm pursuing this electric tube heater I saw hooked up to a Piper Cub here. He was preheating the engine with it, but it looked like it didn't draw a lot of power and kept the heater out of the plane. I would use a flexible hose into the cabin. For towing, a lot depends on your hangar access. If it doesn't see a lot of ice or snow around the entrance, a nice single wheel tug (there are a number of threads on the topic) would work. If you have a grade to deal with, I would look into a small garden tractor. Attach a trailer ball or ring to it and use one of these; https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/brackettuniversaltowbars.php Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote
Marauder Posted December 22, 2015 Report Posted December 22, 2015 Used in gun vaults: http://www.cabelas.com/product/GOLDEN-ROD-DEHUMIDIFIER-ROD/1769596.uts?productVariantId=3773291&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=45-123215051-2&WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=03823154&rid=20 Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote
carusoam Posted December 22, 2015 Report Posted December 22, 2015 on the topic of rH in the cabin... 1) adding dry heat to warm the cabin can not cause moisture to condense on the colder surfaces... 2) warm air can hold more moisture in solution, than cold air can. 3) By cooling air that is laden with water, forces the moisture to fall out of it. 4) exhaled air is laden with moisture. Breathing on a cold surface, cools the moisture laden air, condensing the moisture on the cold surface.... 5) heating the air in the cabin will allow the air to adsorb more moisture. When the heater turns off the air goes back to the way it was before. No excess moisture before = no excess moisture after. 6) One way to screw up the moisture condensation in the cabin thing... Put the cold plane out into warm moistured air with the doors open... Condensation will occur on all the cold surfaces.... 7) really cold air has incredibly low moisture in it. Heating it up to room temperature typically dries the air making it less comfortable to breathe. Home heating units use a humidifier for this reason. 8) Use caution with heaters. Lighting your plane on fire accidently while you are not there can be really hazardous. Make note of any smell of fuel in the cabin before using. I have not used a heater for my cabin. But lately, I see people scramble to heat their seats when we get in the car. Best regards, -a- 1 Quote
steingar Posted December 22, 2015 Report Posted December 22, 2015 I have a good sized space heater that I chuck into the cabin before I start my preflight. By the time I'm ready to roll the cabin has been nicely warmed. Quote
ArtVandelay Posted December 22, 2015 Report Posted December 22, 2015 I lived in a basement apartment and ran a dehumidifier 24/7, but maybe a hangar is too airy for it to keep up? Quote
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