Keeping stuff warm in the hangar (fluids, cleaners, electronics, etc)

[tigers2007]

Does anyone here have a CB method to keep hangar crap warm in the winter? I usually keep my lithium ion batteries and other sensitive electronics in the cockpit area as I keep the cockpit heated with a 175 watt Honeywell HCE100B ceramic heater on its low setting to keep the instruments above freezing. I usually keep an unopened quart of oil on the seat too.

 

I was just thinking about taking an old Igloo cooler and laying a 30 watt heating pad on the floor of it and storing some other items in there like more oil, liquid aircraft cleaning supplies, and other electronics like headsets and oxygen gear. Of course everything is sealed closed. Everything is frozen in my hangar right now including a gallon jug of glycol based RV antifreeze that is labeled “Protects to -50 below zero” (which is hilarious as it has been worse than -30 F ambient all winter). I did the math and a 30 watt heating pad would cost

 

Anyone do something like that?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ArtVandelay]

Whatever you do, just remember the fire hazards of heating certain fluids.


Tom

[toto]

I had (have) a small metal insulated cabinet for storing paint, cleaning products, glues, solvents, etc, that don't take kindly to freezing. The cabinet has an electronic timer switch in it, with a cable that runs to the wall outlet. That little switch gave off enough heat continuously to keep the box above freezing (on the coldest days of the winter it might get down to mid-30s in there).

Very low-tech solution that was built by my predecessor in the hangar, but very effective (and cheap).

The county FD put a stop to all this about two years ago by saying that nothing can ever be plugged continuously into a wall outlet. So I had to physically move the cabinet away from the outlet. And now my Simple Green is frozen inside the unplugged cabinet. 

But it's a great setup. 

[Mark89114]

41 minutes ago, toto said:

I had (have) a small metal insulated cabinet for storing paint, cleaning products, glues, solvents, etc, that don't take kindly to freezing. The cabinet has an electronic timer switch in it, with a cable that runs to the wall outlet. That little switch gave off enough heat continuously to keep the box above freezing (on the coldest days of the winter it might get down to mid-30s in there).

Very low-tech solution that was built by my predecessor in the hangar, but very effective (and cheap).

The county FD put a stop to all this about two years ago by saying that nothing can ever be plugged continuously into a wall outlet. So I had to physically move the cabinet away from the outlet. And now my Simple Green is frozen inside the unplugged cabinet. 

But it's a great setup. 

Nothing can be plugged in continuously?  What kind of short bus special morons are working in government these days......maybe we shouldn't have electricity at all???  After all we are connected to the grid continuously.....

[tigers2007]

I would leave ample space from said "cooler" or cabinet and the wall and aircraft. I could jerry-rig up a thermostat switch too like what I made for the cabin heater to shut off at a certain temp. I figured 30 watts at 120V (0.25 Amps) on a heating pad wouldn't be a fire hazard. I suppose I could text such a setup at home. I'm just sick of schlepping around totes of crap I keep warm in my house. For my home garage I think I'm going to take an old metal locker, line it with foam and try this out to keep my fluids above freezing. Or maybe I can find an old fire cabinet for cheap on craigslist. 

[toto]

21 minutes ago, Mark89114 said:

Nothing can be plugged in continuously?  What kind of short bus special morons are working in government these days......maybe we shouldn't have electricity at all???  After all we are connected to the grid continuously.....

Yep, not even an extension cord for an engine-mounted heater can be plugged in when unattended. And they won't allow anything that *could* be plugged in to remain permanently near the wall outlet. So unplugging the cabinet wasn't enough - I had to physically move it. 

[exM20K]

57 minutes ago, toto said:

Yep, not even an extension cord for an engine-mounted heater can be plugged in when unattended. And they won't allow anything that *could* be plugged in to remain permanently near the wall outlet. So unplugging the cabinet wasn't enough - I had to physically move it. 

Their house, their rules, I guess.  We’re I in that situation, I’d keep the stuff at home or in another heated storage place during the cold months.  Plexus, dry wash, and some spare oil are really the only “essentials” especially when one is disinclined to linger in a freezing hangar.

i wouldn’t be happy, of course.  Perhaps a friendly visit with the fire chief or whoever is making this call would be worthwhile.  If it’s in the municipal code, you probably won’t get anywhere, but if it’s not, maybe you can.  This policy would preclude, for example, a refrigerator in a hangar or detached garage, for example.  It would also preclude most overhead door lift systems.  

[tigers2007]

1 hour ago, toto said:

Yep, not even an extension cord for an engine-mounted heater can be plugged in when unattended. And they won't allow anything that *could* be plugged in to remain permanently near the wall outlet. So unplugging the cabinet wasn't enough - I had to physically move it. 

How do they enforce this? Do they have someone taking attendance and watching the electrical meters? Clearly the City Attorney is running the town. I'll bet you the fire trucks and ambulances are kept plugged in 24/7. I supposed the county won't be endorsing Tesla motor vehicle products soon...

[toto]

9 minutes ago, tigers2007 said:

How do they enforce this? Do they have someone taking attendance and watching the electrical meters? Clearly the City Attorney is running the town. I'll bet you the fire trucks and ambulances are kept plugged in 24/7. I supposed the county won't be endorsing Tesla motor vehicle products soon...

They do periodic inspections. My sense is that this isn't more than once or twice a year. 

I was in this hangar for about 18 years without a single write-up, and about two years ago I started having to do lots of remediation to stay in compliance. I suspect that this has more to do with aggressive enforcement than it has to do with policy change, but I dunno. I've talked several times to the fire chief, and he's been super helpful and knowledgeable. And when I read the policy, there's no doubt that I'm wrong and he's right. 

Whether I agree with the policy is a separate question

[carusoam]

There are things that might be similar...

Gun Safe humidity controllers are essentially a device that heats the air inside a gun safe/cabinet...

The pet industry has small heaters that don’t get very hot for heating your lizard... lots of heat, but temp gets limited...

Find a heater and a cabinet that fits your situation...

Use your cognitive skills to not let anything catch fire... including when the heater fails to stay controlled/turn off...

If it can go wrong, it will go wrong...

PP thoughts only, not a fireman...

Best regards,

-a-

[skydvrboy]

My dad used an old dead fridge with a lightbulb installed out in the garage to keep paint from freezing. Cost was almost zero and it seemed to get the job done.

[KLRDMD]

14 hours ago, tigers2007 said:

Does anyone here have a CB method to keep hangar crap warm in the winter?

Move to Tucson. Problem solved.

[ArtVandelay]

Move to Tucson. Problem solved.

He said CB method, you posted pictures of your house, you sir are no CB.

 

Tom

[KLRDMD]

9 hours ago, ArtVandelay said:

He said CB method, you posted pictures of your house, you sir are no CB.

There are lots of other houses in Tucson