Tanis Cabin/ Avionics Pre-Heater?

[William Munney]

Does anyone have any experience with the Tanis Cabin/Avionics Pre-heater?  Did you install it yourself?  Recommended?

Sounds like a good idea to me.

[PeteMc]

I've seen lots of pics of people that use Ceramic heaters (on low).  One had it on the hangar floor and had taken some heating duct material and fed the heat in through the Pilot Window.  On low he said there was plenty of heat to warm the cabin, but no danger in affecting the window. 

I'm guessing with a little insulation (and some PRE Testing) you could actually run the heater on Hi and not affect the window. 

 

NOTE: I if you have a propane engine heater you DO NOT want to put the tube in the window to heat the cabin.  There is a lot of moisture in that air, warm or not. 

 

 

[William Munney]

Thank you.  I’m just a bit hesitant to leave any heating device, other than the engine heater, cooking away in the hangar with no supervision.

This sounds like a good idea with some testing time necessary.

[PeteMc]

If you have Internet at your hangar and can find a heater with a hard switch you can flip to low, then you can turn it on a few hours before you fly.  You can also have a camera to see that the heater has the correct lights on (if it has status lights).

 

[dzeleski]

I use a hornet heater works really well and has lots of safety features to make sure you won’t cause a fire.

Whatever you use make sure it’s fuel safe!

 

edit: https://www.aircraftheaters.com/aircraftheaters

 

I have the 45, it turns on at 55 and off at 65. It doesn’t get hot enough to melt anything either.

Edited November 23, 2023 by dzeleski

[William Munney]

Great suggestions.   Thank you.  I’m in the upper Midwest in a non-heated hangar.  Hey, at least it’s a dry cold.

Edited November 23, 2023 by William Munney

[William Munney]

24 minutes ago, dzeleski said:

I use a hornet heater works really well and has lots of safety features to make sure you won’t cause a fire.

Whatever you use make sure it’s fuel safe!

 

edit: https://www.aircraftheaters.com/aircraftheaters

 

I have the 45, it turns on at 55 and off at 65. It doesn’t get hot enough to melt anything either.

So, does this just sit on the floor inside the airplane?  On the carpet?  Sheet metal?  Maybe baggage compartment shelf?

Edited November 23, 2023 by William Munney

[Marc_B]

I have the Tanis cabin heater and it was the more expensive option but seemed least likely to cause me issues. Draws air from top side blowing it out the side/forward. Small. Low wattage. I primarily got it as my cellular switch has a current limitation and if tripped the unit has to be sent off.

Most mini ceramic heaters are cheaply made, have 1500w (too much) and weren’t made for aircraft. I turn on the cabin preheat at least an hour prior and it’s nice and toasty when I get there. Pricey (like anything marketed to aviation) but fits the role perfectly. I put it on floor in front of copilot seat to blow forward to avionics. Flat profile with no chance of flipping or falling over. 
Seems like only downside is cost. 

[Marc_B]

@OSUAV8TER sells them and can answer any other questions you may have. (Where I got mine)

[PT20J]

How cold? I have a 1500W ceramic heater that will heat the interior toasty warm on low in a few minutes in a 30 deg F hangar. I often use it on cold days to warm up the cabin while pre-flighting. It also works well on high with a piece of aluminized flexible duct attached and blasting up through a cowl flap to preheat the engine in about an hour. 

Skip

[PT20J]

I keep a West Marine boat air dryer in the baggage compartment running continuously during the winter/rainy season in the Seattle area. It puts out a very small amount of heat.

https://www.westmarine.com/west-marine-air-dryer-with-fan-dehumidifier-120v-ac-7867518.html?&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=PMax: GSC>Smart_Shopping>Plumbing & Ventilation2023&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAjfyqBhAsEiwA-UdzJIgMRohFHXuGmp0j485jgUi6-W_5v5XRpUdxvM62pvVVFjjRqgcyBhoC4q4QAvD_BwE

[larryb]

Serious question: Does it really help? I’m thinking that it takes probably 5 minutes to pull the plane out of the hangar, put away the car, and close the door. By then has the cabin already cooled to ambient? I fly out of Truckee in the winter. The engine is heated, the cabin is not. I just wear a down jacket and have fingerless gloves.

[dzeleski]

52 minutes ago, William Munney said:

So, does this just sit on the floor inside the airplane?  On the carpet?  Sheet metal?  Maybe baggage compartment shelf?

I screwed mine into a small piece of wood and put it on the back seat. I run the power wire out the cargo door and just leave the door slightly cracked open.

You could also just run the wire through the pilot window but I found that more annoying.

[dzeleski]

4 minutes ago, larryb said:

Serious question: Does it really help? I’m thinking that it takes probably 5 minutes to pull the plane out of the hangar, put away the car, and close the door. By then the cabin has already cooled to ambient? I fly out of Truckee in the winter. The engine is heated, the cabin is not. I just wear a down jacket and have fingerless gloves.

Yes 100%. The interior will still hold the heat, of course it drops a little by the time you get in but it’s still way better than ambient. It takes the nip out of the interior and makes it way more enjoyable to start up and instantly be warm. The leather is warm, the yoke isn’t an ice cube, it’ll also help with avionics that have spinning things. I’ve also noticed my controls being less stiff (throttle, mixture, etc).

I have a remote switch that I schedule the morning of a flight(switche on). 4 hours before the engine heater comes on and 1 hour before the interior heater comes on. It’s basically like starting up in the spring time.

 

[hammdo]

I agree, I have a heater in the hat rack with a switcheon… makes a huge difference when cold…

-Don

[PT20J]

1 hour ago, larryb said:

Serious question: Does it really help? I’m thinking that it takes probably 5 minutes to pull the plane out of the hangar, put away the car, and close the door. By then has the cabin already cooled to ambient? I fly out of Truckee in the winter. The engine is heated, the cabin is not. I just wear a down jacket and have fingerless gloves.

It probably depends on the insulation. Mooney long ago went to aluminized Mylar foam on the side panels to prevent moisture retention and corrosion of the tubular structure, but at least into the 1990s, it still used fiberglass elsewhere. I replaced all the fiberglass with the same material used on the side panels and it made it cozier in the cockpit. 

[Fritz1]

I have an Alien engine heater that I use in the cabin and leave it there overnight. The Alien has about 1600W and I set it to 70 degrees which makes the cabin toasty. This really helps against windows freezing up on the inside while taxiing. The Alien is a great recirculating engine heater, but the now installed Reiff is better, I take the Alien with me on winter travel.

[PeteMc]

4 hours ago, Marc_B said:

Most mini ceramic heaters are cheaply made, have 1500w (too much)

True, but a lot have a Low and a High.  You just need to find one and use the Low.

 

[PeteMc]

3 hours ago, larryb said:

Serious question: Does it really help? I’m thinking that it takes probably 5 minutes to pull the plane out of the hangar, put away the car, and close the door. By then has the cabin already cooled to ambient?

It should help a lot!  The air temp in the plane may go back to ambient or at least cool off a lot when you open the door.  But the radios & instruments will remain warm for quite a while. 

[blaine beaven]

I have used one of these for the past 4 years and it works great. I usually plug my plane in the night before a trip as soon as the temps get below freezing. 

It sits on the floor behind the pilot seat pointing to the midline which seems to be a nice central location to distribute the heat.

I also have a vinyl curtain that hangs just in front of the rear seats. This has been great for pre heating and flying in the winter. It cuts the cabin space I am actively heating by at least half. 

[OSUAV8TER]

@William Munney the Tanis cabin heater is the only ceramic heater that I have used that I am comfortable with turning on and leaving it on while I am not with the aircraft. I know a lot of people use the cheap ceramic heaters but they are overkill for a small airplane cabin and they can pull too much power if ran on high. When I used the cheap heaters I was nervous about turning them on prior to flight so I'd get to the airport 30 minutes early to warm up the cabin, which kind of defeats the point. With the Tanis cabin heater I turn it on several hours before I go flying so everything is warm soaked. It activates by just applying power to it so there is no on/off switch to fiddle with. It is made of high quality components, cannot tip over, and is FAA-PMA approved. I just run my cord through the storm window and I fabricated a little insulation foam piece for the cord. It is good for about a 40 degree temperature rise compared to the ambient temperature. I have them in stock for $418 and they work really well with SwitcheOn.

https://www.gallagheraviationllc.com/Tanis-Cabin-Heater_p_149.html

[Pinecone]

The air temp will cool while pulling the plane out, but if you got all the stuff warmed, it will hold its heat for a fairly long time.

Also since you want to get all the stuff fully warmed, running a heater for 30 minutes is not going to do this.  It takes time for the heat to transfer to the inside of things.

[M20F-1968]

I bought two cabin heaters made for boats which are sold by West Marine.  Bought one for $70 and one for $28.  The links to West Marine are here:

 https://www.westmarine.com/west-marine-portable-cabin-heater-7867500.html

https://www.westmarine.com/caframo-hot-shot-portable-ceramic-cabin-heater-110v-19633403.html

The first one (Grey) is made very well, steel case, has legs which raise in from the floor.  The case does not get warm.  The legs raise in sufficiently so it can sit in the hat rack with the air outlet aimed over the rolled raised edge of the hat rack. It does not have a ground wire on the cord.

The other (black) has a plastic case, can sit on the floor in front of the co-pilot's seat, has a ground wire, the case does not get warm, and has a safety switch in the bottom.

For the prices I paid, I will keep them but am still contemplating the safety of using them, even if it is just for 30 minutes during preflight.  It is overkill because I have a heated hanger as well (but my propane heater currently needs replacing).  I purchased a new Modine 150,000 heater which will be installed next week.  

What do you all think about these cabin heaters?

John Breda

[geoffb]

RV dehumidifier that looks like the West Marine units shown above.  I put it on the carper under the pilot's side panel.  20 years, no problem.  It's to keep the gyros a little warm, not me.

[William Munney]

Bought a Hornet 45 w/ custom thermostat.  I just wanted enough heat to keep the avionics from deep freezing in the Midwest January weather.  I don’t need it to be 70f in there.  HAD to have a thermostat.  For me, this is only for unattended aircraft avionics comfort in the worst cold.  Looking for a heated hangar actually.