skipswift Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 Has anyone done this? Thoughts? Watch outs? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeBee Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 I looked at them to power my AeroTherm Deuce. Takes a very big unit, like about 60 pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boilermonkey Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 Yeah, most don't have the output amps required to run a block heater. You'd be better off buying a small gas powered inverter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinecone Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 Even if they will supply the amps, it will only be for a short period of time. FYI, you need gas powered generator, that may incorporate an inverter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takair Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 I use two deep cycle lead acid batteries, inverter, cellular switch to preheat for three hours running 300 watts of heat on the engine. I have a solar panel on the hangar to charge. V1 had a single deep cycle battery, but that barely went two hours and was barely adequate. My neighbor uses 4 deep cycle batteries and a much larger inverter for a full Tanis heater. Another neighbor has a huge bank of deepecycles and huge panels for his Baron preheat. Long story short, it takes a lot of energy to get heat into these engines. The battery does not output as much in cold either, so that is another consideration. Given my experience, two deep cycle for 2 hours is what you need when temps are in the twenties. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhrivnak Posted January 17 Report Share Posted January 17 This is very doable, and it gives you a power solution you can bring with you in the plane. Let's focus on the pre-heating part, since that's simpler and hopefully a more common use case than charging your plane's battery. Figure out how much power your heater pulls in watts. Using a kill-a-watt is a good way to measure. I think mine pulls about 800W total to heat the oil sump and each of the four cylinders. If yours only heats the sump, it probably uses a lot less power. Want to pre-heat for an hour? In my case I'd be looking for a LiFePo4 battery that can output at least 800Wh (watt-hours; that's literally saying it can output 800W for an hour). A standard 100Ah (amp-hour) battery will give about 1300Wh, so that would be more than sufficient. Then you need an inverter that can handle the load. Over-size it. For my 800W load, I'd look for something rated for 1000W or more. Connect it all with appropriate gauge wire, and you're in business. A simple approach is to secure the battery, inverter and charger in a milk crate with straps and zip ties. Or just buy one of the ready-made power stations with a sufficient power rating. DIY example with respectable components: $100 inverter $260 battery (after coupon) $50 charger plus wire, connectors, and a crate or toolbox to put it all in. You get a fun project and save a lot compared to buying a Jackery 1000 or similar. To charge the plane's battery, you'd want a DC-DC charge controller along with a way to connect it to the plane's battery. But hopefully that isn't a common need, and it may not be worth worrying about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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