Cabin heater

[JKL]

Hi All!

My apologies if this topic is a revisit, but couldn't find anything in the search...

Own a 1965 "E". the cabin heat is much stronger on the copilot side than the pilot side. There are adjustable covers for the scat tube openings where the warm air exits the system into the cabin beneath the panel, but they don't seal the end of the scat tubing, just provide some resistance to the free flow of air emanating from it. Curious to know if anyone else has run into this issue and has devised an effective solution prior to me trying to MacGyver it myself...

[takair]

On my 64 E, it is the same. Counterintuitively, I have found that the most effective way to heat the plane is to keep both of the caps closed.  This forces air to come out equally through the defrost, back exits, and pilot side.  Provides more balanced heating. This assumes no holes in the scat tubes. Give it a try. 

[JKL]

Will do!

Thanks for the suggestion, Takair!

 

[Danb]

Wish I had that problem my Acclaim has very weak heat, I tell my lovely copilot to use a blanket, which she doesn’t 

D

 

[takair]

I will say that it took me years to sort things out and get it comfortable.  Beyond the suggestion I made above above, plugging leaks is key.  I do close up one of my aft vents so I don’t pump all the heat out.  More importantly, one of the biggest leaks was the wiring pass through from the cabin to the aft cabin.  Avionics guys love this pass through, but are terrible at plugging it up after working there. It is actually easy to access through the aft hatch.  This applies equally to Acclaims.  My last leak is coming out of the side walls.  The wing to fuselage junction is hard to seal, so the side panels are a source of leaking air, especially at the spar junction.

[JKL]

No debate about the leaks - I have a major one after panel upgrade - looking for the source now. Heat disparity wasn’t noticeable until that leak occurred. Now, pretty uncomfortable to fly in the cold. Have to develop “seasonal” fixes that are easy to modify as temperature fluctuates through the year. I’ll update with the results of closing the caps and anything else I end up doing. 

[dkkim73]

11 hours ago, Danb said:

Wish I had that problem my Acclaim has very weak heat, I tell my lovely copilot to use a blanket, which she doesn’t 

D

 

I've been pleasantly surprised by heat in the Acclaim. Do you have the "cabin heater modification" already?

[Danb]

No David I don’t believe so..

[Hank]

On 1/22/2025 at 4:29 PM, JKL said:

Hi All!

My apologies if this topic is a revisit, but couldn't find anything in the search...

Own a 1965 "E". the cabin heat is much stronger on the copilot side than the pilot side. There are adjustable covers for the scat tube openings where the warm air exits the system into the cabin beneath the panel, but they don't seal the end of the scat tubing, just provide some resistance to the free flow of air emanating from it. Curious to know if anyone else has run into this issue and has devised an effective solution prior to me trying to MacGyver it myself...

If your 65 is plumbed like my 70, closing the knee tubes forces heat up to the defroster. I pull the Cabin Vent knob on the panel (usually halfway out, and I do not fully close the Cabin Vent to cool the air), and there's a Vent slider below the panel.

If your heater doesn't blow hot air, check the heater box around the muffler, and the tubing from it to the panel.