corvette33 Posted December 9, 2011 Report Share Posted December 9, 2011 I recently purchased a CTSW. I have it hangered. What are the thoughts on the Riff preheater system? I have been using a hairdryer which works OK but this system has me interested. Any thoughts, experience?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMcCand - N248CT Posted December 9, 2011 Report Share Posted December 9, 2011 I use the Reiff system. It gets the plane warm in a couple of hours. I put it in when I was based in Mass, and not hangared. It is still useful out here in Portland, OR in a hangar. On these below freezing days I can pull out and start right up. There is an LOA for Reiff, Roger has it here somewhere. So, yes, I endorse that heater. I thought the Tanis was a bit more invasive, employing drilled-out bolts. Tanis is also more expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredG Posted December 9, 2011 Report Share Posted December 9, 2011 My CTsw has the Reiff system. I hangar my airplane in Iowa (in an unheated hangar). At zero degrees F OAT, with a blanket over the cowling, start up oil temp is 60 degrees F if the system has been on overnight. Engine starts without any difficulty. I am pleased with the installation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Meade Posted December 10, 2011 Report Share Posted December 10, 2011 I installed a Reiff myself a few weeks ago and have had occasion to use it only once so far. It worked fine getting me warmed up at Centennial when on a trip out there. It was not all that hard to install. I did it in conjunction with an oil change and it was easier to get access with the oil filter off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Welsch Posted December 10, 2011 Report Share Posted December 10, 2011 I'm on my second season with the Reiff heater and it works fine here in SW New Mexico where over night temps (unheated hanger) rarely get below 15F. I cover the cowl with a wool blanket and plug all air intakes with foam. I set a timer to activate the heater at midnight the night before a morning flight and its usually on about 6 hours before I get to the airport. Last Sat. with the hanger at 27F the Dynon indicated OT-73, CHT- 83/82, and EGT-66/60 before engine start. There is obviously some convection through the crankcase to the cylinder heads. PRW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Meade Posted December 11, 2011 Report Share Posted December 11, 2011 Today, I looked at my Reiff heater and the pad that is bonded to the crankcase had fallen off. I removed it so it didn't foul any other parts of the engine. When I put it on, it was colder than Reiff wanted, but I put a halogen lamp on the engine and covered it with a blanket and let it cure for 48 hours. Before I applied it, I heated the crankcase with a heat gun. So, I thought I addressed the need for a warm temperature on installation. Maybe I did not. I am not blaming Reiff, for sure. I'll contact Reiff and see if I can clean and reapply the heat strip using JB Weld (an accepted alternative) and will probably have to wait to put the plane in a properly heated envirionment for long enough for it to cure properly. Just reporting, I am not knocking the produce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lays Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 My Reiff heater pad also fell off after about 6 months. I replaced it with the Tanis heater. Works much better up here in Northern Alberta, even at -25C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Meade Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 I had a phone talk today with someone from Reiff. We concluded my pad was still good. I'll clean it up and attach it again. I suspect I didn't use enough pressure to hold it in place till it set and I probably didn't get it warm enough. I can do it myself with JB Weld or order their epoxy and it will cure under it's own heat. I probably put on a little too much epoxy the first time and didn't come up with a way to hold it in place until it was thoroughly set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRon Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 I really like the Reiff heater here in Minnesota. It works well and in winter I keep it plugged in all the time. I was told by locals that this isn't a good idea because of building condensation. I wrote Reiff to ask about this and got a reply from Bob Reiff himself. He said this was (generally) not a problem. The trick is to heat the engine uniformly, preferrably by covering your cowling. Condensation is caused by differential heating. Have a look at this weblink: http://www.reiffpreheat.com/FAQ.htm#QA3 It explains things very well, I think. I now have no fear of keeping mine plugged in all winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Meade Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 My Reiff engine heating pad adhered and stayed on the second time I installed it. I cleaned it well. I ran the engine till it was warm, cleaned the mounting location and the heating pad with acetone, applied warm JB Weld that was well mixed. I got some wood blocks and some window shims. I used the blocks and shims to hold the pad snugly in position. I was careful to not put on so much force that anything was moved or shifted, just enough to hold it snugly where it needed to go. I covered the engine with the top cowling and laid an open sleeping bag on top of that. Underneath were two 500W halogen heaters (careful to keep them from anything they could damage). This was in 30-50° weather. It set up for 48 hours. I've flown it several times since and it works properly and has stayed on. I'm satisfied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airhound Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 Just installed a Tanis. Want to avoid timers and remote on/off....spoke with Tanis Tech Spt and hung-up with the idea that it is just fine to leave the thing plugged in year round......said it has been reported that it will help defeat moisture/corrosion...if left on... Any pearls of wisdom from others that use engine preheaters? Bad to leave them plugged in year around? Thank you, use to have a SW, now a RANS S-19 ELSA Owner...Doug in IL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.