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Preheater Always Plugged in?


JLang

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This winter I installed a Tanis preheater.  Worked great.  I did not invest in a mobile phone connection to turn it on -- on top of the cost, cell coverage at the hangar is not great -- so just left it plugged in when not flying.  I believe the Tanis instructions say this is fine, but now that weather is warming, I'm wondering when to stop.  Spring in Michigan can vary from 80 degrees F to 10, sometimes within a day.  Other than the cost of electricity (paid by the FBO) and eventual wearing out of the preheater (hopefully well in the future), I can't think of a downside to keeping it plugged in, at least until I'm confident temps won't fall below 40.  Do others keep their preheaters on constantly?

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People argue about leaving them on all the time - something about moisture and corrosion.  I've never seen anything but conjecture on the topic.

 

I live in Iowa and keep my plane in an unheated hangar.  I leave it plugged in all the time during the winter.  I will stop when temps get above 40 on a regular basis.  

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I don't think leaving them on all the time is as big of deal for the Rotax. Other aircraft engines have vented crankcases. This allows them to pull moisture into the crankcase due to temperature changes. The vent on the Rotax is isolated from the crankcase by the oil in the oil tank. This keeps the internals of the engine free of corrosion causing moisture from the pre heater. My preheat stays on during the winter month, but I take a different approach to pre heat. I force warm air into the engine compartment. This would be the equivalent of keeping the airplane in a heated hangar.

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Here's an article on it:

 

"The concern of TCM and Shell is that heating the oil pan will cause moisture to evaporate from the oil sump and then condense on cool engine components such as the camshaft, crankshaft or cylinder walls, resulting in accelerated corrosion of those parts. However, if the entire engine is heated uniformly by means of a multipoint heating system, or because the engine and propeller are covered with insulated engine and prop covers, such condensation is very unlikely to occur."

 

From http://www.avweb.com/news/maint/182846-1.html#leave

 

That said. Rotax uses dry sumps. No issue.

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