Heater ideas

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 8:35 pm

I was thinking about heaters on my long 14 minute drive home from work today. I'm probably missing something here, but why hasn't anyone used a small electric heater for use in the cockpit, rather than muffler shroud heat? Or has anyone? It would be instantaneous heat, no CO (I don't think...

), and easily installed in the baggage compartment or between the rudder pedals.

Thoughts?

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 8:38 pm

Thinkin'... BIG amp draw!

Really BIG!

The heated seats are already ALOT and they are efficient!

Do those...

CJ

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 8:43 pm

Yeah, I planned heated seats, but those won't to anything for the ambient air, or cold feet.

jim_geo · Post by **jim_geo** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 8:52 pm

Sounds like a weight issue to me. Hot air that you're going to have anyway being connected to fairly light weight componants via scat tube Vs. the addition of a heater and fan system drawing power from a bigger battery getting charged from a heavier alternator.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 8:55 pm

...and a space issue as well!

No place to put it, really.

If you keep your core warm, your feet will be warm too.

If you feel the need to heat your feet, buy the boot inserts from Dennis Kirk for snowmobiling. They work well!

CJ

dons · Post by **dons** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 12:44 pm

It is all about current draw. A small electric heater you plug into the wall in your shop might be 500 Watts, a big one that uses most of the available current on a standard house circuit might be 1500 Watts. To get just 500 Watts on a 12 volt electrical system like in an aircraft would require about 40 amps. I suspect the amount of heat extracted the normal way with the muff exceeds 500 watts.

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:51 pm

There is a lot of free heat coming off the exhaust that I plan on using.

Well, maybe not free, but I'll be paying for it anyway, might as well use it.

I vote for using the elcectric to raise and lower flaps and stuff like that.

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 10:53 am

We have to get that "poker" emoticon in our library...Spike?

Thanks for the input guys. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to electricity and it's uses and draws and soforth.

Post by **Spike** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 11:16 am

cjensen wrote:We have to get that "poker" emoticon in our library...Spike?

Can do, but im slammed at work. Ill try to get to it this weekend. Can you "poke" me tomorrow to remind me?

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 12:59 am

Here is a poke for you Spike.