Cabin Heat

[akflyer 1427]

Here is the cabin heat muff I have been using on my Avid. Even at -15 it keeps it warm enough to fly without gloves on.

U picked up a cheap piece of aluminum at the local hardware store along with some rope gasket material that is used to seal off the doors in a wood fireplace. Cut the aluminum to the length and width you will need with a little extra on the length so you can wrap it around the muffler with the rope gasket in place. They also sell an adhesive for putting the gasket material on. I wrapped the gasket around the muffler and used the sealant and one wrap of safety wire to hold it in place till the glue dried. You will need to fabricate 2 flanges from the scrap aluminum for your hoses. I used a wood dowel that was the right OD for the SCAT hose and wrapped it around the dowel and drilled a few holes for rivets. Then I slipped it off the dowel and pop riveted it up the sides. I cut slits in one end and bent some tabs out. I located the areas I would need to put the nozzles on for the hose and cut them out in the shroud, then slipped in the nozzle in place from the inside, ran some sealant around it and riveted it in place with a few pop rivets. Next you wrap the new muff in place and hold it with tape or a couple hose clamps and drill arcoss the seam for the rivets. A few rivets and you have 90% of the fabrication complete. A couple runs of SCAT hose and your install is complete. On my bird, I picked up a new heat control box off ebay that was for a super cub. No one else bid on it so I got it for 15 bucks shipped! I mounted it on the fire wall and ran a lawn mower throttle cable to it for the heater control (just like the big boys, it will either put the heat in the cock pit or dump it over board). On Wagonmasters plane we just ran the hose into the cockpit with out any controls cause he wanted heat on full time in the winter anyway. I will see if I can get some better pics when I pull the cowling off later today or tomorrow.

After a few flights at -15 or colder, I saw some muffler wrap in the performance section of the local auto parts store. It is a fiber glass wrap with a foil face on it. It is a little spendy, but the package was enough to do 3 planes and probably enough left over to do one or two more. I wrapped the heat muff with the insulation to keep the cold wind off the aluminum shroud and temp went up DRASTICALLY so I figured the money was well worth it!

[horsepower 24]

I bet that would work good,I was thinking about putting a small heater core in mine and some sort of valves to regulate the temp but may do something like yours instead.My exhaust runs on the side of fuse so it may not be the most attractive.My Y pipe and pipe to the muffler are in the cowling and then it exits just before the muffler. Randy

[akflyer 1427]

I bet that would work good,I was thinking about putting a small heater core in mine and some sort of valves to regulate the temp but may do something like yours instead.My exhaust runs on the side of fuse so it may not be the most attractive.My Y pipe and pipe to the muffler are in the cowling and then it exits just before the muffler. Randy

I was going to put another muff on the pipe from the Y pipe to the muffler if I needed it, but as of yet I have not needed it.

[BryceKat 125]

Hey Leni,

Can you please make a video of your heater? I've read this a bunch of times and still don't get it! It's not your right up, it's me ! Thanks,Bryce

[6320012s 12]

I've got a little heater core and fan in my kitfox that was installed by the previous owner. It didn't work for beans at first because it was just in series with the external radiator. To improve the situation, I machined an adapter that moved the thermostat out from the block about an inch and allowed room for a hose connection on the engine side of the thermostat. That mod in combination with some good weather stripping on the doors, and I'm nice and toasty.....well at least well above freezing. If I wanted to make it better, I cold get a bigger heater core, the the current setup has been adequate.

Dave

[akflyer 1427]

Hey Leni,

Can you please make a video of your heater? I've read this a bunch of times and still don't get it! It's not your right up, it's me ! Thanks,Bryce

Your in luck! I took the heat muff off when I changed the engines out. I have to put it back on when I get home so I will set up the vid camera and shoot the installation along with some still pics. Gimme a week or so cause I gotta get divorced the day after I get home this time! That day will be followed by a couple days of celebration ( I have been trying to get this done for 2 yrs now), then I will sober up enough to work on the plane and get the heat muff put back on!

Dave,

The heater cores that come with the plane are pretty darn small. I was going to look for an aluminum heater core that is bigger than the stock one, but not huge and heavy. I am thinking one out of a ford ranger will be about right. A good fan is the biggest issue, the little computer fans just dont put out very much air..

[BryceKat 125]

Hey Leni,

How thick is the fiber glass insulation on the muffler performance wrap that you used to wrap the muffler with. I have some extra fiberglass cloth and aluminum tape I'm thinking of making my own to save some$$$$! Thanks man, Bryce

[akflyer 1427]

It is pretty much just header wrap with a foil backing on it. The aluminum tape works but wont stay on for very long.  I used it to seal up the seams and I have to replace it every couple months.

 

[BryceKat 125]

Thanks Leni!

[BryceKat 125]

Hey Leni,

Did you wrap a screen door spring type spring around your muffler or is it just unrestricted airflow going through the muff assembly? Thanks, Bryce

[1wise1 1]

I made one using a small piece of furnace duct. It's nothing but a fiberglass insulation tube lined on both sides with aluminum foil.

You're right about nut using tape, it gets hot and crispy then dissolves in flakes.  Either wire it or use a couple of big big hose clamps.

Home Depot has 'em up to 4 inches for 3 bucks. 

I'm expecting to have to make a new one every couple of years because the aluminum lining is not heavy duty enough to withstand the high temperature of the exhaust pipe. 

[marksires 484]

I solved my winter heating problem. Bought a house in Florida )

Mark

[akflyer 1427]

  well that is one way to do it... but I would guess it is less cost effecting than a simple heat muff  

 

I would have to say that the eye candy is probly much better there in the winter though... A warm sandy beach does have its good points!

 

[marksires 484]

Yep, a bikini on a warm sandy beach is way better than layers of long underwear in muddy slush (we get enough snow in Illinois I know that postcard stuff is a bunch of crap.  About an hour after it quits snowing, it's just a muddy, slushy mess)!

 

However, you have to keep the eye bleach handy, remember that most of the folks here in the winter are NOT college coeds!

 

The house in Florida came with a couple of runways and a hangar too.  Now all my toys can live at home!

 

Mark

[Av8r3400 1177]

I tell you what--  One of these in the cabin with me in the cold winter would keep me pretty warm.

 

 

…and I could still go ski flying.

[marksires 484]

Nope, that won't work.  No way that would be dressed like that in Alaska, and by the time you get it unwrapped, you're too tired to do anything else! The only thing that is worse than getting old, is not!