Hat

Below are several items that some customers find useful. We don't sell these items but some links are provided to other sources for your convenience. We have no relationship with them, financial or otherwise.
	COWLING COVERS - We recommend an insulated engine cover when using our preheat systems. Using a cover dramatically improves the performance of an engine heater. A test by one of our customers showed that the engine temperature rise with a cover was 52% higher than the rise without a cover. (Read about this test by going to Articles. See "In Search of Optimal Preheating - Part 1") Without sealing and insulating the engine compartment, much of the heat will escape to the air and be wasted, just like if you try to bake something with the oven door open. A cover will also help retain engine heat for several hours after shutdown, making it unnecessary to preheat on short layovers. Another benefit of a cover is to help the engine preheater heat everything in the engine compartment uniformly, which makes condensation less likely. Custom covers fitted for your aircraft are available from several sources, such as Alaska Wing Covers, and Bruce's Custom Covers These are best for outside use since they tie to the aircraft so the wind won't blow them off. But if you hangar your aircraft, an expensive custom made cover is not necessary. All you need is what we use... a Queen size bed quilt we bought at a second hand store for $3. Or get a moving blanket, sleeping bag, or any thick blanket laid over the top of the cowling and left hanging down the sides, and tucked over the prop blades, hub, and air inlets like this... Here is an idea from Henry Fiorentini, President of the Midwest Bonanza Society: "Horse blankets. Darn cheap and perfect. The prop comes out where the horses’ tail normally would and the flank covers make perfect cowl cover flaps. I bought mine shown at SSTACK.com. I bought the Dura Tech Viking Turnout Blanket X-Midweight, size 84 for about $70 plus shipping and tax. It’s perfect. And it comes in different colors." PROP COVERS - These help prevent loss of heat through the blades, which can be substantial. Think of your aluminum prop blades as big cooling fins. A customer has run tests and reports that the temperature of his preheated engine is 10^o F warmer with prop and spinner covers than without. You can buy fancy ones, or some customers just cut the legs off snow pants and glue or sew one end closed.

	REMOTE CONTROL - These make using your preheater A LOT more convenient, saving you a trip to the hangar to plug in the system before each flight. One type uses the cellular phone network. They are available from various sources, such as SwitcheOn . Another type uses Internet WIFI rather than the cell phone network. Don't have WIFI in your hangar? Leave your iPad in your hangar setup as a hotspot. Or check with your internet provider and see if they have an internet receiver that you can place in your hangar.

Below are several items that some customers find useful. We don't sell these items but some links are provided to other sources for your convenience. We have no relationship with them, financial or otherwise.