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Let’s talk engine pre-heaters..

Tram

Well Known Member
So, I’ve been using a thermostat controlled heater to heat our engines when the temps drop below 40°F in the hangar.

I recently started wondering if there was a better process and/or if this caused any damage due to condensation.

I’ve now realized this is a pretty big debate on the internet.

My research led me down the road to the Switcheon product. And in my research on that, I noticed it too has an option to be thermostatically controlled.

I’ve also seen dehydrators.

So, I’m wondering if I keep my thermostat setup and add in a dehydrator if that would be more beneficial than just switching to a Switcheon cellular setup.

I’m curious as to what you guys may be doing.

Anyonr?
 
Rieff oil sump pad running 24/7 November through March. Cowl plugs and blanket inside an insulated hangar. Been doing it this way for twenty years.

I realize this is controversial for some....but you asked. :)
 
I don't think there's anything wrong with what you're doing. That said, If you go the cellular route, I would opt for:

  1. Cellular hotspot
  2. Create a local wifi network
  3. Add smart outlets

With smart outlets you have much greater control. You can get pretty geeky, including custom coded control through APIs. Added benefit, you have internet access in your hanger for database updates and VAF access!

I currently use smart outlets for my engine heater and dehydrator.

If you go the cellular switch/relay make sure it's at least 4G...3G networks are slowly being depreciated.
 
Rieff oil sump pad running 24/7 November through March. Cowl plugs and blanket inside an insulated hangar. Been doing it this way for twenty years.

I realize this is controversial for some....but you asked. :)

I'm good with a little controversy. :)

I don't think anyone knows for sure.

Do you know what temp your Rieff keeps your engine at?

I don't think there's anything wrong with what you're doing. That said, If you go the cellular route, I would opt for:

  1. Cellular hotspot
  2. Create a local wifi network
  3. Add smart outlets

With smart outlets you have much greater control. You can get pretty geeky, including custom coded control through APIs. Added benefit, you have internet access in your hanger for database updates and VAF access!

I currently use smart outlets for my engine heater and dehydrator.

If you go the cellular switch/relay make sure it's at least 4G...3G networks are slowly being depreciated.

Yeh, I'm all "smart house" at home. Being able to lay in bed and turn out the spotlights is amazing. LOL

I've considered the hotspot route, but I'm not sure what the cheapest I could get a plan for would be.

Any idea?
 
I'm good with a little controversy. :)
I've considered the hotspot route, but I'm not sure what the cheapest I could get a plan for would be.

Any idea?

The cheapest I could get was $5 for 500/MB/Month T-Mobile service. ($10 - $5 with autopay).
 
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I recently went with the Switcheon unit (two outlets) and really like it. No need to set up a separate phone number/sim card/account etc. Cost is $50 per year after the first year which is free. If I need internet access when I am at the hangar, I just use the hotspot on my phone.

I have a Tanis heater pad on the sump and their heater element on the plug that holds in the suction screen (I don't believe it is available anymore). Have a fitted cowl wrap made out of some Harbor Freight moving blankets. Generally have it turn on 3 or 4 hours before flight. Also on the same Switcheon unit, I have a small (about 200 watts) ceramic heater in the cockpit.

With the blanket on the cow0,l the whole engine warms up not just the oil if left on for long enough.

Keith
 
I'm good with a little controversy. :)

I don't think anyone knows for sure.

Do you know what temp your Rieff keeps your engine at?

Oil and CHT is maintained at ~80F. The heater is thermostatically limited to 150F so the oil isn't stressed. The entire engine compartment is warm including the battery. I think this is important because of that large lump of iron in the engine that has a six-foot heat sink bolted to it. I have to wonder if some of the quickie warming schemes get the crank and journals warm.

The airplane thinks it is spending the winter in Florida...... :D
 
I’ve been using Switcheon for a few years now. I have OK-but-not-great cellphone reception, and no wifi. The Switcheon has been excellent. Completely reliable, always works, simple to use. Excellent support. $50 per year (first year is free). It uses a simple app, no sims, no text messages, no cellphone contracts. I use it to turn on my Reiff engine pre-heater and my Hornet 45 cockpit heater. I have rarely used any temperature-based automations but routinely use the timer. A cellular hotspot isn’t feasible where I am…that was what I first investigated…but the Switcheon is so simple that I can’t even imagine the need for the hassles of going through a cell phone provider for anything.

The Reiff has a sump heater and cylinder bands. If I run it for 6 hours, I’ve never seen starting oil temps below 100°F. The whole engine compartment is warm.

The Hornet cockpit heater has its own thermostat always set at 45°F. I’ve not seen any value in leaving either it or the Reiff heater on all the time. Heating/cooling probably does create some degree of condensation at times as the changing temp crosses the dew point, but I do keep the engine on a dehydrator 24/7/365.

I do really like the Hornet45 cockpit heater. The thing is designed to be intrinsically safe…I could never get comfortable just putting a hardware-store space heater or milk house heater with duct tape and ductwork in my airplane, but my Conforfoam seats are hard as a board when cold.
 

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Does the Switcheon unit provide feedback that it worked? I tried the app and it doesn't look like it. I have a cell switch now but it is due to quit pretty quick. I like it because it sends a text back.
 
Does the Switcheon unit provide feedback that it worked? I tried the app and it doesn't look like it. I have a cell switch now but it is due to quit pretty quick. I like it because it sends a text back.

If the signal didn’t go through, the switch won’t turn green, so yes. Additionally, I can tell because the ambient temp that it displays will go up if there’s current in that circuit.

Switcheon uses the so-called IoT (internet of things). Low bandwidth, designed to turn things on and off, not send voice or images, or even texts. If you tell Switcheon to turn something on….it will keep trying over and over until it does. In three years, I’ve never had it fail, and the cell service at my hangar is crappy.
 
Does the Switcheon unit provide feedback that it worked? I tried the app and it doesn't look like it. I have a cell switch now but it is due to quit pretty quick. I like it because it sends a text back.

Yes, on the app when you flip the switch it appears about half-way pigmented (ghosted) indicating the signal was sent to the device but not yet confirmed. When the device gets the command it will send back a confirmation to your phone and "ghosted" indicator turns solid, telling you that confirmation was received. Sometimes that takes a few seconds, sometimes as long as a minute. Also - more than one person can have the app controlling a single device on their phone - so two or three hangar mates can control the device separately.

I've been running a Switcheon 4-outlet unit for 4 years now on 3 airplanes and a doghouse heater, and love it. As mentioned above first year is free, $50/yr after that - cheaper than any other cell-based alternative by far and I didn't have to mess with any WiFi hotspot.

As for the heating aspect - I am running the Reiff sump preheater and just kick it on a couple hours preflight, or leave it on overnight if I'm going up early AM. Keeps the oil temp at about 100-110 on my airplane at crank, life is good.

I'm not a fan of leaving heat on all the time unless you have a dehydrator with air movement - too many possibilities for condensation and rust.
 
If they had not put a new cell tower right across the field from my hanger, and I didn't have a hotspot I wasn't using for anything, I would have gone with Switcheon.

Thinking about using their Marconi for remote control of a cordless preheater.
 
The Reiff System with the cylinder heaters is pricey but does a good job if you need a preheat in a hurry. I have used the E-Z Heat sump heaters in various airplanes in very cold temperatures and they work quite well if allowed time to heat soak the engine. After an overnight plug in at sub freezing temps, my Oil/EGT and CHT's all read the same at around 85 degrees F. I am also using my recently upgraded Switch-On unit w/phone app to control the heater. The E-Z Heat sump pads are thermostatically controlled and EZ to install, versus the complete Reiff system which is a bit more involved.
 
i suppose running a heater 24/7 is easier than just turning it on before you use it. whether it is cheaper or more expensive for you do the math. and more cost can always be rationalized away. since there is really no hard proof which is better for the engine i go with only turning it on before i start the engine with a cell switch.
 
Tanis has done considerable research on the topic and found that if you have both oil sump pre- heat & cylinder pre-heat (Emphasis on both) than it is better to leave it on continuously. I do and have done away with all my wifi switches. Makes it a lot easier and no pre planning whether your going to fly or not in the morning.

There are several videos/webinars on the subject which goes into great detail on why leaving on is preferred if you have heat in both locations.
 
Tanis has done considerable research on the topic and found that if you have both oil sump pre- heat & cylinder pre-heat (Emphasis on both) than it is better to leave it on continuously. I do and have done away with all my wifi switches. Makes it a lot easier and no pre planning whether your going to fly or not in the morning.

There are several videos/webinars on the subject which goes into great detail on why leaving on is preferred if you have heat in both locations.

The school of thought that states it is better not to cycle the engine from cold temps to warm and then back to cold is the one I also subscribe to. However, the means by which constant warm temps can be achieved is dependent on the local climate. I'm in Alabama in an insulated hangar so the sump heater is sufficient to maintain a constant 80F+ throughout the entire engine. Folks farther north will most likely need the cylinder heaters as Tanis recommends to achieve constant warmth through the entire engine.

The concern about continuous heating is based on having a warm sump and cold upper engine, this is a great environment for condensation. But if the entire engine is warm the temp differential doesn't exist. But this is a personal decision that each pilot must make based on their climate and comfort level.
 
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I use a Blackmax engine dehydrator all the time, gulf coast Houston, so more concerns with corrosion vs cold. I do have pieces of an original Tanis, but need to start again. Not planning on running it often.
 
I only heat when I’m going to fly. It does take some planning since this is Minnesota and warming to 100° F from 0° is not rare.

I use a dehydrator 24/7 when in the hangar. I made it myself for about $20 and use 15lbs of rechargeable silica gel beads. I cork it through the dipstick tube. I’ve found NO data that supports this as something that will prevent corrosion, nor have I seen any that supports (or denies) continuous heating to accomplish the same end. In the absence of data…my reasoning is entirely inductive. —> Corrosion is bad —> moisture has to be present for corrosion to occur, therefore decreasing moisture in the engine will mitigate corrosion. Q.E.D.

This can be done by managing the dew point inside the engine. That in turn can be done by either decreasing humidity, or raising temperature. A dehydrator for a year is much cheaper than running a 700 watt heater for a year…therefore…..

Just my take. The cost of making and continuously running a dehydrator is super cheap. Can’t hurt/might help…

Some folks here keep mentioning data that supports one of these positions. I’d love to see it. I’ve seen the data that indicates that both a dehydrator and continuous heating will decrease moisture, but not proof that decreasing moisture will lead to less corrosion in our airplane engines.
 
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I have the Reiff bands and sump heaters. For many years, I ran these continuously all winter, but on a line-break thermostat that was stuffed into the oil door. I set the thermostat at 70F. I place foam plugs in the cooling air exit and air intakes, and put on a wrap-around cowl cover. I also place another blanket over the top of it all, including tucking it around the propeller. However, with the cycling on/off due to the thermostat, I had a hard time keeping the sump pads adhered. Reiff recommends 24/7 on, perhaps for this reason.

I no longer regularly use the Reiff system as I don't want the worry of loose sump pads (they will get extremely hot...). The past few years I have been using a Hornet 22 heater, placing it into the oil door and fishing it down, until it aims just below the engine. This also runs 24/7, with its own built-in thermostat. Same cowl wrap/insulation/plugs as described. Everything firewall forward is at 70F all winter.

Very nice product, with fantastic customer service. I had one of the fans in it go haywire and they sent me a new unit, no questions asked.
 
I use a Reff Standard preheat system with a home made cellular switch to turn it on. The cellular service is ultra mobile PayGo it is $3.00/month for 100 texts or minutes.

I simply send a text to it the night before I plan to fly, if the temp is forecasted to be 40 degrees or lower.

Works great!
 
I only heat when I’m going to fly. It does take some planning since this is Minnesota and warming to 100° F from 0° is not rare.

I use a dehydrator 24/7 when in the hangar. I made it myself for about $20 and use 15lbs of rechargeable silica gel beads. I cork it through the dipstick tube. I’ve found NO data that supports this as something that will prevent corrosion, nor have I seen any that supports (or denies) continuous heating to accomplish the same end. In the absence of data…my reasoning is entirely inductive. —> Corrosion is bad —> moisture has to be present for corrosion to occur, therefore decreasing moisture in the engine will mitigate corrosion. Q.E.D.

This can be done by managing the dew point inside the engine. That in turn can be done by either decreasing humidity, or raising temperature. A dehydrator for a year is much cheaper than running a 700 watt heater for a year…therefore…..

Just my take. The cost of making and continuously running a dehydrator is super cheap. Can’t hurt/might help…

Some folks here keep mentioning data that supports one of these positions. I’d love to see it. I’ve seen the data that indicates that both a dehydrator and continuous heating will decrease moisture, but not proof that decreasing moisture will lead to less corrosion in our airplane engines.

http://www.reiffpreheat.com/Articles.htm
I found the Sutton articles in Twin Cessna Flyer very informative, with some data that supports dehydrator use.
 
The school of thought that states it is better not to cycle the engine from cold temps to warm and then back to cold is the one I also subscribe to. However, the means by which constant warm temps can be achieved is dependent on the local climate. I'm in Alabama in an insulated hangar so the sump heater is sufficient to maintain a constant 80F+ throughout the entire engine. Folks farther north will most likely need the cylinder heaters as Tanis recommends to achieve constant warmth through the entire engine.

The concern about continuous heating is based on having a warm sump and cold upper engine, this is a great environment for condensation. But if the entire engine is warm the temp differential doesn't exist. But this is a personal decision that each pilot must make based on their climate and comfort level.

Sounds like I just need to take my thermostat probe and lay it on top of the engine and set it for 80°F.

I’m just west of you, in Killen.
 
I went this route. The MiFi unit service cost me $20/mo.

I have a smart plug for the Reif heater. I have automation to turn it on at a predefined time. I also set a turn off automation so I don’t forget that during preflight inspection.

I also have a security camera in the hangar. If anyone enters the hangar, it tells them they are being recorded when detected. It alerts me, I can see them on my phone, and I can talk to them or turn on siren.

Last but not least, I can stream video or audio if I’m working at the hangar.

I'm good with a little controversy. :)

I don't think anyone knows for sure.

Do you know what temp your Rieff keeps your engine at?



Yeh, I'm all "smart house" at home. Being able to lay in bed and turn out the spotlights is amazing. LOL

I've considered the hotspot route, but I'm not sure what the cheapest I could get a plan for would be.

Any idea?
 
I don't think there's anything wrong with what you're doing. That said, If you go the cellular route, I would opt for:

  1. Cellular hotspot
  2. Create a local wifi network
  3. Add smart outlets

With smart outlets you have much greater control. You can get pretty geeky, including custom coded control through APIs. Added benefit, you have internet access in your hanger for database updates and VAF access!

I currently use smart outlets for my engine heater and dehydrator.

If you go the cellular switch/relay make sure it's at least 4G...3G networks are slowly being depreciated.

I would love to go this route and also connect a Ring Camera to the MiFi hotspot with a smart outlet to run the Reiff XP Pre-heater.

But as I started to research how to do this, the amount of information became overwhelming. And the prices of various hotspots are so high that a mistake is very expensive. Especially if you decide to go 5G to reduce obsolescence.

I'm not saying this is a bad way to go: I want to do it. But I don't have the time just now to wade through the mountains of information and options and considerations.

My 5G smartphone gets 4 bars in the hangar and I've run my laptop in the hangar off an Xfinity hotspot. So the cellular signal seems good.

Up until this year I ran a Switchbox to text my Reiff XP Pre-heaters on a few hours before I wanted to fly. Then, during a test last Spring - it stopped working. Since then I haven't been able to get it to work at all. It worked fine at home....but not the hangar.

Not in the hangar, not on a 75 foot extension cord outside the hangar, not in another hangar. Sent the unit to Switchbox - worked fine for them.

So I gave up on the Switchbox and ordered a Switcheon. It will be there this week. I'll see if that works better.

But as I say, I'd love to go the MiFi hotspot route because I want to hook up my Ring Camera as well as run the Reiff heater from home. But my questions are legion:

Which hotspot?
Which service? T-Mobile? AT&T? Verizon?

- It seems that different hotspots work well with one plan vendor but not another. So if I pick a hotspot that works with T-mobile and for some reason T-mobile doesn't work well in my exact spot I can't then get a Verizon SIM card. Even in unlocked hotspots.

Which plan?

How to I get the SIM card from the vendor and get it activated?

- I tried that once at a local T-Mobile office by bringing my Switchbox in and installing a SIm card, and they were clueless about SIM cards and anything that wasn't a telephone.

Can I order a hotspot SIM card online and get it activated online?

Will I need a cellular antenna outside? Will it need a signal booster?

..and much more.

Someday I hope to have the time to wade through all the information and make intelligent choices. But for now my stopgap solution is to try a Switcheon.
 
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...
Someday I hope to have the time to wade through all the information and make intelligent choices. But for now my stopgap solution is to try a Switcheon.

You might ask the airport to install wifi, then everyone can just use that rather than having 100 hangar owners roll their own.
 
I place foam plugs in the cooling air exit and air intakes, and put on a wrap-around cowl cover. I also place another blanket over the top of it all, including tucking it around the propeller.

One issue I always think about is after a flight and engine is hot, how soon can I button up the cowl and throw blankets over the top and not “cooking” the cowl fiberglass? I have checked the cowl temp under the blanket using IR temp gun and it is 120-150F if I put blanket on after post flight and ready to leave hangar. Any concern with getting the cowl that warm and probably holding there for several hours while the engine cools?
 
One issue I always think about is after a flight and engine is hot, how soon can I button up the cowl and throw blankets over the top and not “cooking” the cowl fiberglass? I have checked the cowl temp under the blanket using IR temp gun and it is 120-150F if I put blanket on after post flight and ready to leave hangar. Any concern with getting the cowl that warm and probably holding there for several hours while the engine cools?

I'll let you know if I see anything after the next 21 years... none so far.

They honeycomb pattern in the top cowl became visible within the first few months' of the airplane's history, all in the summer/fall.
 
You might ask the airport to install wifi, then everyone can just use that rather than having 100 hangar owners roll their own.

They have a wifi service which y9u can use for free in the admin building.

But I don't know if it extends to hangars 200-300-400 feet away.

And I doubt they would want to have me sucking up data with video on occasion.

But even if that was workable that brings up another set of research issues:

So in the case of using the airport wifi or even the Xfinity local hotspot (I do have an Xfinity account) I don't need a MiFi hotspot, but I suspect I do need a router. That comes with another series of questions.
 
I would love to go this route and also connect a Ring Camera to the MiFi hotspot with a smart outlet to run the Reiff XP Pre-heater.

But as I started to research how to do this, the amount of information became overwhelming. And the prices of various hotspots are so high that a mistake is very expensive. Especially if you decide to go 5G to reduce obsolescence.

I'm not saying this is a bad way to go: I want to do it. But I don't have the time just now to wade through the mountains of information and options and considerations.

My 5G smartphone gets 4 bars in the hangar and I've run my laptop in the hangar off an Xfinity hotspot. So the cellular signal seems good.

Up until this year I ran a Switchbox to text my Reiff XP Pre-heaters on a few hours before I wanted to fly. Then, during a test last Spring - it stopped working. Since then I haven't been able to get it to work at all. It worked fine at home....but not the hangar.

Not in the hangar, not on a 75 foot extension cord outside the hangar, not in another hangar. Sent the unit to Switchbox - worked fine for them.

So I gave up on the Switchbox and ordered a Switcheon. It will be there this week. I'll see if that works better.

But as I say, I'd love to go the MiFi hotspot route because I want to hook up my Ring Camera as well as run the Reiff heater from home. But my questions are legion:

Which hotspot?
Which service? T-Mobile? AT&T? Verizon?

- It seems that different hotspots work well with one plan vendor but not another. So if I pick a hotspot that works with T-mobile and for some reason T-mobile doesn't work well in my exact spot I can't then get a Verizon SIM card. Even in unlocked hotspots.

Which plan?

How to I get the SIM card from the vendor and get it activated?

- I tried that once at a local T-Mobile office by bringing my Switchbox in and installing a SIm card, and they were clueless about SIM cards and anything that wasn't a telephone.

Can I order a hotspot SIM card online and get it activated online?

Will I need a cellular antenna outside? Will it need a signal booster?

..and much more.

Someday I hope to have the time to wade through all the information and make intelligent choices. But for now my stopgap solution is to try a Switcheon.

Get an old iPad 4G mini and a $20/month add on plan with Verizon if you have a cell plan with them. Most cell providers offer the same thing. I used to have a $10/month add on with AT&T and before that, I used a $5/month plan with Ting. It's cheap, it works, and you can connect all sorts of things. That's what I use with some wifi switch outlets. I've used this for 5 years.

After having a Reiff Hotstrip burn up (under warranty) and zero support from the company, I installed one of these Zerostart Silicone Pad Heaters and it works flawlessly.

I am interested in learning more about pros/cons of leaving the system on all the time with something like the twin hornet 22. Seems like it wouldn't be any different than having your plane in a heated hangar at 70F.
 
One issue I always think about is after a flight and engine is hot, how soon can I button up the cowl and throw blankets over the top and not “cooking” the cowl fiberglass? I have checked the cowl temp under the blanket using IR temp gun and it is 120-150F if I put blanket on after post flight and ready to leave hangar. Any concern with getting the cowl that warm and probably holding there for several hours while the engine cools?

Slight thread drift:

It gets hot under my cowl, and while I don’t worry much about the effect on the cowl material (the plane spent 10 years in the south much hotter than Minnesota), I have trouble occasionally with hard starting on quick turn-around s on the ramp. I insulated the fuel lines and added some exhaust shielding but it’s still been an occasional issue.

At various RV events, I noticed that everyone parked and left their oil door open. Speaking of empiricism, I tried to go one better and built an exhaust fan that runs off my 12-volt battery charging cable. I plug it in and slip it on after I park. It’s on a timer and runs for an hour. I’ll have to wait til next summer to see if or how much it helps controlling temps under the hood.


..
 

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Get an old iPad 4G mini and a $20/month add on plan with Verizon if you have a cell plan with them. Most cell providers offer the same thing. I used to have a $10/month add on with AT&T and before that, I used a $5/month plan with Ting. It's cheap, it works, and you can connect all sorts of things. That's what I use with some wifi switch outlets. I've used this for 5 years.

After having a Reiff Hotstrip burn up (under warranty) and zero support from the company, I installed one of these Zerostart Silicone Pad Heaters and it works flawlessly.

I am interested in learning more about pros/cons of leaving the system on all the time with something like the twin hornet 22. Seems like it wouldn't be any different than having your plane in a heated hangar at 70F.

Can you explain how you use the iPad? Is it at the Hangar? Can you command it from home?

Thanks
 
the difference between the heated hangar is relative humidity . a 70 deg. hangar is ''dry'' when it is zero out but an unheated hangar may be at 90% relative humidity. not sure what the implications of all that is. i do know from personel experience that at 70 deg. i have never seen tools rusting below 60% rel. hum.
 
pad pre-heaters

plug the cowl holes. and use insulating cowl covers/blankets.
and the engine will believe it is in a 65 f heated hangar.
that is what my under cowl air temps are.
 
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Security camera?

I also have a security camera in the hangar. If anyone enters the hangar, it tells them they are being recorded when detected. It alerts me, I can see them on my phone, and I can talk to them or turn on siren..

Might I ask what is the brand and model security camera you use?
 
Might I ask what is the brand and model security camera you use?

Just about any camera would work for this. You don't even need a camera, honestly - just a motion sensor and something like SmartThings or Home Assistant.

I have a friend whose house tells any intruders that "their picture has already been taken in HD and the Police have been notified" and a couple other things, then it plays "Another one bites the dust."

I'll say this though, once you start down the path of home automation, it gets addictive pretty quick. :D
 
Siren

I was particularly interested in the siren capability. I've only seen one product that has a siren (called "Piper"). What is yours called?
 
I was particularly interested in the siren capability. I've only seen one product that has a siren (called "Piper"). What is yours called?

I'm running Samsung SmartThings.

I have 3 sirens similar to the following around my property. The units I have are currently not available on Amazon.

The neat thing about home automation is you can make literally near anything be a trigger. Time, weather, door movement, vibrations, etc.

It's pretty nice. My wife has a light scene that rotates with the seasons, to adjust for darkness, so when she comes home a certain number of lights come on in the house, etc based all on her location to the house.



https://www.amazon.com/MAGT-Electro...cs&sprefix=150+db+sire,electronics,186&sr=1-3
 
Switcheon Power Controller Questions

I received my Switcheon Power controller yesterday. I ran through the setup procedures.


I'm testing the box at home with lamps connected to the power outlets. The box basically works but there are three issues:

1) The temperature reading on the box itself reads ---F

2) The temperature reading on my iPhone app read 0.0F

3) The lamps come on instantly when I command the outlets on. But when I command the outlets to OFF, the lamps dim appreciably but stay dimmly lit for quite some time. Perhaps a half hour or more.

Is this normal behavior? Is there some capacitor in the system that needs to be drained before the power goes to zero?

Anyone else see this?

Thanks
 
I got an answer from Switcheon:

They said I received a bad unit. Having the power partially on when it's commanded to be off will burn up the electronics.

They are sending me a new unit.
 
I’ve found Switcheon’s customer service to be impeccable.

Yep so far it's very good.

For the temperature sensor issues, Switcheon says this:

"The board manufacturer failed to place some of the temp sensors in this last batch. They're watching for this in assembly now. "

But the relay issue is a new one for them'
 
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I had a Tanis system on every AC engine I have ever owned and left them continually plugged in during cold temps and they never failed. Four Lycomings and one Rotax. Best system you can get.

Roberta
 
SwitcheON

I ordered the 4 plug Switcheon unit and received it a couple days ago. I took it to my hangar today where we have pretty crappy cell service. It works like a champ. You download an app, scan the switch box, and then you can control each of the plugs.

The only issue I have is the 1800 watts total for all 4 plugs. It is set up for a 15 amp circuit so I understand why.

It may be better to get 2 of the 2 plug outlets so you could plug them into different circuits.

I am happy with my purchase and it should be enough power for the 2 airplanes in our hangar.

Thanks to those who convinced me to give it a try. No cost for 1st year and $50 a year after. Worth it!
 
I ordered the 4 plug Switcheon unit and received it a couple days ago. I took it to my hangar today where we have pretty crappy cell service. It works like a champ. You download an app, scan the switch box, and then you can control each of the plugs.

The only issue I have is the 1800 watts total for all 4 plugs. It is set up for a 15 amp circuit so I understand why.

It may be better to get 2 of the 2 plug outlets so you could plug them into different circuits.

I am happy with my purchase and it should be enough power for the 2 airplanes in our hangar.

Thanks to those who convinced me to give it a try. No cost for 1st year and $50 a year after. Worth it!

I received my replacement Switcheon unit yesterday. Tested it and it works fine. I will install it in the hangar tomorrow for a final checkout.
 
I would use a electrical heater in engine contact only as necessary for short durations. I worry about stray electrical currents causing accelerated corrosion in the engine.
 
Yesterday I took the Switcheon unit into the hangar, installed it. Worked like a champ.

Very pleased.
 
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