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Anti-Splat "NEWS"! Engine Pre-Heater

...The oil sump sitting in my shop with seven qts. of oil has been plugged in for
over six months with zero coking and all is perfect. Oil looks as new, heater is fine,
but you need to be very careful if you have any pet bugs! If they land in it,
they won't fair well. Does that require labeling? This is California!-:confused:-:rolleyes:

----Photo of this unit as removed from sump after six plus months of continues use.
In the higher ambient temperature environment of my shop, with no coking. I think this
would appear even more pristine were it in a aircraft being airborne on occasion
with the detergent action Etc. We will have these back in stock soon! Thanks, Allan-:D
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Allan,

My IO-540 has a Barrett cold air induction manifold so the intake tubes are not in the oil sump. Since this most likely lowers the fill line in the sump I’m wondering if this would cause your heater to be exposed. Do you happen to know if this is a possibility?

Allan,

Did you happen to see this question the other day?
 
Allan,

Did you happen to see this question the other day?

____I did see this and was trying to get some information for you, but unfortunately
not very successfully. I have no access to one of these set-ups, can tell you this in
hopes it will help. You will need a minimum of 1 & 3/4" of oil depth above the
bottom of the sump to keep the heater submerged. I hope this helps you, and should
you find more info please post it here for others. Thanks, Allan-:D
 
Allan,

My IO-540 has a Barrett cold air induction manifold so the intake tubes are not in the oil sump. Since this most likely lowers the fill line in the sump I’m wondering if this would cause your heater to be exposed. Do you happen to know if this is a possibility?

Ok, I ran this by Rhonda at Barrett and here’s the reply for anyone who is using their cold air induction system which has no intake tubes in the oil sump.

From Rhonda: “ Re: your question below, let me think for a moment…… the ID of the sump is essentially 12.5x15.5” so 12.5x15.5x1.75 is 339.06 cubic inches. Convert that to quarts, and you have 5.87 quarts. I would round that up to 6 to be safe. A word of advice about pre-heating your oil. Do not leave it on all of the time; only turn it on the evening before you plan on flying. Constant heat will cause humidity in the engine and will result in corrosion on the cam and lifters of the engine, setting you up for premature repair/overhaul of the engine.”
 
Engine heater

<snip>
"A word of advice about pre-heating your oil. Do not leave it on all of the time; only turn it on the evening before you plan on flying. Constant heat will cause humidity in the engine and will result in corrosion on the cam and lifters of the engine, setting you up for premature repair/overhaul of the engine.”

This makes me wonder about engine heaters in general. There are quite a few running 24x7 in cold climates.
Or is the comment only directed toward the Barret 540?
 
Possibly

I can see her point if you are heating the oil only. The oil will be warm and as you radiate out from the oil sump, the rest of the engine will be cooler. At the point where the air is cooled to its dew point, condensation will form.

It you have the ability to keep the entire engine above the air's dew point, then there would likely be no issue. I have the Reiff system with pad heaters and cylinder bands; it definitely warms more of the engine than just a pad or probe heater by itself.

That said, it is connected via a switcheon box and I usually turn it on a few hours before flight unless I am in Wisconsin; then I leave it on continuously after shutdown. Temperature indicated when the master is turned on is usually between 70 and 80.
 
Anti Splat oil heater

Just received mine and i’m impressed by the design. It appears completely seamless on the portion replacing the plug AND the heater element so potential leakage should not be a problem. I’m a new RV owner and have bought several items from AS and they have all been top quality. Hope to install heater in the next 2 weeks.
 
Oil sump heaters are not the main source of corrosion. Disuse is. You have to fly regularly. Flight schools run to TBO even with students and instructors thrashing engines. They fly regularly and are maintained. Engines that sit around don't do well.

Rhonda is correct leaving the heater on is not recommended for "corrosion", may be. Not sure it will add moisture, but don't laugh plug exhaust and intake. If there is mosture gasing out of solution. Oil would have to be 212F or higher for water in suspension to gas off. You may have oil above 212F next to heater but the is not a significant surface area. Yes hot air will float up to cam (possibly with higher humidity). This is why you need fly and get 220F OT for ballpark 30 minutes, at that OT. 5 min ground run will not cut it. Higher power may be needed to get hot and push the wet air out your breather. However when you shut down much of the engine fills with ambient air. If humidity is high that air is in there.

If you live in dry climites, like desert SW, this is less of an issue. If you keep plane in dry heated insulated hanger job done. Yes I know those heated hangers are few or far between, at least at reasonable rental fee. Bottom line fly daily or often.. Kind of a waste of electricity to keep heater on for days. A wall timer or if you want the flexibility to go fly at a moments notice (or few hours notice), a wifi or cell remote switche you can activate may do the trick.
 
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Oil sump heaters are not the main source of corrosion. Disuse is. You have to fly regularly. Flight schools run to TBO even with students and instructors thrashing engines. They fly regularly and are maintained. Engines that sit around don't do well.

Rhonda is correct leaving the heater on is not recommended for "corrosion", may be. Not sure it will add moisture, but don't laugh plug exhaust and intake. If there is mosture gasing out of solution. Oil would have to be 212F or higher for water in suspension to gas off. You may have oil above 212F next to heater but the is not a significant surface area. Yes hot air will float up to cam (possibly with higher humidity). This is why you need fly and get 220F OT for ballpark 30 minutes, at that OT. 5 min ground run will not cut it. Higher power may be needed to get hot and push the wet air out your breather. However when you shut down much of the engine fills with ambient air. If humidity is high that air is in there.

If you live in dry climites, like desert SW, this is less of an issue. If you keep plane in dry heated insulated hanger job done. Yes I know those heated hangers are few or far between, at least at reasonable rental fee. Bottom line fly daily or often.. Kind of a waste of electricity to keep heater on for days. A wall timer or if you want the flexibility to go fly at a moments notice (or few hours notice), a wifi or cell remote switche you can activate may do the trick.


See Tanis preheater frequently asked questions about bullet point 15.
https://www.tanisaircraft.com/faq/

Here is another viewpoint.

Condensation inside of an engine case happens when the temperature of any part of an engine is below the dew point of the air in the case. This condensation enables corrosion. Condensation can be controlled and it can be manufactured.

It is controlled be using a dehdrator. It is manfuactred when warm moist air is maufactured but parts of the case are colder than its dewpoint just like a glass of cold lemonade in the summer. A dehydrator will lower the dew point to keep the inside of the case dry..

Leaving any preheater on that cannot warm the entire engine above the dew point is likely to cause condensation inside the case. So, if the oil pan heater is warming the oil but the cam at the top of the case is still cold it can precipitate condensation. But If the entire engine temperature is kept above the dew point science says condensation will not form. Using a timer to Cycle a preheater to turn on every morning for a couple hours will increase chances of condensation. If you fly everyday it’s a great idea but If flying once a week it’s a convenience that may be forming condensation on a daily basis inside the case.

So its a good idea if you use a hair dryer to blow hot dry air through the oil filler port to purge out the breather tube the engines moist air in the case that exists after flying. If you hook up the dehydrator before you close the hangar door, youll lower the dewpoint inside the cast to help avoid condesation. If you turn on your prehetaer on two hours before flying then you can sleep well at night even if you don't fly everyday knowing scientific principles are keeping your engine case dry.
 
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unless...

"...Kind of a waste of electricity to keep heater on for days..."

Unless, of course, you have a preheat system that can maintain the engine temp above the dew point continuously...
 
See Tanis preheater frequently asked questions about bullet point 15.
https://www.tanisaircraft.com/faq/

Here is another viewpoint.

Condensation inside of an engine case happens when the temperature of any part of an engine is below the dew point of the air in the case. This condensation enables corrosion. Condensation can be controlled and it can be manufactured.

It is controlled be using a dehdrator. It is manfuactred when warm moist air is maufactured but parts of the case are colder than its dewpoint just like a glass of cold lemonade in the summer. A dehydrator will lower the dew point to keep the inside of the case dry..

Leaving any preheater on that cannot warm the entire engine above the dew point is likely to cause condensation inside the case. So, if the oil pan heater is warming the oil but the cam at the top of the case is still cold it can precipitate condensation. But If the entire engine temperature is kept above the dew point science says condensation will not form. Using a timer to Cycle a preheater to turn on every morning for a couple hours will increase chances of condensation. If you fly everyday it’s a great idea but If flying once a week it’s a convenience that may be forming condensation on a daily basis inside the case.

So its a good idea if you use a hair dryer to blow hot dry air through the oil filler port to purge out the breather tube the engines moist air in the case that exists after flying. If you hook up the dehydrator before you close the hangar door, youll lower the dewpoint inside the cast to help avoid condesation. If you turn on your prehetaer on two hours before flying then you can sleep well at night even if you don't fly everyday knowing scientific principles are keeping your engine case dry.


Exactly this. Theoretically, mitigating corrosion by decreasing water is about managing the dewpoint and preventing condensation, either by dropping the humidity in the engine or by keeping the whole-engine temperature above the dew point. Or both....a dehydrator 24/7/365 to prevent condensation, and/or a Rieff XP with cylinder bands (or similar) for hours before flying to get the engine and oil warm enough to start with less (theoretical) damage. Or...best of all...a heated hangar.
 
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Allan, Have you considered allowing a "backorder" to be added to the cart? I was slow in ordering, and I keep checking back to put one in my cart. I'm not in need of one immediately, but I'd like to place the order... when it shows up, it'll be a nice surprise.
 
Allan, Have you considered allowing a "backorder" to be added to the cart? I was slow in ordering, and I keep checking back to put one in my cart. I'm not in need of one immediately, but I'd like to place the order... when it shows up, it'll be a nice surprise.

---We use a third-party ordering & credit card processing company for our on-line ordering, that unfortunately doesn't marry well with our bookkeeping program. This incompatibility causes a very difficult and costly paperwork nightmare. Perhaps we will change over to a different system in the future.
Happy Holidays to all, Allan & Staff at A.S.A. -:D
 
Alan

Since the unit is out of stock, and likely to remain so beyond the Christmas Special deadline, those of us wanting to purchase one will be S.O.L. for the discount.
I can support the question of a backorder function for those wanting the discount.
Still, it's only $90.00 so not a big bite from the Aviation billfold.
I hope they get back in stock before the end of this frigid weather...
 
Backorder

Since the unit is out of stock, and likely to remain so beyond the Christmas Special deadline, those of us wanting to purchase one will be S.O.L. for the discount.
I can support the question of a backorder function for those wanting the discount.
Still, it's only $90.00 so not a big bite from the Aviation billfold.
I hope they get back in stock before the end of this frigid weather...

I would like to order as well. Please keep us posted. Maybe in lieu of a discount, the price could be temporarily adjusted?
I'll buy it anyway but a savings would be appreciated.
 
Will be back in stock by the 1st.

---I actually have everything back in stock as of today to build up another five hundred pcs.
I will need a few days to assemble them, and we will extend the discount code pricing for another
ten days (01/10/2023. Thank for your patience and understanding. Allan--:eek:
 
499 AVAILABLE!

The "Out of Stock" block was removed last evening.
I have one on order, so there is at least one less than the 500 Allan indicated he had parts on hand to manufacturer available.
Thanks Allan!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!
 
498

The "Out of Stock" block was removed last evening.
I have one on order, so there is at least one less than the 500 Allan indicated he had parts on hand to manufacturer available.
Thanks Allan!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

Make that 498. I didn't see a place to use the 10% code but that's ok.
 
Me Either

You're right Larry. I didn't get any option for putting in a discount code. But as I said in a previous post, it's only $90.00 from the Aviation Billfold...
I wonder how long it's going to take before that "Out of Stock" block kicks back on?
 
Coupon Code

For those looking to enter the coupon code, it's a little unintuitive - on the right side of the checkout screen under the order totals you'll see a prompt: "Have a coupon code?". Click on that and it will open a field to enter the code; use "xmas10". Worked great, thanks Allan!
 
On it’s way!

Mine shipped Friday 12/23/22 and will be delivered Tuesday 12/26/22
Good deal! Thanks!
 
Minumum Oil to Cover the heater

Hello Allan,

Happy New Year!

I've got an O-320. What is the magic number of quarts of oil to keep the oil heater submerged?

Regards,

Mike
 
Extending the cord?

Allan and friends,

I just received my heater and, like all of your products, it looks amazing! Thanks for the quick shipping over the holidays as well!

One question though. I need to extend the power cable and was wondering if anyone has an easily attainable suggestion for heat proof wire like the type it comes with?
 
Just my two cents, but the benefit of future readers, it would be helpful if the OP could use informative thread subjects that convey some information rather rather than just "Exciting news".
 
Allan and friends,

I just received my heater and, like all of your products, it looks amazing! Thanks for the quick shipping over the holidays as well!

One question though. I need to extend the power cable and was wondering if anyone has an easily attainable suggestion for heat proof wire like the type it comes with?

It would have been good if the power cable was 10"longer and you installed the plug yourself.
 
PIREP

I installed mine on my RV-10 just before Atlanta experienced 3 days with lows below 10F. I tested it the morning after a 9F low. As suggested earlier in this thread, I covered the cowl with a blanket the night before. I turned it on remotely at 6am and got to the airport around 12:30pm. Temp at that time was 17F outside and 47F inside my hangar. Oil temp after 6.5 hours with the sump heater being turned on was 98F. The top of the engine was warm to the touch, so I think the entire engine was warmed during the process. I didn’t crank the engine on this day but on another day with mild weather I saw 106F oil temp prior to cranking and 126F seconds after start up.

I installed it in a spare sump hole and ran the wire aft and secured the plug with zip ties to the engine mount frame where the exhaust exits the lower cowl. There is plenty of room there on the RV-10 to avoid the wire and plug being too close to the exhaust.

I have WiFi access in my hangar so I used an inexpensive Amazon WiFi plug (Kasa) to control the heater. The plug has an associated app that allows you to schedule when you want the plug to turn on/off remotely. I bought a four pack and each individual plug can be controlled separately.

So far, I’m very pleased with the set up. Great price, good quality, no need to glue heating pads on your sump, and very good heating results.

Hope this helps anyone who’s considering buying one.

Keith
 
The cable was long enough to reach from the left sump plug around the back of my 360 to the engine mount near the oil door. I clamped the plug to the mount tube with a thin strip of SS.
Stewart Willoughby, 6, first engine start 1/1/23!
 

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It would have been good if the power cable was 10"longer and you installed the plug yourself.

----We have had a few requests for units with longer wires on them, so good news!
We took your suggestion and now have 36" long wires on all new units as well as all
in stock units. Thanks, Allan-:D
 
Min oil for o320?

What's the minimum oil required to keep the oil heater submerged?
 
What's the minimum oil required to keep the oil heater submerged?

--- Four quarts is enough to submerge the heater! As a side note in this area, it
is important to mention that when this unit is in operation the oil is what provides
the cooling of the product and keeps the heater from destroying itself. I say this
as it would be easy to forget to disconnect the heater when performing an oil change.
Were this to take place, it would damage the heater it short order with no oil to
control its temperature. Please exercise CAUTION when removing your drain plug
to be certain the heater in disconnected from the power source. This will ensure
a long service life and excellent performance from your heater. Thanks, Allan-:D
 
Cool

Thanks Allan, don't think I'll ever see less than 4 qtd. Good to know!
 
Question please....

My Reiff hotpad heater has a three-prong plug grounded to the airframe to reduce the possibility of putting the airframe at a 110v potential if the heater or cord fails catastrophically. I notice this new heater doesn't have a grounded plug.

If I was using this heater, and I might some day, it would be connected to a ground fault interrupter for maximum protection. Has this 'potential' situation been considered in the design of the new heater?
 
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240V

Nice simple & elegant solution.
Is there an update on the timeline for the 240V version for those of us downunder?
 
Grounding

Question please....

My Reiff hotpad heater has a three-prong plug grounded to the airframe to reduce the possibility of putting the airframe at a 110v potential if the heater or cord fails catastrophically. I notice this new heater doesn't have a grounded plug.

If I was using this heater, and I might some day, it would be connected to a ground fault interrupter for maximum protection. Has this 'potential' situation been considered in the design of the new heater?

As I was an early adopter, I had to extend the existing cable to the oil door and wondered about this also. I am also not crazy about the lack of strain relief at the plug. So I am planning to revisit this and replace my extension with a 3-prong molded cable and plug grounded to the frame. I did see a previous post where the plug is rigidly secured and also alleviates the strain relief concern.

Just my $0.02.

Cheers, Sean
 
A good ground is a good idea. What some of the guys around here have done with their pre-heat plugs is use the same kind as many computers have - C14. Their installations look very clean. Here's a couple of representative photos of what I mean. Perhaps one or two of these guys will chime in with their pics.



Engine Heater Computer plug C14.png
 
As I was an early adopter, I had to extend the existing cable to the oil door and wondered about this also. I am also not crazy about the lack of strain relief at the plug. So I am planning to revisit this and replace my extension with a 3-prong molded cable and plug grounded to the frame. I did see a previous post where the plug is rigidly secured and also alleviates the strain relief concern.

Just my $0.02.

Cheers, Sean

If you do decide to do this, check to see if your power is fed from a subpanel. If so, check to make sure the the ground bar is isolated from the neutral bar. If it is NOT, and there is a fault in the system, your entire airframe will be hot and there won't be a ground path until you touch it.
 
Checked!

If you do decide to do this, check to see if your power is fed from a subpanel. If so, check to make sure the the ground bar is isolated from the neutral bar. If it is NOT, and there is a fault in the system, your entire airframe will be hot and there won't be a ground path until you touch it.

My receptacle is a straight run from the main panel with a GFCI. My receptacle checker tool says it's correctly wired...

Cheers, Sean
 
----We have had a few requests for units with longer wires on them, so good news!
We took your suggestion and now have 36" long wires on all new units as well as all
in stock units. Thanks, Allan-:D

I have to use the right side sump plug for the heater because my quick-drain fitting is in the left side. I can't reverse them because the exhaust pipe would obstruct the drainage stream on the left. So......

I need a 4-ft cord.
 
Something new from the 240V Front ??
Achim
I am sure you know, but for the record.

240v to 120v step down (and up) transformers can be purchased for not much money. This heater is 250 watts I read. A 350-800 watt transformer is not too expensive. They also come with the proper plugs built in, type C/F input plug and type A/B plug out. For a few more Deutsche Mark, you can get a heavy duty 1500 to 3000 watt transformer. USA I see 350 watt converters sell for $40 to $70 USD. They also work both for step-up and down. I have one to run a 220V device single phase. The frequency of AC power (60Hz US, 50Hz Europe) is not important for a resistive load.

NOTE: When Americans hear 220V-240V AC (60 Hz), they think TWO PHASE high Amp outlets or appliances (electric clothes dryer, Central Air-conditioning). USA standard outlet is 110-120V (60Hz), with max rating of 15-20 amps, 1600-2400 watts. Sometimes you can get away without using a voltage converter for lower voltage rated devices, depending on the device.

I understand it would be nice to not need a transformer. When I traveled world wide I had a bag of adapters and small step down converter for low watt (electronics). Fortunately many "wall-wart" power supplies for electronics accept 120/240, don't care what AC current is to convert to DC (low current). You still needed plug adapters. Don't think a resistive load like this heater will last long at 230V, but some can handle a wide range of voltages or rated for dual voltage. At least Germans drive on the proper side of the road. Ha ha.

Auf Wiedersehen.
 
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240V Pre Heater

Something new from the 240V Front ??
Achim

I got an email from Allan on 31Mar informing me the 220v pre heater is now available. His advice was to order on the website and follow up with an email outlining you require a 220v model.
 
Question about controlling the Anti Splat oil heater

Question for the brain trust....

Got the Anti Splat oil heater for Christmas. Ordered this thermostatic controlled plug on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015E2UFGM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Is there any issues with setting it up to come on and off with plug even if I have no plans to fly? Plane would be ready "at all times". But, will it hurt anything to have oil heated up (possibly multiple times) without using the plane? I don't want to introduce moisture into engine somehow by doing this.
 
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