Does anyone use aftermarket electric Carb Heater

[Herm]

Just would like to ask if anyone has used electric carb heaters on thier aircraft? I am mainly interested in those used on Jabiru and rotax 912 motors. They offer great advantages over hot air intake systems most of us use, but have not met anyone using electric systems.

 

Thanks

 

Mardy

 

 

[Sapphire]

I have a big interest in electric carby heaters as lots of engines don't have any carby heat at all. If you fly without one you're playing russian roulette. I taked to a CFI at Bindoon who seemed to know about the subject. He was talking about wrapping some heating coil wire [i guess like you find in an electric blanket] and assured me it worked even if the carby was in the slipstream. As for me-no carby heat, no fly.

 

 

[Herm]

Thanks for that Sapphire.. I have seen many of them used in the colder areas of the world like Alaska and Scotland etc. Not really seen them used here. I think we always think warm weather so they are not needed, but freezing can still happen on warm days.. The idea of pushing warm air into the carb and reducing the power by mixture change seems a band aid way of stopping ice. As for the Jabiru with its poor cold weather starting an electric heater would assist that a great deal.. Hummm got me doing some thinking on this one.

 

Mardy

 

 

[fly_tornado]

talk to kimberly and mark http://motionaero.com/Products-DualHeat.html

 

 

[Sapphire]

Hi Herm, checked out Aircraft Spruce and couldn't find any there. The one listed by tornado is made for a bing 64 carby. Maybe you have to make your own for other makes. Let me kow if you find anything useful.

 

 

[Compulsion]

Yes Herm let me know too. I would be interested in something like this.

 

 

[icebob]

Hi Herm,

 

on the Rotex owners web site in the USA there was a carbi-heat unit on sale there and the X-air Irish web site had electric ones for the 582. hope that helps.

 

Bob.

 

 

[M61A1]

talk to kimberly and mark http://motionaero.com/Products-DualHeat.html

Sounds good until you read the disclaimer on page 3 of the installation."Warning:

I. The

 

Dual Heat will not prevent carburetor ice or icing

 

of the induction pipes."

 

 

[Yenn]

If I remember right Gundy has one on his 912 Rotax. As far as easing the starting of a Jab engine, they may be counter productive. They must pull a few amps, just when you need all the power you can get. I have had carbie ice in a 503 Rotax in warm weather.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

mark and kimberly fly out of Salt Lake City and thats 4500' with a lot of snow in winter

 

 

[Sapphire]

Sounds good until you read the disclaimer on page 3 of the installation."Warning:

I. The

 

Dual Heat will not prevent carburetor ice or icing

 

of the induction pipes."

As long as it keeps your carby throat above freezing monitored by a carby temp guage.. If not, it's dead weight

 

 

[Herm]

If I remember right Gundy has one on his 912 Rotax. As far as easing the starting of a Jab engine, they may be counter productive. They must pull a few amps, just when you need all the power you can get. I have had carbie ice in a 503 Rotax in warm weather.

I have a friend that has one also in his 912 as an option. It's not electric but runs with fluid to warm the carbs... As for Amps I think it will be dependent on the heater type and going by what I have read some are only around 25 watts... That would draw far les than a Jabiru light at 50 watts. without doing the ohms law thing I would guess that to be around 1 1.5 Amps.. If they heat up fast then they should be able to be run for a min or two just prior to start up... All interesting stuff and more reading needs to be done... I think one of these could be a good idea and I am going to do some testing for myself...

 

 

[Sapphire]

http://ppcflyingforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6051

 

The above has more info

 

 

[driftamark]

Hi.With a 582 I have had carb ice 3 times 1 of those I caused just to make shore thats what it was I have now fitted water jackets to the inlet side of the carbs.I also have 1 carb with the same arrangement with an electric element pressed in where the water is on the others it is bigger than the water ones. As the water jacket heat the body of the carb all the time I think the electric would have to be on all the time because of the time taken to heat the body up . If there is nothing out there and someone knows the electrical requirements I could possibly make a batch, all it needs is a patern then casting and machining, . Mark

 

 

[bell47]

Hi just wondering if anyone has decided to use the electric carby heat on the 912 ?

 

if so what does it perform like ?

 

Cheers !