Cabin Heat

Has anyone out there tried to use the heat from the oil cooler to heat the cabin? It seems the heat source won't be as intense as that from an exhaust pipe (200 degrees vs 900 degrees) but maybe you could make that up in volume of heat flow, kind of like comparing a oil heater system for a house to a heat pump. It would simplify the firewall forward air system. Would fire safety be an issue? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

Alan

ABRV4 said:

Has anyone out there tried to use the heat from the oil cooler to heat the cabin? It seems the heat source won't be as intense as that from an exhaust pipe (200 degrees vs 900 degrees) but maybe you could make that up in volume of heat flow, kind of like comparing a oil heater system for a house to a heat pump. It would simplify the firewall forward air system. Would fire safety be an issue? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

Alan

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I suppose it could be done but remember, the days you least need heat in the cabin will likely be the days the oil cooler needs to reject the most heat. In other words, there will need to be an air circuit developed in the cabin that allows the oil cooler to receive air all the time but vent to the cabin interior only when you want it.

Maybe two coolers with a thermostat valve in between to select inside versus outside coolers.

It is an experimental world, after all.

-Mike

Like the previous post, when you need the cabin heat the most, the oil cooler will put out the least. If you are down in the south and just need a little heat maybe it would work. And, as you said, 200 degrees versus 900 degrees. I have just put the exhaust heat in and when it is cold out it is still marginal and that is on a two into one (heat from two cylinders).

If you really want to do it be sure to use a heat door that when shut off to the cabin it still lets air move through the cooler. It is a comon cabin heat assembly usually attached to the firewall.

cabin heat

I have just completed building two heat muffs, one 17" long for the cabin
and a 12" one for carb. heat. I have heard that Van's heaters don't do a very good job. Living and flying in North Idaho I'll take all the heat I can get in the winter months. I am also going to try wrapping the pipes inside of the muffs
with nichrome coiled wire to extract more heat.

Cabin Heat from the Oil Cooler???

Alan - did you get any more input than to the three replies above mine? I am interested in the same issue also on a -4.

The reason it is attractive to me is a reduced part count = weight. You only need to pick up the exit heat from the cooler and route it to the heat door you will have anyway through the firewall. (Finding / making a part to do this might be a bit difficult.) There is an encouraging bit in the RVator 24 years on this. It suggests it will also be quieter. Clearly in a very cold climate there may not be enough heat, but the UK is quite temperate. I notice that even on summer days the oil cooler is quite hot to touch after descent & landing on my Supercub.

I would be delighted to hear experience of anyone who has done this. Thanks.

A couple thoughts -

I agree with an earlier post that if one's flying is only in the south of the US, getting heat from the oil cooler might be ok. However, when I fly in weather around 20F or lower, my oil temp would run around 150 or less if I didn't shut down the air supply to it. So, two potential problems: one is minimal heat available and two, the oil temps would be less than optimal for the engine.

I did find that stuffing the exhaust heat muff with a copper Chore Boy pot scrubber made a noticable difference in the heat output (make sure you get that brand, they are 100% copper). I unrapped the scrubber and wrapped it around the exhaust pipe until I had to cram the heat muff over it. One caution - make sure you rinse the scrubber in acetone or some solvent, as there is an oil film on them to keep that copper nice and shiny until purchase.

It was an interesting experience to see smoke billowing out from under my panel during the test run after putting those in without removing the oil.