I have enjoyed the battery debates for years. I put the Van's supplied PC680 in my RV14A when I built it, when I was in Louisiana. The battery did fine, although the first one mysteriously stopped working and was replaced, the second one is on year 3. A few years ago I moved to Colorado, where it can be much colder. The battery just didn't have the oomph when cold to start the plane. On multiple occasions (30-40 degrees outside) I would end up after a failed start attempt to put it on a rapid charger and wait 30-60 min to get going. It would work fine then.
Now I'm operating out of North Dakota in the winter. I've put in an engine sump heater that works very very well. When it is 15 degrees outside, I find the engine oil >90, the engine compartment warm, and so is the battery after about 5 hours of heater. Cranks and starts no problem. Thank you Anti-Splat engine sump heater and the GSM switch to turn it on with text messages.
A few times I've tried to startup with less heater time, where the oil temp was satisfactory in the 50's, the engine was warm enough to start, but the heat hadn't dissipated to the engine compartment yet. The battery was cold. And yes, the amps just weren't there.
I think the discharge/charge process when cold has the effect of warming the battery and that is why I can start after the charge.
I thought that changing the starter to the in-line solenoid rather than the side-solenoid model would help it start better when cold. The new starter definitely has more authority spinning the prop with a warm battery, but when cold the battery is still the limiting item.
I'll be getting an EarthX 1200 and installing that next time the cowling is off. The Odyssey can be worked around, but has been a drag on multiple occasions.
Now I'm operating out of North Dakota in the winter. I've put in an engine sump heater that works very very well. When it is 15 degrees outside, I find the engine oil >90, the engine compartment warm, and so is the battery after about 5 hours of heater. Cranks and starts no problem. Thank you Anti-Splat engine sump heater and the GSM switch to turn it on with text messages.
A few times I've tried to startup with less heater time, where the oil temp was satisfactory in the 50's, the engine was warm enough to start, but the heat hadn't dissipated to the engine compartment yet. The battery was cold. And yes, the amps just weren't there.
I think the discharge/charge process when cold has the effect of warming the battery and that is why I can start after the charge.
I thought that changing the starter to the in-line solenoid rather than the side-solenoid model would help it start better when cold. The new starter definitely has more authority spinning the prop with a warm battery, but when cold the battery is still the limiting item.
I'll be getting an EarthX 1200 and installing that next time the cowling is off. The Odyssey can be worked around, but has been a drag on multiple occasions.
