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Looking for PIREPs for an engine oil sump heater

Dean Pichon

Well Known Member
Hi All,

My engine oil sump heater died the other day. I had originally installed it in 2002. Unfortunately, the manufacturer, Symtec (www.symtec-inc.com) no longer makes sump heaters.

A Google search turned up units by E-Z Heat and Reiff for aircraft and a number of systems for ground based applications (e.g., Zerostart, Kat's). Any experiences, good or bad, would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dean
 
I've always used the EZ Heat sump heaters. On the RV-10, within 3-4 hours the oil is close to 100 degrees, and I throw an old blanket over the cowling and it then warms up the entire engine compartment.

Of course, we don't usually see brutally cold temps in the the South, so depending on where you live you may need the Reiff ones with the cylinder bands as well.

Vic
 
I recently installed the Reiff system on my Rotax powered Sling 2. I have a pad on the bottom of the engine and a heat band around the oil tank. I chose the 150 watt system, which on a recent 30 F day had my oil and coolant at 86 F in a little over 2 hours. I use a Switchbox to turn the unit on remotely.

I would expect the same performance for any of the legacy motors installations. No matter which unit you choose, follow the mfgr?s instructions to the letter, to ensure the heating element/s adheres well to the surface. It?s simple, just requires attention to detail.

So far, I?m loving the pre heat, engine starts like its summertime.

Good Luck...
 
I've had great service from my Kat's 150w unit on my 540. Gets heat all the way to the rocker covers in a few hours. About $35 on Amazon.
 
Reiff -- has been good to my friend and I over the past several years. We both got the barrel bands too. In our climate it was not worth the hassle of going cheap, although Reiff is higher value than others, IMO.

Highly recommended based on quality of support, installation and performance.
 
I have used both the EZ Heat and the Reiff hot pads on two of my planes. I had the Reiff pad on my RV-10. During winter ops, I would plug the cowl air inlets with cheap large car wash sponges already covered in blaze orange terry cloth, and cover the cowling with a couple blankets.. 3 or 4 hours before a flight, a call to the cellular switch turned on the hot pad. Everything toasty warm when I arrived, including the cylinders.
 
I have the EZ heat. When I lived in PA, call cell phone switch to turn on. 2-hours later, I would start and have 80-degrees F oil temp.

Do not really need it in NC. My hangar stays pretty warm without a furnace.
 
I just installed a Reiff sump heater, and I'm very happy with it. I plug it in for about 3 hours before I fly. I am looking into getting a cell phone switch, but I only live 3 miles from the airport so it isn't too bad making 2 trips to the airport.
 
Another vote for Reiff; I've had a Reiff system on both the old Skyhawk and now the -10, very happy with them.

Here in IN, I installed the cylinder bands as well. Couple of harbor freight moving blankets over the cowl and things stay nice and warm.
 
Another vote for Reiff; I've had a Reiff system on both the old Skyhawk and now the -10, very happy with them.

Here in IN, I installed the cylinder bands as well. Couple of harbor freight moving blankets over the cowl and things stay nice and warm.

I have the same, both Reiff sump and cylinder bands. Flying for six years without an issue. No issues getting the temps to above 80, even when it?s -5 outside.

I do use cowl plugs and a moving blanket over the cowl as well.
 
Twin Hornet 22

It's not an oil sump heater that you asked about, but I recommend this engine cowl Pre-heater. https://www.aircraftheaters.com/aircraftheaters I just set it into the bottom of my engine cowling thru my oil door, and plug it in, and put blankets on top of cowling and plug the holes.
If its below 0 then buy two of them.
Specifically designed for the application, very safe and excellent quality. No gluing of heating elements to your engine to haul around all summer.
 
Avoid Reiff - try E-Z Heat

Hi All,

My engine oil sump heater died the other day. I had originally installed it in 2002. Unfortunately, the manufacturer, Symtec (www.symtec-inc.com) no longer makes sump heaters.

A Google search turned up units by E-Z Heat and Reiff for aircraft and a number of systems for ground based applications (e.g., Zerostart, Kat's). Any experiences, good or bad, would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dean

My experience with Reiff heaters and more importantly their service, was poor. Their product burned out after an estimated 20-30 times used over three years. They carry a 5 year warranty, but Reiff wouldn't honor it since I didn't purchase the kit and it's apparently non-transferable. They also felt like these were not installed properly (not enough epoxy used). That could well be, but if they replaced the $20 pad under a courtesy warranty, they would have had a customer for life. I'll try E-Z Heat on my new engine.

IMG-7178.jpg


IMG-7179.jpg
 
I have put E-Z sump heaters on 5 airplanes over 20 years. Never had an issue, and they do a great job. The expensive Reiff systems that have cylinder bands and more make me laugh. - $500 to add all of that extra stuff? The $40 E-Z system heats the entire engine. The heat from the sump makes it's way up to the cylinders and has them nice a warm after a few hours.
 
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If you need real heat for truly cold weather operations, the Reiff Turbo XP system is hard to beat. It puts a pair of pads on the oil sump, a pad on the oil cooler and bands around the bases of each cylinder.

Our aircraft lives in a hangar that would be better equated with the term "farm implement shed" than "hangar". Temperature indoors is exactly the same as the outdoor temperature. At -20C I turn on the Reiff system before going to bed the night before. With an insulated cowl cover the engine is ready to fly by first light, with oil temperature typically around 100F, "in the green".

The nice thing about the Turbo XP system is that it packs enough watts to heat the whole engine in a relatively short time. When it's really cold, installing a couple of hundred watts doesn't cut it unless one is very patient and an excellent cowl cover is used. A clear indicator that you've not got enough heat in the engine is that oil temperature declines after start-up. This says the warm oil is being pushed through a cold engine. In milder climates this may not be seen very often. In truly cold climates this symptom is often seen, and is a clear indicator of insufficient pre-heating.

With respect to the post above concerning poor service from Reiff, they're a family-owned and operated company so I'm surprised they didn't go the extra mile. Looking at the photos provided it's clear the heat pads have far less than the recommended bonding agent applied to them.

It's pretty obvious the installer didn't even come close to following the installation instructions. That goo under the pads performs two functions... Firstly and obviously it bonds the heating pad to the metal oil sump. What most folks don't clearly understand is that goo also performs the critical function of facilitating heat transfer between the pad and the oil pan. Not enough goo means the heating element can't get rid of the heat it's making, leading to burn-out.

In this instance the burn-out of that heating element has a cause which is pretty obvious. If I were the manufacturer I'd certainly hesitate in providing warranty replacement, and perhaps more so to a person other than the original buyer.

Whatever path you follow moving forward, I hope you have good success. Success is largely dependent on quality of installation, as we've seen from photos above.
 
mini heater

Hi Dean, I'm just testing one of these - seems to be a decent solution. Just put it in the bottom of the cowl between the exhaust pipes, and let the heat rise.

https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B07Z7QD83V

It claimed 200 watts, but my testing of the current draw was closer to 120 watts. In any case, with a nice moving blanket covering the cowl, 0c temps in the hangar, the engine was at about 16c this morning.

I've just ordered a second one - I think two running for about 6-10 hours before a flight will be perfect. I'll use a GSM controller to turn them on - just ordered this one:

https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B07R4Y3BLC
 
Reiff

Another vote for Reiff. I have the oil pan and cylinder band heaters. My Cessna 150M sits in a unheated hangar in Wisconsin. I also put in cowl plugs & a blanket over the cowl. It has been on my engine for over 5 years with no issues. Engine starts in 0 degree weather just like it does in summer. When my RV engine goes on Reiff will definitely be installed on that engine too.
 
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