Cell phone activated engine preheat

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Undaunted
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Cell phone activated engine preheat

Post by Undaunted »

Well winter came early here in the northland. Looking out the window at 8 inches of snow and no signs it will melt any time soon.

Much discussion has been had about the pro's and con's of keeping the plane plugged in all the time and we have decided it will only be preheated before flight.

So...in an effort to avoid the trip out to the airport ahead of time we are looking at remote controlled (ie cell phone) activated power strips to start the engine heater and perhaps a cabin heater as well.

Anyone out there using such an device?
What are you using and how well does it work?
Pro's/Cons to what you have?

Thanks,
Michael
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TimB
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Post by TimB »

Yes Island Flyer has a cell controlled unit for pre heat and he put together his own switching unit from parts and build his own engine dehydrator also to go with it. At aircraft Spruce this unit is also available, U PHONE IT PREHEATER SWITCH FOR CELL PHONES
Part # 11-12453 for $279.00
TimB

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bobguhr
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Post by bobguhr »

Try this link, cell phone activated sim card switch $189.00 from Reiff.
http://www.reiffpreheat.com/GSM-SWITCH.htm

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andy
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Post by andy »

One of Maule owner friends had a cell phone activated engine pre-heater and he liked it. I don't remember if it was the Reiff system. I've seen too many electronic devices go up in smoke, and sometimes flames, to want some kind of heater turned on around my airplane with no human supervision.
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Post by Hogy59 »

I've got a programmable timer and thermostat on mine, in series. Kicks on in the mornings when temp is below 40 degrees. Stuff is available at Lowes....

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crbnunit
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Post by crbnunit »

I bought one of the Reiff units because I got a good deal on it. It worked perfectly... Once. You call it, it rejects the call so you don't get charged air time and sends a text message that it has turned on. All kinds of parameters you can program in with timers, messages and security. Even sends you a text if the power is interrupted and when it turns off. Pretty slick. All you need is a compatible Simm card and a basic phone plan with texting. Handles 1500 WATS so it can run your preheater and a small cabin heater with no problems.

Like I said, it worked perfectly ONCE. Called one evening late for a flight the next morning. Said it was on. Arrived to find a cold airplane. Light indicated the unit was on but no power to the heater. Called it, it sent a message it turned off and I heard the relay trip. Opened it up to smell fried electronics. Fuses still good. No visible damage.

Ongoing interaction with the MFG (Reiff does not warranty the unit). They have been pretty responsive so far. I'll let you know how it turns out.
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Post by Mountain Doctor »

That's disappointing. I was thinking about ordering one of those for myself. I thought it would extend the life of my Aerotherm rather than just having it run 24/7 all winter, except while I'm flying.
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Post by crbnunit »

Update: The mfg asked me to pull the cover and take some photos. I told them nothing "appears" burnt but I'm keeping the unit in the garage because the smell makes the wife angry and my eyes burn... What the heck. Photos taken and forwarded.

While I was messing with it, I decided to plut it in. Everything lit up like it was supposed to, the smell didn't get worse and nothing got hot. I plugged in a shop light and called it. The unit turned on, the light lit, nothing got hot or smelled. Tuned off/on/off/on/off. No problems. Swithced from the light ot a 1000w space heater. The unit came on, lasted about 30 seconds and all power output went away. No heat in the unit, no increased smell, no power. All the lights were still on and the unit still turns on/off via phone. Just no power out. Curious.

The factory has been very responsive and healpful so far.
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Post by Mountain Doctor »

If they take good care of you and if your replacement unit works I may order one.

Like Andy said, I'm always a little nervous with the electricity in the hanger. A space heater in the cabin, an Aerotherm on the engine, a battery tender on the Concorde, and a little cellular box to control it...
I am an AME in Richland, Washington. Please call for an appointment!

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aero101
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Post by aero101 »

Jeff-

Sounds to me like the unit won't take the load... It'd be simple matter to have the cell phone receiver 'power on a relay', and use one of the relay circuits to turn on heater? You can pretty much buy relays rated for any amperage or wattage you want? Radio Shack or a well stocked electronics store should be able to supply a relay, and I'd go to something rated for near 20-25 Amps on heater side...

The Reif GSM unit handles 1800 Watts as is... So if you've got a pan heater (75 to 100 watts), Reif Preheat Sys (900Watts) and a car buddy or similar heater (1000-1200 watts), you've already exceeded limits of GSM box... So depending upon what you have loaded on it for heating, load can easily exceed the 1800 watt rating of control box... Again, an external relay would easily take care of that..
Last edited by aero101 on Fri Nov 14, 2014 5:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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aero101
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Post by aero101 »

Hogy59 wrote:I've got a programmable timer and thermostat on mine, in series. Kicks on in the mornings when temp is below 40 degrees. Stuff is available at Lowes....
+40F for preheat? Man, that's tropical WX!!! Or was that -40F? :D Although I do see you guys are actually colder then we are right now... Nice change for us up here!!!
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Andy Young
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Post by Andy Young »

Pretty warm in my part of Antarctica right now too; +15F at the warmest part of the day. Next week, I'm heading to another part of the continent that has been stubbornly holding onto -40, and I'll be sleeping in a backpacking tent. Wish I had a pre-heater for that...

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Post by captnkirk »

Andy what do you do in Antarctica be sides shiver?
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crbnunit
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Post by crbnunit »

-40? Tent? What in the world is the matter with you? LOL!

The mfg is sending me a new unit. They want the old one back so they can figure out why it is doing what it is doing.

Yea Jim, the Reiff system I have is 200w pan heater and six 100w/cylinder bands = 800w. That + a little 1000w cabin heater is right at the 1800w claimed limit of the switch. I suspect you are correct. However, since the whole unit is protected by a fuse, I would expect that to blow prior to the unit melting down.

I've thought about a separate relay. The Reiff unit is a pretty elegant little package. I had hoped it would handle my needs stand alone. Looks like a bigger enclosure plus a relay and a circuit breaker might be in order.

I could drop the cabin heater but I sure like a toasty cabin, warm gyros and no fogging the cabin preheat provides!

Correction. My little ceramic space heater is only 750w on low. I never run it on high (1500w) so we are talking 1550w total load. The claimed 1800w capacity should do the trick...
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Andy Young
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Post by Andy Young »

captnkirk wrote:Andy what do you do in Antarctica be sides shiver?
I do support work for the U.S. research program. The exact job has varied through the years, but these days it's usually some form of mechanic job or other. This year I'll be digging out some heavy equipment that's been buried at a remote site for a few years, getting it running, and using it to help dig out the rest of the stuff that was left there, so we can bring it all back to use on other projects.

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