I use the Reiff on my FD CTSW with Rotax 912 ULS. I installed it myself
(mine is an Experimental aircraft and I have a LSMR-A certificate).
The heater performed well in an unheated hangar in Iowa last winter. I
typically plug it in overnight and cover the cowling with an old sleeping
bag. The oil temperature will be in the 60°F range the next morning. As
I recall, once or twice I plugged it in for a same-day flight and it takes
a few hours to get up to the 40°F area, but I'll admit those times were
seldom and I won't testify on the heating time and temp.
I installed the heater system in a hurry when it was already cold in
November anticipating a flight to Denver. When I arrived, I found the pad
that fits on the engine had come loose. The problem was caused because I
hadn't followed installation instructions carefully and had tried to
install it at too cold a temperature so the epoxy had not set up properly
before I used the plane. There was some information that the attachment
epoxy would "cure in operation" but other information contradicts that. I
recommend that you carefully follow manufacturer's installation
instructions, especially on the epoxy.
I called the company, talked to the president, who talked me through the
simple fix. The heating pad was not damaged so I cleaned the epoxy off,
used J-B Weld and reapplied the heating pad at the correct ambient
temperature. I felt better using some blocking and shims like you use to
wedge a window or door frame into position (little wooden wedges) to hold
the pad firmly against the engine till it cured. (I braced it against
some exhaust plumbing.) Also, use the right amount but not too much epoxy
- it's easy to put on too much. In my application, it was easiest to get
more room to work, especially in cleaning the engine block, by removing
the oil filter, so I installed it at an oil change. An active FD dealer
in Stanton, MN uses Reiff.
I've not used other heaters so can't say anything one way or the other on
them.
I'm happy with my decision to use Reiff. I think it was good value for
the money and didn't change any Rotax approved fasteners. The initial
installation problem was my fault - I should have read the instructions
better and followed them closer, but in the event there was no harm done
and it works well now.
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