| Author | Message | ||
     Sven Eriksson |
Question: Where do the 'used' air leave the cabin area on the express? A modern car do always have some vent holes in the aft part to get rid of the 'used' air inside. I think this is a must in any good ventilation system.Do anyone know how this could be made on the express? | ||
| Bob Gisburne |
Sven: My cabin air exits via the openings around rudder/elevator intersection. It also exits via the torque tube holes between the fuselage and wing. I believe Jerry S. did an experiment a few years ago attaching tissue paper to his vent grills at the rear bulkhead. The actually flow FORWARD as I recall... | ||
| jharlow |
Sven, On my Express I installed a NACA vent backwards in the tail section to be sure I had positive air flow. This system works very well. In addition I installed a NACA scoop in the vert tail and ducted air back forward over the top of the fuselage and put in seperate vents for each person. This system even works with the engine running but sitting on the ramp. I live in Florida so you can never get to much air for this part of the country. John | ||
| John Hobson |
John, I have also been considering the installation of a backward facing NACA duct as a vent exit. I have fabricated the duct ready to install, but can't make up my mind on where to place it. I first thought it would be good to place it on the bottom of the fuselage (out of sight) somewere behind bulkhead 162. Then I thought it might be better on the top, (again behind bulkhead 162) where the static pressure might be lower. Do you have any advice/suggestions. | ||
| John Harlow |
John, I installed mine on the bottom of the fuselage so it would be out of site and it seems to work fine. It's aft of 162 about 36 inches. I also put a large mesh screen on the inside to keep out varments. | ||
| Gary Markwardt |
Has anyone had any luck getting heat into the cabin? It is cold here in Michigan & I'm freezing my toes off (among other things). I have the factory heat muff on the straight pipe, but there is very little airflow coming into the cabin. The scat tube supplying air to the heat muff picks it up at a flange located on the front baffle almost directly behind the prop. I'm wondering if that area is not a low pressure rather than a ram air situation. Maybe I should move the inlet? Or, perhaps I need a vent aft of the 162 bulkhead to increase air flow??? Opinions or ideas appreciated. Gary Markwardt | ||
| Wayne |
I was wondering about heat for these babies. Crack your bulkhead cover open and go fly to see if you are pressurising the cabin. (I'd like to think they are that tight) How much of that cold HI pressure air that is pushing your plane up leaking in through the gear leg holes? Or move your duct opening to a scoop, up through the baffling ahead of the left fwd cylinder. That seems to work on other ac. Hope that works cause that is where mine is going. Fly it down and I'll have a look! | ||
| Kevin Dennes (Kdennes) |
I would be most grateful if there is someone out there who can help me with photographs, drawings or just an explanation of how you have made your heat "box" that surrounds the exhaust on the IO550 please. In addition I would like some ideas of what you have done to distribute the warm air flow after it comes through the firewall. I know that there will have to be some routing for demisting but I am in a quantary as to whether a pilot selectable distribution box (a bit like the one on the front of the firewall) is preferred or whether to simply allow the warm air to "spill" into the cabin with the only control being the selector of the flapper box on the firewall. There still remains some "unanswered" questions relating to cabin heat. I would be pleased to hear from any owner who has a heater system that works well. After all, we, here in OZ will probably need the heater on three or four days per year. It can get mighty cold here in Sydney. The temperature got down to a bone shaking 7 deg. C (about 44 F) this morning but we are in the middle of winter! If you would like to post photographs direct to me instead of cluttering the page of the Forum then post it to kdennes@ihug.com.au. Thank you in anticipation. Regards. Kevin (from Downunder) | ||
| Kevin Dennes (Kdennes) |
It is totally unlike my usual experience with this forum, not to get a single answer to the above posting by me. Then again I cannot recall getting an e-mail referring to it either so I will send this one in the hope that someone may be able to help please. Kevin (from Downunder) | ||
| LOUIE LACY (Llacy) |
KEVIN Use a 70 amp alternator and get an RV electric heater. In the 1960's Volkswagen gassed several people by taking heat from around a heat muff. A 130 Watt RV heater provides enough heat with OAT of 20 F. It makes the installation much easier Lou llacy@netease.net | ||
| Jim Ward (Jehward) |
Kevin To continue on Lou's thread above, there is an electric cabin heater available through a Cozy builder at the following link. {http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/composite_aircraft_accessories/Heaters.htm} The draw is 40 amps, which is why I have hesitated pursuing this so far. The heater is supposed to put out up to {160deg.F@30CFM,160deg.F@30CFM}, and has 3 operating levels. My other consideration is to take heat from the oil cooler and route that into the cabin. Like to hear what others have done as well. | ||
| Hans Georg Schmid (Hgschmid) |
Kevin In my Long-Ez I had a similar heater installed as described by Jim. It worked flawlessly but the heat it generated was just enough not to be cold. My electrician was not real comfortable because of the current it drew. I had a number of night flights when circumnavigating the world and sometimes it was really cool to outright cold. The heater was sufficient and without it I would have had a big problem. But comfortable would have been something entirely different. In an EXPRESS I feel this kind of heater would be a little small. I would still go with a heat muff or try to take the heat from the oil cooler. Hans Georg Schmid www.millenniumflight.com | ||
| Kevin Dennes (Kdennes) |
That is better!!! Thank you all. Your input is much appreciated and I would be grateful for anyone else's views on the subject. Regards. Kevin (from Downunder) | ||
| Tom R. Hutchison (Tomhutch) |
Not to miss out here, I did a brief search for 12V heaters on the Internet and found the following (you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to see it): http://www.truckair.com/tap/SECT5/heatassy.pdf Tom | ||
| Phil & Margie Hodge (N410mp) |
I shared Lou's concern about exhaust gas leaks, so bought a good carbon-monoxide detector http://aeromedix.com/products/codetect/codetect.html That seemed to be a lot cheaper and lighter than a separate electric heater, and I can very easily cook myself right out of the cabin. My muff is from Express, and appears to be good quality. | ||
| Reinhard Metz |
Kevin, I wrote an article, including a number of pictures, on my heating and ventilation system, in the Copeland's Express Link newsletter, January 1997 -No.12. The article includes routing, controls, etc. It works quite well - I live in Illinois, and it is adequate in the front seats down to about 0 deg. F, good for the whole plane to about 25 deg. F. It uses the standard heat muff and Glasair control box. Let me know if you can't find a copy and I can fax or post pictures. Reinhard Metz N49EX@aol.com | ||
| Gary Markwardt |
Kevin: I have the Express heat muff & it is just barely adequate at 20 F. The heat capacity and air flow are very poor. I live in Michigan where winter temperatures can get down to 0 F., sometimes below, so I will be working to improve the system before next winter. I can't offer much advice at this point. Good luck. Reinhart: Can you bring a copy of your article to the builder dinner next Friday for me? Thanks. Gary | ||
| Reinhard Metz |
Yes, I'll try to remember to bring it. A clarification - My heat muff is the fairly large one, about 11" long, on the front crossover of my I/O360 exhaust. My recollectionis the muff on the 540 is smaller. While my front seat heat is good, the back remains a problem. Getting heat to the back is a challenge. My sidewall ducts lose much of the heat in transit. Reinhard | ||
| wayne norris New member Username: Wayne_norris Post Number: 7 Registered: 02-2003 |
I posted 2 pix of my 2$ PVC plumbing vent valve in the gallery. You should be able to figure out how it works. I now just need to put in a 1/8" vent tube to drain rain water out the bottom. The radio rack tube blows out the top so water should get trapped in the bottom. Also I have just about finished the interior for what that is worth. Slow,functional, but I did it myself. And my lost tail cone showed, up after spending a year in a farmer's field. It is repaired and back on with bolts instead of screws. |