Keeping Warm!!!!!!

[Neil Spooner]

Hi All,

I have been thinking for some time as to how to keep warm in the Nipper in winter...............The easiest solution I have come up with is to have an opening vent behind the cylinder heads in the alloy removable panel just behind the firewall. It could be ground adjustable because you wouldn't be able to get to it in flight (like the ones fitted in the wing root perspex panels) or a cable operated alloy scoop. This would obviously only work on the Nippers that have the full cowling with the VW engine.

Any other thoughts please?

Neil

[G-NIPR]

Neil,
I've been thinking the same thing. Mulitple layers are not a good idea as the cockpit is so snug it limits movement.
However there are some pretty good motorbike type heated things.
An example is shown on the link below:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HEATED-CLOTHES-FA ... dZViewItem

Some are battery powered, some could use your leburg generated dc amps!
Might be worth a look...

Paul.
G-NIPR.

[Pat Blenkinsopp]

Neil,
I have installed a little heating system as follows:
I have extended my heat exchanger (for carb air hot) and added a tubular scat hose offtake this goes to a small firewall mounted box with a cable operated sliding lovre thing (rather like the sliding part on your ellison carb (to vary the output of hot air). In its first version it kept the cold out rather thasn heated the cockpit but i intend to put a one inch scat going to a small scoop on the cowling to move the air through a little quicker .I should have said that the pre mk 1 took the hot air via a small scoop comming of the back and below the rear cylinders. This version did not really work at all.
The box/lovre simply exited the hot air via a 1.5" hole in the firwall. I know my carb hot air system works well so the boosted heat exchanger idea should be quite good. I will let you know how it works. I am not sure how the heat exchanger on a VW works but you should be able to rig somthing up. I shall try to get some pictures but it will be a while as the fuz is all masked up at the moment awaiting the second colour/registration application.
All the best and do have a GREAT Xmas and 08
Kind regards
Pat.

[Neil Spooner]

Hi Pat,

Thanks for that, but I am not so well endowed!! I need both my heat exchangers to get my +30deg temp' rise and do not have the physical room to go introducing others. The flap on the side panel should catch a fair bit of hot air off of the Cyl' heads, is not intrusive to the firewall, and hopefully is the lightest. I will do some experiments and let you know how I get on.

Neil