Janitrol Heater Regulator & Cycle Times

[Charles Schefer]

As a family we flew our trusty PA-30B to Chattanooga, TN for the Thanksgiving holiday again this year. Smooth and uneventful. The temps were just cold enough that I needed to use the Janitrol heater to keep the family happy. I found that what worked best was having the heater on the whole time but with the temp regulator set to almost the coldest setting. This kept a steady flow of slightly warmed air by our feet and the cooler air from the overhead and panel vents made for a perfect trip environment.

The above scenario got me to thinking about the heater regulator and cycle times. When I was building a sunroom on my house and adding a separate AC unit, the AC company actually talked me into a smaller unit than I was thinking of. Their point was that too big a unit would heat / cool the space very quickly which would result in the unit cycling on and off more frequently instead of running for longer periods with less on/off cycles. On/off cycles are often what kills a piece of equipment more than the overall run time.

I imagine the Janitrol heater has some sort of ignitor that heats up via electricity to a glowing red and then fuel is introduced when it cycles on. I wonder if by having a low temp regulator setting where the heater seems to be barely on - just taking the edge off the cold, might in fact result in a lot of extra cycling on and off thereby wearing out the ignitor or other parts of the heater more quickly.

Any knowledge on this topic and moreover the best way to run an aircraft heater to promote it's longevity (if there are any such rules or methods) would be appreciated.

- Charles

[N3322G]

No enlightenment - just confirmation that we run our heater the same way ... don't think we have more than an hour on it in the past 3 years - hope the trip was great fun for all.

[Charles Schefer]

Thanks Pat. Great fun indeed. Yes, I imagine in TX you don't have a great deal of need for the heater. Frankly I run mine as little as possible to avoid the black carbon streak across the belly. I clean it off every time. My wife's dad lives in Comanche County not far from you I think.

[N3322G]

It tickles me every time I pass through Comanche county whose county seat is Comanche complete with a 4500' Comanche airport runway. The old renovated town square is becoming a tourist attraction. It is SW of us in more central TX

[Charles Schefer]

My father-in-law lives not far from that airfield. One day we will make it there in our Comanche...