Tanis or Reiff ? Which is better?

AlphaMike

AlphaMike

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AlphaMike
I’m going to have a new engine pre heater installed on my 182 while it’s in annual next week. I live in Michigan so winters are cold and pre heating is a must. I’m looking for any advice on which brand. Is this a Ford - Chevy thing or is one of them actually better? I did notice the Tanis is quite a bit more expensive. But it seems to have more heating eliminates than the Reiff. Looking for some advice! Thanks everyone!
 
Reiff Turbo XP here.. i live in ND, it does get wee bit cold here. on a below zero day, i find my CHT at 200-230 range and oil temp at 130-140 range before engine start. i do have a cowl cover, no prop cover though
 
WannaFly. Do you leave it plugged in on all the time or do you just turn it on several hours before you plan to fly?
 
The Cirrus I rent have tanis, (IO-550) they work great. I believe they turn them on about 2 hours before they are scheduled to go out. Because of Covid, they tow them to the ramp after the pre heat, they usually sit up to an hour before they are started. The cylinders are warm to the touch and the oil temp is usually about 70F. This is after cold soaking all night in a 10 degree hanger. I think they have a cellular set up to switch them on.
 
AlphaMike said:
WannaFly. Do you leave it plugged in on all the time or do you just turn it on several hours before you plan to fly?
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i normally plug in the evening before my flight, then at times it turns IFR the next day and stays like that for 1.5 weeks lol. but in most cases if i am flying 3 times a week, i will leave it plugged in. if i am planning to fly once a week, i will do the plug in the night before. some people get those switchbox thing to turn it on (and off), the general consensus is, if you turn it on, leave it on until you fly and burn the moisture off. worst thing you can do it turn it on, heat for 12 hours and shut it off. ground ops is not going to get those moisture off...

PS: you are about to open a huge can of worms...
 
paging @Sinistar . he has a 182, right now i cant remember what heating system he has, he also has a remote starter for the unit that he rigged up
 
I have had a Tannis for about 18 years now. Not a problem. Nice thing about Tannis is you have more options for cylinder heat. Mine clam on the the cylinder flange using a slightly smaller than spec rocker head cover bolt.
 
another note @AlphaMike - i also loosen the dipstick and move it to the side (where the thread is sitting on the opening, not covering the entire opening) when i plug in
 
@WannFly I assume that is to let any moisture out. Yeah I’ve been reading and can’t really find anything definitive about corrosion linked to heating. I fly as often as possible all year long. It’s pretty rare that I go more than a week without flying. This winter hasn’t been too bad but I’m definitely more limited due to ice. I need to hurry up and hit the lottery so I can retire and move south!
 
Both brands do the job. If I had to pick one over the other I'd go for the Reiff since the cylinder heating bands will not interfere with any CHT probe that may be installed.
 
AlphaMike said:
I’m going to have a new engine pre heater installed on my 182 while it’s in annual next week. I live in Michigan so winters are cold and pre heating is a must. I’m looking for any advice on which brand. Is this a Ford - Chevy thing or is one of them actually better? I did notice the Tanis is quite a bit more expensive. But it seems to have more heating eliminates than the Reiff. Looking for some advice! Thanks everyone!
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When I installed the new IO-520 our Cessna Certified Maintenance shop recommended the Reiff over the Tanis system, I do not remember the fine points as to why but after listening to their suggestions it made sense and that is what we purchased. Works great.
 
AlphaMike said:
@WannFly I assume that is to let any moisture out. Yeah I’ve been reading and can’t really find anything definitive about corrosion linked to heating. I fly as often as possible all year long. It’s pretty rare that I go more than a week without flying. This winter hasn’t been too bad but I’m definitely more limited due to ice. I need to hurry up and hit the lottery so I can retire and move south!
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Yes to let any possible moisture out
 
mondtster said:
Both brands do the job. If I had to pick one over the other I'd go for the Reiff since the cylinder heating bands will not interfere with any CHT probe that may be installed.
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That is an excellent point. When I bought mine it had a old tanis installed, during JPI 830 install I found out their probe needs to move, something you had to buy from Tanis, at that time Tanis quoted me some 400 to get those, I threw the system away, paid another 200 I think and got Reiff
 
mondtster said:
Both brands do the job. If I had to pick one over the other I'd go for the Reiff since the cylinder heating bands will not interfere with any CHT probe that may be installed.
Click to expand...

Agree, I just had a Reiff with the oil cooler option put on my 206. My mechanic favored the Reiff as it didn’t involve replacing the rocker cover bolts with hollowed out heated bolts and didn’t interfere with the CHT probes.
 
PaulS said:
We do this after landing, an impressive amount of steam comes out.
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Now that is a very good idea, I should incorporate that in my post flight walk around routine
 
mondtster said:
Both brands do the job. If I had to pick one over the other I'd go for the Reiff since the cylinder heating bands will not interfere with any CHT probe that may be installed.
Click to expand...
Neither does the Tannis if you buy the right versions. I have 6 cyl CHT and no problems.
 
WannFly said:
Now that is a very good idea, I should incorporate that in my post flight walk around routine
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Just have a method to be sure it gets secured before take off. The Cirrus has a hatch on top of the cowl, I leave it unlatched too, easy to see from the cockpit if I ever forget.
 
I currently have a Tanis, had a Reiff installed on the Mooney when I owned it. My opinion is the Reiff is better.
 
I have had both on 182s and they are both great
 
The twin Hornet from AircraftHeaters.com is a fraction of the price of a Reiff or Tanis. Keeps my engine bay warm on the coldest winter days. And if I ever sell the airplane I can use the little heater on the new one. I've been using mine for 6 years.
 
I had a Tanis with cylinder probes. I didn't like my engine monitor temp readings. Didnt seem real accurate. I switched to a reiff turbo xps. LOVE IT.
 
Tannis here. Was installed by previous owner. No engine monitor yet so no cylinder probe conflicts. It would seem that having the bands woyld be preferred. I think the tannins either draws 600watt or 400watt (forget) so maybe the Reiff uses more heating power. I would think full engine compartment heating would require more power.

I use remote outlet control and only preheat evening prior to flight.

At our airport the trend seems to be if you fly alot most seem to plug in the night before. For some that rarely fly and are in rentals where electricity is provided...they leave plugged in all the time. Regardless of the debate...I yhink they do it because electricity is free for them.

A full engine bay heater would be nice if it could also push heat into the cabin but then you'd be trying to heat a lot more volume. Within 2 nights here it will be -20F. Probably best to focus the heat on the oil and the cylinders rather than a full compartment heat not making it in those cold Temps.

Even at -10F during preflight a small tipswitch heater will warm up the cabin (avionics) in about 30min. So we do that right we we get there. Very nice to take off the jacket, hop in and its warm inside.

Missed get the hangar heated this winter...Hopefully next winter.
 
Well it sounds like I’m going to get the Reiff turbo. I have a JPI 900 so there’s that. Plus my IA said it’s easier to install and cost significantly less. Thanks for all the advice!
 
I have a Tanis, with a JPI 830 engine monitor and haven't had any challenges. Colorado doesn't get super cold.

I am in a hangar, with a quilt over the cowl, tanis heater, with 100 watt light under the cowling and a ceramic heater in the cockpit (I put it on a 12x12 piece of ceramic tile and face it blowing against another 12x12 tile in the footwell to heat the cabin and inside avionics.

All of this is connected to a GSM relay. I call the cell number - it turns on a relay (the pre-heater). I send it a text to turn on or off the other two devices independently. Usually, I start my pre-heater 3 to 4 hours before flight time and text to turn on the others about an hour before I get to the airport. Has worked well for a while now.

Dean
 
I can definitely recommend the Reiff TurboXP System. I had one installed last year on the IO-540 in the Lance, and we absolutely love it. I normally start it at least 5 hours before flying. At 20F outside temp, I often see oil temps of 90F after 5 hours of preheat. In a pinch I've already run it for just an hour or two, and it makes a surprising difference.

If you're looking for remote control, Look no further than Switcheon! I love my Switcheon! I am unable to post links, but you can find more info at switcheon . com
In a addition to remote control, you can also set schedules, etc.
 
Reiff. The Reiff heat soaks all components better. The heat from the band radiates out to the cylinder heads and internally in the case, main bearings and crank. The oil pad that comes with the kit heats the oil. Get the oil cooler heat pad option and that will heat the cooler. If you cover the cowl with a good cover or good blanket it will heat evenly in a pretty short period of time. I have been a very satisfied Reiff user over the years.

Kurt
 
Stewartb said:
I read somewhere that Tanis offers cylinder bands now? I prefer Reiff.
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They offer all sorts of elements. As I said, I've got ones that mount to the cylinder through a rocker cover bolt hole. All the CHT holes have the engine analyzer probes in them now.
 
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