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I have one of the cabin heat valves that Vern sold me.  While I like the
small size and light weight, this one has some problems.  I'm wondering what
you guys with cabin heat have done -- have you modified the Lancair part or
done something else?

1)  The valve does not close completely, so some amount of hot air would be
going into the cabin at all times.  I don't know whether this is noticeable
in flight or not.  This appears to be caused by a combination of the metal
plates (which sandwich around a piece of rubber) being a tiny bit too long,
and the plates being mounted slightly crooked to the rotating shaft.  This
appears to me to be a manufacturing flaw rather than a design defect.  While
I can't find the e-mail that Vern sent me on this topic last week, my
recollection is that he said that a cabin heat valve that remains slightly
open is typical (which is not the same thing as saying they all have
manufacturing defects.)  Sorry, Vern, if I've misquoted you.

2)  When the valve is open, both outlet ports are open.  I assume that hot
air goes both into the cockpit and overboard.  This would appear to be a
design flaw, unless the into-the-cockpit flow is more than adequate even with
both outlets flowing.  Again, I have no way of knowing without flying the
thing, unless I ask you guys.

- Rob Wolf
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Please send your photos and drawings to marvkaye@olsusa.com.
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