Wondering if anybody has done this. Having had my first experience with prop vibrations due to icing I would like to understand what are my options…
The wing of Bo can take some ice however it felt like the prop didn’t…Does anybody use IceX or another product..?
Electrical or alcohol..? I seems both are available for a Mcauley Prop..advantages and disadvantages of both systems ..?
I would suggest electric pads, but you need to ensure your alternator has enough capacity. Both systems are technically anti ice and need to be on when you suspect there is potential icing, this means the alcohol systems get depleted quite quickly.
I am somewhat sceptical on the effectiveness of wing boots in moderate plus icing, and a prop with anti ice tends to be pretty helpful in getting you out of light icing, which is what you need. So as an investment to make your Bonanza more capable in exiting icing, it makes sense. No experience of Ice-X.
In short if you are planning to encounter moderate icing on a regular basis go turbine.
I have seen some completely outrageous quotes for a prop TKS retrofit for a TB20. From vague memory, you have to buy a new spinner and a new backplate which has the “centrifugal” thingy within it, and the TKS bottle and the little electric pump. These bits come from CAV who, to put it politely, are not interested in, ahem, selling their products… I recall a figure of about 10k.
The spinner may be a standard part but the backplate won’t be, and the backplate needs to be done right. The bottle can be bought or fabricated and you could easily dig out a liquid dosing pump (everybody and their dog makes little pumps) but you would need a “friendly” CAMO/A&P to cover that. Then you need to put a flip-up cover in the top cowling.
When I got mine (new, 2002) the factory option was about 3k. The best 3k you could spend on a plane…
At max flow rate my prop TKS bottle lasts about 2hrs, which is plenty since I don’t do IMC enroute in any applicable temperature range (the rest of the aircraft is unprotected) unless a descent into warm air is OK.
If you can get an electric heated prop for your Bonanza that sounds very interesting.
Indeed it looks like you need a more powerful alternator >100 A and the hardware slip rings, brushes etc…I have seen seen Rapco builds, sells this stuff. Don’t know if it’s an STC etc..?
I think the advantage of alcohol is no change to prop blades is required but indeed suspected icing can last quite a time…;-)). TKS is completely out of my budget 10K prop nly..?
This would be overkill for my old airframe though a Hot Prop seems to have some advantages at least one item less to deal with when collecting ice and looking for the best way out..
I heard that installing this pads is not that expensive and it can be done by an A&P ..? The sliprings etc…donno..cost..?
The Bonanza F33A I flew for a couple years a while ago had electric de-ice. It worked very well, except in a few cases where the dedicated ammeter showed 12 A instead of 18 A, indicating that the heating element on one of the blades had failed. De-icing only two of three blades is reported to make for vibrations so bad that you would wish for a lot of evenly distributed ice on the propeller instead.
I am not sure I agree completely that the Bonanza wing takes much ice (it seemed to lose a lot of airspeed with only a trace of ice on the wings), but the prop de-ice was definitely very valuable on several occasions.
it seemed to lose a lot of airspeed with only a trace of ice on the wings), but the prop de-ice was definitely very valuable on several occasions.
Okay in comparison to a mooney, cirrus to name a few 
