Originally Posted by
Step Turn
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The 62F carb heat air I had was only 20 degrees warmer than ambient. Or, if I also lean, 30 degrees (F) warmer. If you've foolishly accumulated so much carb ice that you cannot maintain cruising power, you're headed down. Deicing in a hurry might be necessary, the extra 10 degrees F is going to be pretty welcomed then!
I guess we will have to agree to disagree on this one as every time I have put the crab heat on the ice went away pretty fast. Hotter air will obviously melt things faster but I think the practical difference is negligible.
In any case I don't see many reports where leaning the mixture would have been what made the difference from clearing the ice, or suffering an engine failure. What I do see is plenty of engine failures where no heat was applied at all right up to the time it got really quiet....