fuel gauge senders

[Loupark]

Does anyone have experience with installing fuel gauge senders?
since my plane is experimental, I thought I would use a simple
boat gauge and sender unit, but it seems that the sender unit
call for exposed connections inside the tank. I'm a bit uncomfortable
with this. Is this normal or am I reading it wrong? I'd hate to get the
plane altogether just to blow myself to smithereens when I turn on
the power.
Lou

 

[Dan Thomas]

Does anyone have experience with installing fuel gauge senders?
since my plane is experimental, I thought I would use a simple
boat gauge and sender unit, but it seems that the sender unit
call for exposed connections inside the tank. I'm a bit uncomfortable
with this. Is this normal or am I reading it wrong? I'd hate to get the
plane altogether just to blow myself to smithereens when I turn on
the power.
Lou

It's normal. The old Cessna senders are a wirewound potentiometer type that isn't sealed in any way, and when they wear out they can make sparks inside the tank. Gasoline is flammable at air:fuel ratios of 8:1 (rich) to 18:1 (lean), and the mix inside the tank is much richer than 8:1. The dangerous times come after the tank has been drained and the cap is off. The mixture might get lean enough to go boom, so when we're working on these things we disconnect the sender. Newer senders use more sensitive gauges and an electronic carbon-track sender. Sparks are less likely.

Dan

 

[Loupark]

Thanks Dan, the last news group I posted that to, the only answer I got
was to read the directions. A lot of help that was.
Lou

 

[Tom-D]

Check these out, no electrical compontents in the cell

http://www.airstuff.com/fuelmon.html