Sump after fueling

[jesse]

Funny, mine did it the day they were installed. Those things must degrade pretty fast.

The drips I myself get from the sumps are an annoyance, not a safety issue. I like my wheel pants white. It is one of the very few downfalls of owning a Cherokee.

There are a few gremlins in Cessnas as well, like the fact that liquid can get into the tanks and be utterly unsumpable. For all I know they dribble too; I don't think they're right over the wheel pants. I'm certain there are others, but most are annoyances that we put up with. I'm certain every kind of aircraft has its warts. When they become safety issues, they get addressed.

I don't think you're understanding what I'm saying. I'm saying that if you don't sump for water because of the fear of your sumps leaking too much then you shouldn't fly it. You disagree with that?

I also said that I would either get it fixed or figure out a way to stop it from staining. If that meant catching the drops the drops while it's in the hangar then that's what would be done.

 

[150man]

C150s have an annoying habit of fuel leaking out of the vent tube when full. That's why I never top off unless I'm ready to fly. Once the full is down a bit, it stops.

 

[Dan Thomas]

Pretty easy to say from the peanut galley. When its your 30 AMU sitting in the hangar because of dribbling fuel sumps, you let me know.



Funny, mine did it the day they were installed. Those things must degrade pretty fast.

The drips I myself get from the sumps are an annoyance, not a safety issue. I like my wheel pants white. It is one of the very few downfalls of owning a Cherokee.

There are a few gremlins in Cessnas as well, like the fact that liquid can get into the tanks and be utterly unsumpable. For all I know they dribble too; I don't think they're right over the wheel pants. I'm certain there are others, but most are annoyances that we put up with. I'm certain every kind of aircraft has its warts. When they become safety issues, they get addressed.

Those quick-drains are easy enough to fix unless they're the recessed ones that need the pin to open. Most just unscrew, and get new MS29513-006 and -012 O-rings.Cost of O-rings is at least 50 cents. Better to keep two drain valves on hand and switch them out. It's possible to do it with fuel in the tanks but you sure don't want to be doing it inside the hangar.

Curtis-type valves have a slightly bigger O-ring. Still a standard MS29513 series.

They'll also dribble if bugs get into the tanks. Bugs love gasoline smell and will fly into an open filler; never leave the cap off for any reason. Bug carcasses break up into little hard bits and foul the -006 O-ring drain seal. Eventually they plug the drain valve core so the flow slows or stops.

We never let full tanks into the hangar, especially in winter. Cold fuel can expand and overflow the vents, and a hangar full of fuel vapors is a bomb waiting to go off.

Dribbling valves on high-wing Cessnas will either drip on the floor or, if outside, the breeze will drive the fuel against the windows and eventually ruin them. New O-rings start to look economical.

Dan

 

[steingar]

Those quick-drains are easy enough to fix unless they're the recessed ones that need the pin to open. Most just unscrew, and get new MS29513-006 and -012 O-rings.Cost of O-rings is at least 50 cents. Better to keep two drain valves on hand and switch them out. It's possible to do it with fuel in the tanks but you sure don't want to be doing it inside the hangar.

Curtis-type valves have a slightly bigger O-ring. Still a standard MS29513 series.

They'll also dribble if bugs get into the tanks. Bugs love gasoline smell and will fly into an open filler; never leave the cap off for any reason. Bug carcasses break up into little hard bits and foul the -006 O-ring drain seal. Eventually they plug the drain valve core so the flow slows or stops.

We never let full tanks into the hangar, especially in winter. Cold fuel can expand and overflow the vents, and a hangar full of fuel vapors is a bomb waiting to go off.

Dribbling valves on high-wing Cessnas will either drip on the floor or, if outside, the breeze will drive the fuel against the windows and eventually ruin them. New O-rings start to look economical.

Dan

First, I don't think its legal for me to replace sumps. Second, it is somewhat less easily accomplished if the aircraft is full of gas, which mine usually is. Third, my mechanic did it a bunch of times and it didn't help.

 

[steingar]

I don't think you're understanding what I'm saying. I'm saying that if you don't sump for water because of the fear of your sumps leaking too much then you shouldn't fly it. You disagree with that?

I also said that I would either get it fixed or figure out a way to stop it from staining. If that meant catching the drops the drops while it's in the hangar then that's what would be done.

When did I say I didn't sump? I just don't like stained wheel pants.