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jridgway
Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 64
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 Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 9:14 am Post subject: fiberglass fuel tanks fuel sender |
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HI,
I got a KF3 several years ago. It has fiberglass fuel tanks in each wing.
The previous builder put a capacitance sender on the top of each wing.
One of these senders is starting to leak at the seam. Does anybody know if these tanks have a molded screw in them or if the fiberglass was just tapped. I am thinking about taking one out but did not want to loose a bolt or any special backing plate.
thanks..jack
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carlisle
Joined: 20 Jun 2009
Posts: 72
Location: Sioux Falls, SD
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 10:09 am Post subject: Re: fiberglass fuel tanks fuel sender |
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Sorry I can't answer your question but I'm curious. I've wanted to install a capacitive sender in my 13 gal fiberglass tank for a long time. Can you tell me where/how yours is mounted?
Thanks,
Chris
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jridgway
Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 64
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 3:25 pm Post subject: Re: fiberglass fuel tanks fuel sender |
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On the inboard rear of the tank. Have one on each side. Never could get them calibrated. I would look at a mechanical top mounted float sender.
Jack
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djwild2(at)hotmail.com
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 5:36 pm Post subject: fiberglass fuel tanks fuel sender |
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I am installing a new fiberglass tank . All holes were just tapped threads
in the tank. don't know if they were all done that way.
Dan
--------------------------------------------------
From: "jridgway" <jridgway(at)academicplanet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 5:25 PM
To: <kitfox-list(at)matronics.com>
Subject: Re: fiberglass fuel tanks fuel sender
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Float Flyr
Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Posts: 2704
Location: Campbellton, Newfoundland
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 7:42 pm Post subject: fiberglass fuel tanks fuel sender |
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It sounds to me that you need to know a few of the basics about capacitance
fuel sending units.
First of all there are actually two sending units. The first one is always
located in a place where it is always covered with fuel. Read: the lowest
part of the tank. This has the advantage that the fuel sender can also
operate as a water sensor... Water sinks to the lowest part of the tank and
has a different dielectric constant than fuel... Water gets in there and
bells start ringing!
The second thing to know is the physical shape of the sending unit is
determined by the shape of the tank. On large aircraft there may actually
be more than one sending unit per tank. This can give correction for the
weird shape of wet wings and offer corrections for attitudes other than
wings level. The calibration you did was a simple gain calibration so
unfortunately wouldn't correct for anything other than a perfectly square
tank. If you have time to experiment, you can modify the shape of your
sending unit, the top one, to be extremely accurate.
Noel
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Noel Loveys
Kitfox III-A
Aerocet 1100 Floats |
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Lynn Matteson
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 7:02 am Post subject: fiberglass fuel tanks fuel sender |
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Just for the record, last summer I added additional fuel ports at the
front of my Model IV's wing tanks. I had previously built up the area
(where I was going to drill for the ports) with fiberglas and resin,
then drilled and tapped for a 1/4 NPT thread for the finger
strainers. I probably added 3/8" of thickness to what was already
there. The drilling/tapping went fine, and there were no leaks or any
other problems with this modification. I haven't had the occasion to
try to run the plane low on fuel so that these ports will come into
play...during landing, or other nose-down attitude, but some day I
will...right over an airport is the test plan for that behavior. : )
I did this modification with the wings folded back a bit, and of
course, right on the plane. I vacuumed what debris I could from
within the tanks, and let the rest of the crap get caught in the
glass Purolator filters that I installed in the lines. I can see a
bit of fiberglass "dust" collecting in those filters. I now have
probably 75 hours flown off since this mod.
Lynn Matteson
Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger
Jabiru 2200, #2062
Sensenich 62"x46" Wood (summer)
Electroair direct-fire ignition system
Rotec TBI-40 injection
Status: flying...1070 hrs (since 3-27-2006)
On Nov 24, 2010, at 8:32 PM, Dan Wild wrote:
| Quote: |
I am installing a new fiberglass tank . All holes were just tapped
threads in the tank. don't know if they were all done that way.
Dan
--------------------------------------------------
From: "jridgway" <jridgway(at)academicplanet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 5:25 PM
To: <kitfox-list(at)matronics.com>
Subject: Re: fiberglass fuel tanks fuel sender
>
> <jridgway(at)academicplanet.com>
>
> On the inboard rear of the tank. Have one on each side. Never
> could get them calibrated.
> Jack
>
>
> Read this topic online here:
>
> http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=320870#320870
>
>
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_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM |
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jridgway
Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 64
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 1:34 pm Post subject: Re: fiberglass fuel tanks fuel sender |
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thanks all...
I have used capacitance gauges for many many years.
When you only have 6-8 inches between Full and Empty they can get twitchy. I could get Full to 1/2 working right, however, between 1/2 and Empty it would not be anywhere linear. If I calibrated at 1/2 to Empty, then it got non linear from Full to 1/2.
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