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Leaky fuel tanks.

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occom

Joined: 26 Aug 2006
Posts: 404

Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 5:04 am Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

I have one tank that is weeping through the glass.  I see Skystar had this problem and offered replacement at one time. Is there any  way to repair this? from the outside? Inside? Sloshing seems to be out, I had as  good a look inside the tank as possible with a small webcam on a dowel and they  seem in good shape other than the small spots shown as dark on the masking  tape.

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dosmythe(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 6:25 am Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

Dave,

     It looks like these tanks are  new and never been installed.  What year were they manufactured? What type  fuel did you use that showed the weeps?  With the rapid use of Ethanol, it  makes the tank questions much harder.  I for one do not think an outside  patch is the way to go.  I also don't feel comfortable with sloshes (Just  my opinion).  However, short of cutting the tanks open I might consider a  large outside patch of glass and epoxy resin.  I would always be suspicious  of the rest of the tank area and future leaks.

  

 Don Smythe (opinion only)

 [quote]   ---

Fox5flyer
Guest

Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 6:41 am Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

small web cam on a dowel?  Cool!

 Why is sloshing out?

 Deke

  

 [quote]   ---

pwmac(at)sisna.com
Guest

Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 6:51 am Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

Very small pinholes which is why Skystar used the internal sloshing 

stuff. Clean it and and epoxy on the outside? The pinholes are very common.

Paul



At 07:04 AM 9/12/2006, you wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		  I have one tank that is weeping through the glass. I see Skystar had 

this problem and offered replacement at one time. Is there any way 

to repair this? from the outside? Inside? Sloshing seems to be out, 

I had as good a look inside the tank as possible with a small webcam 

on a dowel and they seem in good shape other than the small spots 

shown as dark on the masking tape.

dosmythe(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 7:12 am Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

I might add one more suggestion if those are new/never installed tanks. 

Clean the outsides very good.  Mix up some good epoxy resin and coat the 

entire outside of the tanks.  Use a plastic scraper and put the epoxy on as 

thin as you can.  Epoxy (especially when lightly warmed with a hairdryer) 

will wick into the smallest of pin holes.  This might just add a little 

extra assurance.



Don Smythe

---

occom

Joined: 26 Aug 2006
Posts: 404

Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 7:24 am Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

Hi Don, these tanks have been used for ~500 flying  hours. with avgas and CDN auto gas, so likely no ethanol. The show the laks I  just tossed a gallon of gas into them and let them sit for a few days. I knew  where it was leaking and wanted to see how bad it was. Is regular  epoxy resin gasproof, I have some really nice tight weave fiberglass cloth.  

 [quote]   



   Dave,

       It looks like these tanks are    new and never been installed.  What year were they manufactured? What    type fuel did you use that showed the weeps?  With the rapid use of    Ethanol, it makes the tank questions much harder.  I for one do not think    an outside patch is the way to go.  I also don't feel comfortable with    sloshes (Just my opinion).  However, short of cutting the tanks open I    might consider a large outside patch of glass and epoxy resin.  I would    always be suspicious of the rest of the tank area and future    leaks.

    

[b]

occom

Joined: 26 Aug 2006
Posts: 404

Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 7:31 am Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

Sloshing compound was found to be coming off on  some aircraft and I think currently you are not supposed to use it. I could be  wrong. 

 [quote]   ---

dosmythe(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 7:45 am Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

I'm far from being an Epoxy expert.  I used  West Systems after talking with the manufacture a couple times.  They  insured me that West Systems was gasoline safe.  HOWEVER, I talked with  them again not too long ago and they are concerned about their product and  Ethanol.  They are not willing to give the same assurance when using  Ethanol???  I would recommend you do some research to find the best epoxy  resin.

  

 Don Smythe

 [quote]   ---

smokey_bear_40220(at)yaho
Guest

Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:20 am Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

Don,



Now you tell me.... 



Kurt S.



Do not archive



--- Don Smythe <dosmythe(at)cox.net> wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   I might add one more suggestion if those are

 new/never installed tanks. 

 Clean the outsides very good.  Mix up some good

 epoxy resin and coat the 

 entire outside of the tanks.  Use a plastic scraper

 and put the epoxy on as 

 thin as you can.  Epoxy (especially when lightly

 warmed with a hairdryer) 

 will wick into the smallest of pin holes.  This

 might just add a little 

 extra assurance.

 

 Don Smythe


	


__________________________________________________

Lynn Matteson

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan

Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:43 am Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

How about one more suggestion, Don....apply a SLIGHT vacuum to the 

filler cap area via the vent tube and maybe it will help draw the epoxy 

into those small pin holes...just a thought. A vacuum cleaner might do 

the trick, or running your car's engine might do it...NOT AT FULL 

vacuum, though...don't  want anybody sucking those expensive tanks into 

junk!



Personally, I did the slosh method, and have over 150 hrs on the plane 

without (knock on wood) a problem yet. My tanks were 12 yrs old with no 

fuel ever in them when Frank Miller suggested that I clean and slosh 

them. I use only avgas...when you burn only 3.3 gals/hour, it's 

affordable, I feel.



Lynn

On Tuesday, September 12, 2006, at 11:12  AM, Don Smythe wrote:



[quote] 



 I might add one more suggestion if those are new/never installed 

 tanks. Clean the outsides very good.  Mix up some good epoxy resin and 

 coat the entire outside of the tanks.  Use a plastic scraper and put 

 the epoxy on as thin as you can.  Epoxy (especially when lightly 

 warmed with a hairdryer) will wick into the smallest of pin holes.  

 This might just add a little extra assurance.



 Don Smythe

 ---

_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

Fox5flyer
Guest

Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:25 am Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

This is news to me Dave.  As far as I know,  the Kreem is still fine.  The only reason it was a problem with  Skystar supplied tanks is that the mold release wasn't cleaned out of the inside  of the tanks prior to applying the Kreem which caused it to eventually peel off  of the inside surface.  Cleaning the tanks with MEK or Acetone then  reapplying Kreem 50/50 was a good fix.  Some were able to get away with  using no slosh at all.

 Deke

  

 [quote]   ---

dosmythe(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 12:18 pm Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

Kurt,

    You mean you didn't do that.  I remember telling you 7 years ago to be 

sure and coat the outsides.  Also, the one post that mentioned putting on a 

vacuum might work even better.



Don Smythe

Do Not Archive

---

janderson412(at)hotmail.c
Guest

Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 8:38 pm Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

Sloshing the tanks works ok so long as theey are flushed out well to get rid 

of the waxy coat left from the mold. Detergent is no good, MEK or the likes 

is needed.



From:  Lynn Matteson <lynnmatt(at)jps.net>

Reply-To:  kitfox-list(at)matronics.com

To:  kitfox-list(at)matronics.com

Subject:  Re: Leaky fuel tanks.

Date:  Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:45:14 -0400




How about one more suggestion, Don....apply a SLIGHT vacuum to the filler 

cap area via the vent tube and maybe it will help draw the epoxy into those 

small pin holes...just a thought. A vacuum cleaner might do the trick, or 

running your car's engine might do it...NOT AT FULL vacuum, though...don't  

want anybody sucking those expensive tanks into junk!



Personally, I did the slosh method, and have over 150 hrs on the plane 

without (knock on wood) a problem yet. My tanks were 12 yrs old with no fuel 

ever in them when Frank Miller suggested that I clean and slosh them. I use 

only avgas...when you burn only 3.3 gals/hour, it's affordable, I feel.



Lynn

On Tuesday, September 12, 2006, at 11:12  AM, Don Smythe wrote:



[quote]



I might add one more suggestion if those are new/never installed tanks. 

Clean the outsides very good.  Mix up some good epoxy resin and coat the 

entire outside of the tanks.  Use a plastic scraper and put the epoxy on as 

thin as you can.  Epoxy (especially when lightly warmed with a hairdryer) 

will wick into the smallest of pin holes.  This might just add a little 

extra assurance.



Don Smythe

---

smokey_bear_40220(at)yaho
Guest

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 5:54 pm Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

I could just see me sucking my tanks flat...  



A little vacuum is a good idea though.



Naw.  I wasn't on the list 7 years ago and did the

tanks before learning all this.  Worried a little

about them now.  I sloshed them with alcohol, nothing

stronger.  Bought a slosh coating listed for alcohol

and used that.  Waiting for the pealing to start...



Kurt S.



Do not archive



--- Don Smythe <dosmythe(at)cox.net> wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   Kurt,

     You mean you didn't do that.  I remember telling

 you 7 years ago to be 

 sure and coat the outsides.  Also, the one post that

 mentioned putting on a 

 vacuum might work even better.

 

 Don Smythe

 Do Not Archive


	


__________________________________________________

occom

Joined: 26 Aug 2006
Posts: 404

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 2:52 am Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

 	  Quote: 	
		   

 <smokey_bear_40220(at)yahoo.com>



 I could just see me sucking my tanks flat...  




	


I've decided to go with epoxy on the outside and possibly a sloshing 

compound as well. Do you have to coat the whole tank inside or can you 

simply roll the compound around the area of concern? My tank has two 

internal baffles that will complicate things a little.



Fot the outside epoxy, I've decided to go with the Hysol that I already 

have. The website lists it as being impervious to almost everything this 

side of Kryptonite, so it should perform this small task well.

smokey_bear_40220(at)yaho
Guest

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:58 am Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

I think it is better to slosh the whole thing and not

allow an edge for the fuel to get under.  The slosh is

fluid enough to slowly go around the baffels.  Then

you can rotate it every few minutes and get a good

layer built up.  Then pour out the excess, no problem.

Of course, apply the epoxy on the outside first,

especially if you put "a little" vacuum on the tank.

Kurt S.

--- "Dave G." <occom(at)ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   > 

 > <smokey_bear_40220(at)yahoo.com>

 >

 > I could just see me sucking my tanks flat...  

 >

 I've decided to go with epoxy on the outside and

 possibly a sloshing 

 compound as well. Do you have to coat the whole tank

 inside or can you 

 simply roll the compound around the area of concern?

 My tank has two 

 internal baffles that will complicate things a

 little.

 For the outside epoxy, I've decided to go with the

 Hysol that I already 

 have. The website lists it as being impervious to

 almost everything this 

 side of Kryptonite, so it should perform this small

 task well.

__________________________________________________

Lynn Matteson

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 1:48 pm Post subject: Leaky fuel tanks.

And the fact that you're sloshing it BEFORE you put it in the wing 

makes it a whole lot easier. Unlucky me learned about the need to clean 

and slosh only after installing the tanks into the wings. Not fun 

sloshing a 12-foot wing inside an 11-foot 10-inch building.



Lynn



On Thursday, September 14, 2006, at 12:58  PM, kurt schrader wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   

 <smokey_bear_40220(at)yahoo.com>



 I think it is better to slosh the whole thing and not

 allow an edge for the fuel to get under.  The slosh is

 fluid enough to slowly go around the baffels.  Then

 you can rotate it every few minutes and get a good

 layer built up.  Then pour out the excess, no problem.



 Of course, apply the epoxy on the outside first,

 especially if you put "a little" vacuum on the tank.



 Kurt S.

_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

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