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Sight guages

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Jim Feldmann

Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 54
Location: Burbank, CA

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:16 am Post subject: Sight guages

I would like to replace the old, discolored sight guage tubing on my wing tanks.  Can someone tell me what tubing to use?  What specifically do I look for and where might I find it.



Thanks.

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_________________
Jim Feldmann
Kitfox IV Speedster / 912 lost to prop failure
Building a Kitfox 5 Voyager

Tom Jones

Joined: 12 Mar 2006
Posts: 752
Location: Ellensburg, WA

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 5:19 am Post subject: Re: Sight guages

 	  Jim Feldmann wrote: 	
		  I would like to replace the old, discolored sight guage tubing on my wing tanks.  Can someone tell me what tubing to use?  What specifically do I look for and where might I find it.



Thanks. 	




Jim, if you have the original hard butyrate tubes attached with plastic fittings, Kitfox aircraft LLC sells a sight gage kit you can replace it with.  Here's a link to the catalog.  The sight gage kit is on page 16.

http://www.kitfoxaircraft.com/Product_Catalog/KApartscat-rev040109.pdf



If you already have the urethane tubes, the blue bing alcohol resistant fuel line seems to be the line of choice.

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_________________
Tom Jones
Classic IV
503 Rotax, 72 inch Two blade Warp
Ellensburg, WA

FlyboyTR

Joined: 04 Nov 2006
Posts: 215
Location: Mobile, Alabama

Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 11:29 am Post subject: Re: Sight guages

Our Vixen had the original hard plastic sight gauges.  No problem…until they emptied about 20 gallons of fuel in the hanger!  I have attached pictures of my mods.  I replaced the existing with brass ¼” barbed fittings.  I used the clear Tygon tubing.  Inside is a piece of 12 gauge copper wire (regular house type wire).  It helps to hold the shape and also makes seeing the fuel level easier.  Prior to installing the barbed fittings, I inserted a stainless screw into the backside of the fitting and this is used as a dampener (so the fuel moves slowly in and out of the sight gauge…makes for a more stable reading).  The copper wire goes inside the barbed fitting.  Almost 250 hours with this set-up and I am still happy.   I change the tubing annually.



Travis

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Fuel Sight Guage06.JPG

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Travis Rayner
Mobile, AL
Skystar Vixen, N-789DF
Continental IO-240, Prince P-Tip Prop
ADI-II Autopilot
AnyWhereMap Navigation with weather
www.enotam.net (My Flying Info Website)

Fox5flyer
Guest

Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 12:18 pm Post subject: Sight guages

Travis, that is pretty much the same thing that John Mc at KitfoxAircraft 

sells and what I am also using.  Works great, but I didn't use any sort of 

dampener and after several years and lots of hours it doesn't seem to cause 

much of a problem as it quickly returns to it's normal level, something I 

didn't care for when I used the dampened, kit supplied units.   Phew, long 

sentence!

What I'd like is to find some clear tubing that won't discolor so quickly 

and will last a few years as other than the discoloration I can't see much 

reason to replace it annually.  Mostly, it gets hard to read, especially in 

low light, but remains pliable.

Deke Morisse

Mikado Michigan

S5/Subaru/CAP 402+ TT

"The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress."

- Joseph Joubert



---

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FlyboyTR

Joined: 04 Nov 2006
Posts: 215
Location: Mobile, Alabama

Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 12:43 pm Post subject: Re: Sight guages

Deke,

Yep...simple system that works!  All I use is 100LL.  They still turn dark but I don't think it is as bad as it is with autofuel.  Some of the local guys with UL's use the same tubing (with autofuel) and theirs get darker much quicker than mine.  I use the same Tygon clear tubing for my vent line from my header tank to the right tank.  I sure which we could find a thick-walled clear tubing that help up good and wouldn't get dark.  ...still looking!



Travis

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_________________
Travis Rayner
Mobile, AL
Skystar Vixen, N-789DF
Continental IO-240, Prince P-Tip Prop
ADI-II Autopilot
AnyWhereMap Navigation with weather
www.enotam.net (My Flying Info Website)

Lynn Matteson

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

Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 3:43 pm Post subject: Sight guages

I also got John's sight gauges, but if they came with the wires, I  

didn't use them. I get a better picture (for me) by seeing the  

movement of the fuel (100LL) in the tubes. The horizontal blue and  

white lines behind the tubes make it easy to see where the fuel is,  

and in three years the tubing is still clear...no darkening...another  

plus for 100 LL apparently.



Lynn Matteson

Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger

Jabiru 2200, #2062, 632.8 hrs

Sensenich 62x46

Electroair direct-fire ignition system

Status: flying





On Apr 19, 2009, at 4:17 PM, fox5flyer wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   

 <fox5flyer(at)idealwifi.net>



 Travis, that is pretty much the same thing that John Mc at  

 KitfoxAircraft sells and what I am also using.  Works great, but I  

 didn't use any sort of dampener and after several years and lots of  

 hours it doesn't seem to cause much of a problem as it quickly  

 returns to it's normal level, something I didn't care for when I  

 used the dampened, kit supplied units.   Phew, long sentence!

 What I'd like is to find some clear tubing that won't discolor so  

 quickly and will last a few years as other than the discoloration I  

 can't see much reason to replace it annually.  Mostly, it gets hard  

 to read, especially in low light, but remains pliable.

 Deke Morisse

 Mikado Michigan

 S5/Subaru/CAP 402+ TT

 "The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but  

 progress."

 - Joseph Joubert

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_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

FlyboyTR

Joined: 04 Nov 2006
Posts: 215
Location: Mobile, Alabama

Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 5:02 pm Post subject: Re: Sight guages

I believe I am going to order some Tygothane from Lockwood...I guess it's possible there is a difference.  The Tygon I was using was for fuel.  Thanks...less work...more flying time!



Travis

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_________________
Travis Rayner
Mobile, AL
Skystar Vixen, N-789DF
Continental IO-240, Prince P-Tip Prop
ADI-II Autopilot
AnyWhereMap Navigation with weather
www.enotam.net (My Flying Info Website)

Guy Buchanan

Joined: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 1204
Location: Ramona, CA

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 2:04 pm Post subject: Sight guages

At 11:16 AM 4/16/2009, you wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		  Can someone tell me what tubing to use?  What specifically do I look 

for and where might I find it.


	


I used the blue "alcohol resistant" fuel line sold by Aircraft Spruce 

and CPS (www.800-airwolf.com). I put a squirt tube from a WD-40 can 

in each one to make them easier to read but next time I won't . It 

didn't help any and they look shabby.





Guy Buchanan

San Diego, CA

K-IV 1200 / 582-C / Warp / 300 hrs. and counting

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_________________
Guy Buchanan
Deceased K-IV 1200
A glider pilot too.

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