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header tank does not stay full - installing a fitting at th

 
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Guy Buchanan



Joined: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 1204
Location: Ramona, CA
PostPosted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 6:50 am    Post subject: header tank does not stay full - installing a fitting at th Reply with quote
I installed a couple of vents in the tops of my tanks so I could vent
the tanks with the wings folded. I ground the tank finish down to
fiberglass, then glued a 1 1/4" disk of 1/4" thick G-10 fiberglass plate
to it with epoxy. (I tried a smaller plate first, and when I went to cut
pipe threads I popped it off. You can flatten the shape to get it closer
to the top by making it an ellipse or long rectangle.) I then drilled
and tapped for pipe and put in a permanent "bushing" (A brass pipe
reducer) so my final 1/8" NPT fitting would go into brass instead of
fiberglass.

Guy Buchanan
Ramona, CA
Kitfox IV-1200 / 912-S / Warp 3cs / 500 hrs. and grounded
Now a glider pilot, too.

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Guy Buchanan
Deceased K-IV 1200
A glider pilot too.
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 1:53 am    Post subject: header tank does not stay full - installing a fitting at th Reply with quote
Guy,
Thanks for that. I'd like to put the fitting on the root of the wing so it doesn't interfere with airflow and so it's visible from the cockpit. Still, your method should work equally well, I'll give it a try.
Sacha

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Guy Buchanan



Joined: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 1204
Location: Ramona, CA
PostPosted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 9:03 pm    Post subject: header tank does not stay full - installing a fitting at th Reply with quote
Bummer dude. You're quite right, there's no way to glue to polyethylene. (See this. The Dow 370 is a sealant, not an adhesive.) The only way to add a boss is to weld it. If you could get access, you might be able to put together a fixture in your hand drill that might enable you to friction weld it, but if you messed up you'd have one huge hole in your tank. I do think you could install a small bulkhead fitting through the filler neck, as follows:
  • Cut the inside barb off this fitting. (You want the nut on the outside.) Clean it up. (You might try to find a right angle barb that would make the job of holding it in place while you tighten the nut easier.)
  • Cut the hole in the tank so the nuts are at least 1/4" from the tank radius. (If possible.)
  • Try to rough up the tank surfaces 1/2" around the hole.
  • Make two 1/16" G-10 washers to fit the barb threads and extend to the tank radius. (Might make them larger and flatten one side where the radius is. Might make them thicker if there are enough threads on the barb.)
  • Run a stiff wire from the hole in the tank to the filler. Slide on the barb and one washer, both heavily loaded with 2-part polysulfide sealant and bend the wire end into a hook.
  • Pull the barb out through the hole in the tank.
  • Load up the outside with sealant.
  • Add the other washer and nut and tighten the nut as much as you can holding the barb with something that won't damage it. You don't need it really, really tight, since the sealant will take up the slack.
That's one idea.

Guy Buchanan
Ramona, CA
Kitfox IV-1200 / 912-S / Warp 3cs / 500 hrs. and grounded
Now a glider pilot, too.


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Guy Buchanan
Deceased K-IV 1200
A glider pilot too.
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 1:49 pm    Post subject: header tank does not stay full - installing a fitting at th Reply with quote
Guy, I like your idea of setting the nut outside and that is a great way to fish it through. Sacha, with a big enough hook on the end it will not slip off and get lost in the tank. Once you have it in and the nut started if you wanted to tighten further you could either tape up a ¼” drive ratchet, extensions and socket so they would not fall apart or if you have access to a welder, use an old socket and make a custom tool to reach. Either way I think it would work and as Guy stated the sealant will seal it. One other thought, if you do it this way you might want to make the washer on the inside slightly larger than the one on the outside so if the fitting works the side of the tank at all it is not the same spot, also insure the edges of the washers are softened, no sharp edges.

Lloyd

From: owner-kitfox-list-server(at)matronics.com [mailto:owner-kitfox-list-server(at)matronics.com] On Behalf Of Guy Buchanan
Sent: Friday, October 04, 2013 12:04 AM
To: kitfox-list(at)matronics.com
Subject: Re: header tank does not stay full - installing a fitting at the top of the wing tank

Bummer dude. You're quite right, there's no way to glue to polyethylene. (See this. The Dow 370 is a sealant, not an adhesive.) The only way to add a boss is to weld it. If you could get access, you might be able to put together a fixture in your hand drill that might enable you to friction weld it, but if you messed up you'd have one huge hole in your tank. I do think you could install a small bulkhead fitting through the filler neck, as follows:
  • Cut the inside barb off this fitting. (You want the nut on the outside.) Clean it up. (You might try to find a right angle barb that would make the job of holding it in place while you tighten the nut easier.)
  • Cut the hole in the tank so the nuts are at least 1/4" from the tank radius. (If possible.)
  • Try to rough up the tank surfaces 1/2" around the hole.
  • Make two 1/16" G-10 washers to fit the barb threads and extend to the tank radius. (Might make them larger and flatten one side where the radius is. Might make them thicker if there are enough threads on the barb.)
  • Run a stiff wire from the hole in the tank to the filler. Slide on the barb and one washer, both heavily loaded with 2-part polysulfide sealant and bend the wire end into a hook.
  • Pull the barb out through the hole in the tank.
  • Load up the outside with sealant.
  • Add the other washer and nut and tighten the nut as much as you can holding the barb with something that won't damage it. You don't need it really, really tight, since the sealant will take up the slack.

That's one idea.

Guy Buchanan
Ramona, CA
Kitfox IV-1200 / 912-S / Warp 3cs / 500 hrs. and grounded
Now a glider pilot, too.

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 1:03 pm    Post subject: header tank does not stay full - installing a fitting at th Reply with quote


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