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Clear tubing
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Fox5flyer
Guest

Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 1:07 pm Post subject: Clear tubing

I'm down for annual and I'm changing out my tubing  for the sight gauges and vent lines.  I have always used Tygon tubing  (1/4"ID) and although it stays flexible, the best I can get from it is 2 years  before it yellows so badly that it is no longer easy to see the fuel  levels.

 Can anyone recommend a tubing for this  purpose that can stand up to auto gas and last a little longer than 2  years, or is this the best I'm going to get considering the  circumstances?

 Any input appreciated.

 Deke Morisse

Mikado Michigan

S5/Subaru/CAP  438+ TT

"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara

Desert,  in five years there'd be a shortage of sand."

-- Nobel prize-winning  economist Milton Friedman (1912-2006)

  

  

  

  

   [quote][b]

taildragon(at)msn.com
Guest

Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 4:46 pm Post subject: Clear tubing

<?xml:namespace prefix="v" /><?xml:namespace prefix="o" /><![endif]-->  Have you tried that blue Bing alcohol resistant tubing from ACS?

 [quote]   ---

Roger Lee

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 1464
Location: Tucson, Az.

Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 5:43 pm Post subject: Re: Clear tubing

I talked to 5 different tubing Mfg's almost 2 years ago and they all said the  die in the auto fuel would turn their tubing brown over time.

_________________
Roger Lee
Tucson, Az.
Rotax Instructor & Rotax IRC
Light Sport Repairman
Home 520-574-1080 TRY HOME FIRST
Cell 520-349-7056

Fox5flyer
Guest

Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 5:49 pm Post subject: Clear tubing

I'd considered that, but I didn't think that the fuel  level would be very visible.  Is that what you use?  

 Deke

  

 [quote]   ---

taildragon(at)msn.com
Guest

Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 7:56 pm Post subject: Clear tubing

<?xml:namespace prefix="v" /><?xml:namespace prefix="o" /><![endif]-->   

 I've used the blue tubing for sight gauges and header tank vent line over  the past 4 years. It is easy to see in the right light. Just be sure  to have a white back ground. I painted the inboard side of the tanks white and  pasted a calibrated scale printed on clear sticky back to clear plexiglas that  is mounted to the fuselage butt rib. Simple, cheap, looks fine and  works great! 

 [quote]   ---

Fox5flyer
Guest

Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 3:29 am Post subject: Clear tubing

I kinda thought that was the case.  Thanks, Roger.

Deke



---

Dick Maddux

Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Posts: 516
Location: Milton, Fl

Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 6:32 am Post subject: Clear tubing

Deke,

  I just replaced my fuel gauge tubing two days ago with a tubing that has a liner in it. Williams Aircraft sells the stuff and that is what he uses on his fuel sight gauge kit. I tried to fit the tubing on the barbed fittings last year but it waded up the lining so I used the Tygon tubing instead. It turned brown in a year. I don't want to use the blue tubing as it would be too difficult to see the fuel quantity.

  Anyway, this time, I bought a quantity of this liner tubing figuring I would go through several pieces before I got it on. I then polished the barb fittings, applied some Dry Slide lubricant and, slid the tubing on without damaging the liner. This tubing is supposed to be for caustic chemicals,etc so hopefully gas won't turn hurt it. I will find out what kind of tubing it is today as I have a little of it left. I bought it on line. I also replaced the brass wire that is included with the kits. That was all tarnished up when I removed it. I have since replaced it with a stainless rod to hold the shape of the tube.Anyway,I hope this works better as, like you, I am tired of replacing it all the time.

  I am also going thru a lot of work on my plane as part of my "annual.' I have replaced all the 17 mm water hoses and made a tool yesterday to pull the gearbox in order to reshim it. I only have 225 hrs on the engine but it is 15 years old and the box is starting to make a little noise and is intermittently hanging up at about 1200 rpm on start as well as this running backwards business on shutdown sometimes. New Belleville (sp) washers and assorted parts are pretty sporty!

                                          Dick Maddux

                                          Fox 4-1200

                                          912UL

                                          Milton,Fl

  [quote][b]

Guy Buchanan

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

Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 9:57 am Post subject: Clear tubing

At 01:04 PM 2/17/2010, you wrote:

  	  Quote: 	
		  Can anyone recommend a tubing for this purpose that can stand up to auto gas and last a little longer than 2 years, or is this the best I'm going to get considering the circumstances? 	


 Deke,

         I use the blue tubing with a white background and a red tube from a Chem-tool spray can inside. I can see the fuel level pretty well in daylight, though not as well, I'm sure, as new clear tubing. Next time I'll use stainless rod inside. My tube has not discolored, but I use 100LL exclusively. It has oxidized on the outside over the last four years which makes it a little harder to see through. I'll probably replace it when I re-engine this year.



 

 Guy Buchanan

 San Diego, CA

 K-IV 1200 / 582-C / Warp / 400 hrs. and counting    [quote][b]

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

Dick Maddux

Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Posts: 516
Location: Milton, Fl

Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:44 am Post subject: Clear tubing

Deke,

  The clear tubing I am using on my wing tanks is Tygon SE-200 . As mentioned earlier,this is the tubing Merle Williams uses in his kit. 

                                           Dick Maddux

                                           Fox 4

                                           Milton,Fl

  [quote][b]

Lynn Matteson

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

Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 12:15 pm Post subject: Clear tubing

Whatever the stuff is that John McBean sells with his fuel level view  

thing-a-ma-jig is good stuff. I've had mine on since the first of  

2006 or before, and I've put  (855 hrs x ~4 GPH=3420) 3420 gallons of  

100LL through my tanks, and I can still see the fuel level. Some  

things aren't worth being a pioneer over...John has done the legwork,  

buy Kitfox.



Lynn Matteson

Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger

Jabiru 2200, #2062, 855 hrs (since 3-27-2006)

Countdown to 1000 hrs~145 to go(157 days to go)

Sensenich 62"x46" Wood (summer)

Sensenich 55.5" x 46" Wood (winter)

Electroair direct-fire ignition system

Rotec TBI-40 injection

Status: flying (and learning)

On Feb 18, 2010, at 1:43 PM, Catz631(at)aol.com wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   Deke,

  The clear tubing I am using on my wing tanks is Tygon SE-200 . As  

 mentioned earlier,this is the tubing Merle Williams uses in his kit.

                                           Dick Maddux

                                           Fox 4

                                           Milton,Fl

 www.matronics.com/contribution _- 

 ============================================================

_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

dave

Joined: 22 Sep 2006
Posts: 1382

Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 7:04 pm Post subject: Re: Clear tubing

clear superthane works fine or urethane fuel line .  



clear or blue but blue harder to see through.

simple

_________________
Realtime Kitfox movies to separate the internet chatter from the truth
http://www.youtube.com/user/kitfoxflyer
Hundreds of Kitfox Movies
Most viewed Kitfox on youtube
Most popular on youtube
Highest rated on youtube

Fox5flyer
Guest

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:03 am Post subject: Clear tubing

What John sells with his kit (I bought one too) is Tygon, or at least it was 

when I bought mine from him, and it does OK with 100LL, but not auto gas. 

I'm not really sure there is a product that will work and I may just have to 

accept changing the hoses every couple years.  Not a huge deal.

Deke



---

Fox5flyer
Guest

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 5:05 am Post subject: Clear tubing

Thanks, Guy.  I think the key here is the auto  fuel has additives that discolor the urethane where the 100LL, without the same  additives, seems to be gentler on it.  At the cost of 100LL these days,  I'll just change out the tubing every couple of years.

 Deke Morisse

Mikado Michigan

S5/Subaru/CAP  438+ TT

"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara

Desert,  in five years there'd be a shortage of sand."

-- Nobel prize-winning  economist Milton Friedman (1912-2006)

  

 ---

Lynn Matteson

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

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 6:01 am Post subject: Clear tubing

Cost of 100 LL? I just got 290 gallons of the blue stuff delivered  

for $3.70/gallon. Cheap when compared to all the problems encountered  

with auto gas...but that's just me.



Lynn Matteson

Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger

Jabiru 2200, #2062, 855 hrs (since 3-27-2006)

Countdown to 1000 hrs~145 to go(157 days to go)

Sensenich 62"x46" Wood (summer)

Sensenich 55.5" x 46" Wood (winter)

Electroair direct-fire ignition system

Rotec TBI-40 injection

Status: flying (and learning)

do not archive



On Feb 19, 2010, at 8:04 AM, fox5flyer wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   Thanks, Guy.  I think the key here is the auto fuel has additives  

 that discolor the urethane where the 100LL, without the same  

 additives, seems to be gentler on it.  At the cost of 100LL these  

 days, I'll just change out the tubing every couple of years.

 Deke Morisse

_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

Dick Maddux

Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Posts: 516
Location: Milton, Fl

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 6:03 am Post subject: Clear tubing

Lynn,

  I had to change out the tubing I bought from John in one year. It was so brown that I could not see the fuel level anymore. That's why I am trying the Tygon SE-200. Hopefully it will work better. I only use auto fuel in my engine.

                                                 Dick Maddux

                                                 912UL

                                                 Milton,Fl

  [quote][b]

Fox5flyer
Guest

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:47 am Post subject: Clear tubing

Where did you find your SE200?  I can only find it in 50+ rolls.

 Deke

  

 [quote]   ---

lcfitt(at)sbcglobal.net
Guest

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 8:00 am Post subject: Clear tubing

This revives a queation I have been mulling as I read this these posts.  My 

airplane had the heat bendable tubing once offered as standard with the 

kits.  Was it discontinued because of the giant plastic fittings necessary 

for it's installation.  I recall that these would loosen over time and leak 

a bit - on a pretty regular basis.  With the talk of the need to change out 

the barb secured tubing, maybe tightening these giant fittings periodically 

is not such a problem after all.



Lowell



---

Fox5flyer
Guest

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 9:22 am Post subject: Clear tubing

Lowell, my sight gauges were previously what you are referring to.  They 

also discolored over time which is the reason I changed them out and 

converted to the barb setup.  However, I never had any leakage problems. 

The barb and Tygon method is much simpler and a snap to change to new 

tubing.  It's that auto gas that is responsible for the discoloration, in my 

opinion, which is all I burn.

Deke

---

pchristensen10(at)austin.
Guest

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 9:48 am Post subject: Clear tubing

Damn, that's expensive.  The nearest airport sells for $3.49.



Pete



---

Lynn Matteson

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

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 11:42 am Post subject: Clear tubing

Roger, Dick.



Lynn Matteson

Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger

Jabiru 2200, #2062, 855 hrs (since 3-27-2006)

Countdown to 1000 hrs~145 to go(157 days to go)

Sensenich 62"x46" Wood (summer)

Sensenich 55.5" x 46" Wood (winter)

Electroair direct-fire ignition system

Rotec TBI-40 injection

Status: flying (and learning)

do not archive



On Feb 19, 2010, at 9:02 AM, Catz631(at)aol.com wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   Lynn,

  I had to change out the tubing I bought from John in one year. It  

 was so brown that I could not see the fuel level anymore. That's  

 why I am trying the Tygon SE-200. Hopefully it will work better. I  

 only use auto fuel in my engine.

                                                 Dick Maddux

                                                 912UL

                                                 Milton,Fl

 www.matronics.com/contribution _- 

 ============================================================

_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

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