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Fuel tanks

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msm(at)byterocky.net
Guest

Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2005 6:10 pm Post subject: Fuel tanks



Hi Guys, for your interest I have stripped the wings and noticed both fuel tanks have very small crazing in the glass which has been obviously leaking very slowly over the life of the plane. The defects appear to be from the tank mould when the glass was laid up. It is extremely thin in the areas that it has crazed and full depth penetrations appear to have occurred in at least 2 places. Fuel staining around both areas are obviously from long term leaking. The amount lost would appear to be very small and certainly not noticeable externally when undertaking a pre-flight inspection although a faint fuel smell has always been noticeable but down to the breather venting. Just thought I'd bring it to your attention!!.

Cheers

Graeme Toft

ddsyverson(at)comcast.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 6:41 am Post subject: Fuel tanks

Graeme, Can you provide some additional information - I am curious if this is the nature of fiberglass, or, if this was entirely due to the particular tanks when they were manufactured (which it sounds like it might be). 1) Any idea how old the tanks are? 2) What kind of fuel was run in the tanks over their lifetime (100LL, Auto Gas, Corn gas - meaning real gas mixed with ethanol, etc)? 3) Were the tanks coated with a sloshing compound, epoxy paint or anything else on the inside? 4) What part of the tanks were the thin areas located? I just picked up a set of tanks (Not from Skystar) for the construction of my model 7 and they appear to be very well done - the fiberglass is thick and uniform and very rigid (triple baffled). The seams are very solid - not much evidence of bubbles in the resin anywhere. Any additional info on your observations would be useful and appreciated. Thanks, Dave S St Paul, MN On Saturday 31 December 2005 8:06 pm, Graeme Toft wrote: Hi Guys, for your interest I have stripped the wings and noticed both fuel tanks have very small crazing in the glass which has been obviously leaking very slowly over the life of the plane. T Graeme Toft

aldaniels(at)fmtc.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 8:19 am Post subject: Fuel tanks



I am sure, but John can help with this, if I remember correctly there

was a change in resin and maybe manufacture of the Kitfox fuel tanks in

about 1995 or so. The early tanks needed sloshed to keep fuel in and to

keep from breaking down, the later takes were of a fuel resistant resin

and better built.

D& D Syverson wrote:

Graeme,

Can you provide some additional information - I am curious if this is the

nature of fiberglass, or, if this was entirely due to the particular tanks

when they were manufactured (which it sounds like it might be).

1) Any idea how old the tanks are?

rliebmann(at)comcast.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 10:48 am Post subject: Fuel tanks

I am wondering when and if my 13 gal fiberglass tank will give way after

reading so much over time about the glass being susceptible to breakdown

from various fuels. My tank came to me in 1990 from Denney Aircraft with no

sloshing at all. The installation instructions said nothing about sloshing

them. You could then and now see the glass weave in the tank. I have had no

leaks at all. I guess I'll just keep watching for them.

Ron N55KF

 	  Quote: 	
		   I am sure, but John can help with this, if I remember correctly there

was a change in resin and maybe manufacture of the Kitfox fuel tanks in

about 1995 or so. The early tanks needed sloshed to keep fuel in and to

keep from breaking down, the later takes were of a fuel resistant resin

and better built.

D& D Syverson wrote:

>

>Graeme,

>

>Can you provide some additional information - I am curious if this is the

>nature of fiberglass, or, if this was entirely due to the particular tanks

>when they were manufactured (which it sounds like it might be).

>

>1) Any idea how old the tanks are?

>

>

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lcfitt(at)sbcglobal.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 11:43 am Post subject: Fuel tanks



Ron, I think that is a good plan. Mine started leaking at abut 500 hours

and was apparent by the blisters in the paint on the tops of the wings. Of

course there was the slight fuel smell, that was always attributed to the

various fuel line connections.

Lowell

msm(at)byterocky.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 12:31 pm Post subject: Fuel tanks



Dave, the Kit was purchased in 1998 and fuel used has always been Avgas. No

sloshing compound is obvious and I would say from there weight none has

been applied in this case. It is only the bottom of the tanks that appear to

be affected. The colour of the tanks are a bluish green. A friend in the

fibre glass boating industry has inspected the tanks and is convinced the

defects resulted from poor mould lay up of the glass. I would say one with

defects such as this would be bad luck but to have 2 of them may be a

concern for a few of us.

Cheers

Graeme Toft

jdmcbean(at)cableone.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 12:36 pm Post subject: Fuel tanks



June 1995 is when the change was introduced. Prior to that the tanks should

be sloshed..

Have a Safe New Year !!

John & Debra McBean

www.sportplanellc.com

"The Sky is not the Limit... It's a Playground"

jdmcbean(at)cableone.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 12:36 pm Post subject: Fuel tanks



Ron,

Keep an eye on them.. some reported not having any issues...

Have a Safe New Year !!

John McBean

www.sportplanellc.com

"The Sky is not the Limit... It's a Playground"

N93HJ(at)numail.org
Guest

Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 5:10 pm Post subject: Fuel tanks



John,

Both of my tanks had a green and white sticker that said:

QA Approved

By: BC

6-1-95

Would you know which one I have?

Thanks, Brett

jdmcbean(at)cableone.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 5:38 pm Post subject: Fuel tanks



Brett,

No way to know... the change actually took place prior to June... but there

was no way to pin point the actual date prior to June...

Have a Safe New Year !!

John & Debra McBean

www.sportplanellc.com

"The Sky is not the Limit... It's a Playground"

N93HJ(at)numail.org
Guest

Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 6:07 pm Post subject: Fuel tanks



That's what I figured.

Thanks anyway.

I coated them just to be safe.

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