ASG32MI water ballast

[Fassin Pierre]

Hello, I am looking for some help concerning the water ballast in the TAIL of the ASG32. Don't know what happens but since some time now, it takes 45 minutes to fill or empty the 5 liters in the tail. It used to be 3 or 4 minutes... So, obviously, something blocks... I verified the cabling under the front seat, and all works perfectly, buy all I mean the opening and closing. So it is somewhere in the tail section. There is either some dirt or something that blocks. I wonder if it is useful to remove the rudder to get access to the mechanism. Somebody has experience with this?
Thanks a lot
Pierre

[[email protected]]

On Monday, October 15, 2018 at 3:46:12 AM UTC-4, Fassin Pierre wrote:
> Hello, I am looking for some help concerning the water ballast in the TAIL of the ASG32. Don't know what happens but since some time now, it takes 45 minutes to fill or empty the 5 liters in the tail. It used to be 3 or 4 minutes... So, obviously, something blocks... I verified the cabling under the front seat, and all works perfectly, buy all I mean the opening and closing. So it is somewhere in the tail section. There is either some dirt or something that blocks. I wonder if it is useful to remove the rudder to get access to the mechanism. Somebody has experience with this?
> Thanks a lot
> Pierre

Check the tank vent(s) for blockage.
UH

[Roy B.]

Pierre:
I had this problem with my '29 but not as bad as your situation. I figured that something was blocking the tail vent tube. I used a device called a "baby aspirator" (used to gently clean snot from a baby's nose) to work some warm water backward through the vent in the side of the fin. The problem got better - but never back to the way it was when new.
ROY

[JS[_5_]]

On Monday, October 15, 2018 at 5:49:16 AM UTC-7, Roy B. wrote:
> Pierre:
> I had this problem with my '29 but not as bad as your situation. I figured that something was blocking the tail vent tube. I used a device called a "baby aspirator" (used to gently clean snot from a baby's nose) to work some warm water backward through the vent in the side of the fin. The problem got better - but never back to the way it was when new.
> ROY

Think we'll be working on my 29 tail tank this winter, am hoping to install a better way of filling (from the top, what a concept) instead of through the dump valve.
Similaraly bypassed the factory tail tank fill method on LS6 #46. Removing the horizontal stab to fill was foolish.
Film at 11.
Jim

[Roy B.]

Jonkers uses a modified garden sprayer that fills through the vent hole. You pump it and it squirts into the hole through a reduced hose. It works OK but it's another piece of stuff bouncing around in your trailer.
ROY

[JS[_5_]]

On Monday, October 15, 2018 at 9:42:00 AM UTC-7, Roy B. wrote:
> Jonkers uses a modified garden sprayer that fills through the vent hole. You pump it and it squirts into the hole through a reduced hose. It works OK but it's another piece of stuff bouncing around in your trailer.
> ROY

Correct.
Did that while flying JS1C.
There is also a second tank for C/G adjustment which is a fantastic idea.
With the supply on the HS it'll gravity feed like a Schempp-Hirth or the aforementioned LS6 (also ASW20) mod. Can be done while filling the wings, as the dump valve is closed.
Jim

[Roy B.]

Jim:
The biggest advantage to gravity feed via the vent is that you can fill the tail after filling the wings. With fill through the dump valve you can't do that. Agreed that the dual tank in the JS-1 was a good idea.
ROY

[[email protected]]

Had the same with my 32. The cable that operates the valve got streched, so the valve wouldnt open fully. So I put more pressure on the filling port, until the silicon tube between the valve and the tail tank came loose. So you need to check the connecting tube, and adjust the cable operating the valve

[[email protected]]

Assuming that it's the same mechanism as in the 29: In the ASW-27 yahoo group, there are some photos of the valve outside of the plane. Maybe that helps to understand whats going on.

[Rhubarb[_2_]]

my ASG29 fin ballast valve cable streched over the winter when I left it in "Open". The result was that it would start dumping slowly on the grid (as the day got hotter and cable got even longer?)

To fix it you have to unsolder the fin cable from the main wings cable. A mini adjuster (eg like on yacht mast stays) would have made life much easier