wing tank fuel guage

[D H]

Hello all,

I'm building a mid wing airplane and looking for a clean fuel sight
gauge. I've tried a clear vertical fuel vent line inside the cockpit
for each tank without the desired results. I'm covering the top of the
tanks with Poly Fiber instead of Plexiglas so I can't do the light
access panel over the tank and cut out slot in fuselage to view the
side of the fuel tank. There must be proven ways to monitor tank fuel
levels. I'd love to hear. It's almost run up time.

[jerry wass]

D H wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> I'm building a mid wing airplane and looking for a clean fuel sight
> gauge. I've tried a clear vertical fuel vent line inside the cockpit
> for each tank without the desired results. I'm covering the top of the
> tanks with Poly Fiber instead of Plexiglas so I can't do the light
> access panel over the tank and cut out slot in fuselage to view the
> side of the fuel tank. There must be proven ways to monitor tank fuel
> levels. I'd love to hear. It's almost run up time.
>
Electric ?? the Stewart Warner type are pretty universal
--boats,trucks,planes --you can use a switch for multiple tanks with
only one gage---or you can use two gages--one in each lower corner of
inst panel, for foolproof switching of tanks.---I have one sender,2
gages for sale if interested. Jerry--picture on request

[Dave S]

D H wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I'm building a mid wing airplane and looking for a clean fuel sight
> gauge. I've tried a clear vertical fuel vent line inside the cockpit
> for each tank without the desired results. I'm covering the top of the
> tanks with Poly Fiber instead of Plexiglas so I can't do the light
> access panel over the tank and cut out slot in fuselage to view the
> side of the fuel tank. There must be proven ways to monitor tank fuel
> levels. I'd love to hear. It's almost run up time.
>


The fiberglass folks use Vance Atkinson's sight gauges. The velocity
experimentals per plans use 90 degree barbed fittings at the top and
bottom of the tank and put clear plastic tubing between the barbs..

what is happening that is undesired with what you are doing now? What
kind of mid wing airplane are you building?

Dave

[Drew Dalgleish]

On 15 Oct 2006 19:31:29 -0700, "D H" >
wrote:

>Hello all,
>
>I'm building a mid wing airplane and looking for a clean fuel sight
>gauge. I've tried a clear vertical fuel vent line inside the cockpit
>for each tank without the desired results. I'm covering the top of the
>tanks with Poly Fiber instead of Plexiglas so I can't do the light
>access panel over the tank and cut out slot in fuselage to view the
>side of the fuel tank. There must be proven ways to monitor tank fuel
>levels. I'd love to hear. It's almost run up time.
>
My murphy rebel uses clear sight gauges. The bottom outlet has to be
separate from the fuel line not just tee'd in. Use tygothane for the
sight tube as most other plastic lines will discolour and go brittle
in no time flat.

[D H]

Dave S wrote:
> D H wrote:
> > Hello all,
> >
> > I'm building a mid wing airplane and looking for a clean fuel sight
> > gauge. I've tried a clear vertical fuel vent line inside the cockpit
> > for each tank without the desired results. I'm covering the top of the
> > tanks with Poly Fiber instead of Plexiglas so I can't do the light
> > access panel over the tank and cut out slot in fuselage to view the
> > side of the fuel tank. There must be proven ways to monitor tank fuel
> > levels. I'd love to hear. It's almost run up time.
> >
>
>
> The fiberglass folks use Vance Atkinson's sight gauges. The velocity
> experimentals per plans use 90 degree barbed fittings at the top and
> bottom of the tank and put clear plastic tubing between the barbs..
>
> what is happening that is undesired with what you are doing now? What
> kind of mid wing airplane are you building?
>
> Dave

Hey Dave,

It's a Team Eros. Basically an "experimental" MiniMAx with a Rotax
503. Looks like it should fly this fall / winter on wheels and on
straight floats by next spring / summer. I saw a "T'd" in fuel sight
gauge at Arlington last year. After copying the plumbing to my plane,
my tests can draw the sight gauge empty and start sucking air. When
the plane sits on straight floats, it would be helpful to remove the
wings for cross-country transport so the other pilots in the family can
have a turn. I'm about half convinced to just use a floating cork on a
wire sticking out the filler cap!

Doug

[Dave S]

>
> Hey Dave,
>
> It's a Team Eros. Basically an "experimental" MiniMAx with a Rotax
> 503. Looks like it should fly this fall / winter on wheels and on
> straight floats by next spring / summer. I saw a "T'd" in fuel sight
> gauge at Arlington last year. After copying the plumbing to my plane,
> my tests can draw the sight gauge empty and start sucking air. When
> the plane sits on straight floats, it would be helpful to remove the
> wings for cross-country transport so the other pilots in the family can
> have a turn. I'm about half convinced to just use a floating cork on a
> wire sticking out the filler cap!
>
> Doug
>


Gotcha.. try having your own dedicated circuit/path for the sight
gauge.. feeds from the bottom of the tank, and exits into the top of the
tank, with no interaction with the fuel outlet to the engine... That
should prevent the aspiration of air into the fuel system to the engine.

Dave

[Ian Donaldson]

G'day Drew


Despite my best efforts I cannot get the sight gauges in my Rebel to work
well.

Would it be possible for you to give me a description of how you did it, or
even better, a sketch would be nice!

thanks and regards

Ian Donaldson



\
My murphy rebel uses clear sight gauges. The bottom outlet has to be
: separate from the fuel line not just tee'd in. Use tygothane for the
: sight tube as most other plastic lines will discolour and go brittle
: in no time flat.





..
>
My murphy rebel uses clear sight gauges. The bottom outlet has to be
separate from the fuel line not just tee'd in. Use tygothane for the
sight tube as most other plastic lines will discolour and go brittle
in no time flat.

[Drew Dalgleish]

Hi Ian I hope spring in Australia is nicer than fall in Ontario.
(we've already had our first snow storm about 2 months early)
I started with the standard Murphy sight gauges and venting. Each side
separate and a vent hole at the back of the fuel filler neck. I then
added the cross vent that came as a service bulliten a few years ago
after an incident where all the fuel in one tank siphoned out the vent
in the other tank on a plane bound for Oshkosh. The cross vent tees
into the top sight gauge fitting replacing the origional elbow
fitting. I've had trouble with the engine quitting when cranking and
banking with low fuel so a couple years ago I blocked off the vents in
the filler necks and added a ram air vent tube sticking up out of the
wing root fairing. At the same time I changed all the plastic fittings
and rubber hose to aluminum tubing and flare fittings. My fuel system
works very well now and if I hold a wing up just a bit I can fly till
it is completly dry . The sight gauges slosh up and down a bit but if
you watch for not very long you can average the sloshes out to see how
much is there. I've read that the sloshing can be dampened by
partially blocking the lower fitting But I haven't bothered trying
that yet. I'm usually looking for fuel when I get down to 25 litres in
my last tank anyways.
Drew

>G'day Drew
>
>
>Despite my best efforts I cannot get the sight gauges in my Rebel to work
>well.
>
>Would it be possible for you to give me a description of how you did it, or
>even better, a sketch would be nice!
>
>thanks and regards
>
>Ian Donaldson
>
>
>
>\
>My murphy rebel uses clear sight gauges. The bottom outlet has to be
>: separate from the fuel line not just tee'd in. Use tygothane for the
>: sight tube as most other plastic lines will discolour and go brittle
>: in no time flat.
>
>
>
>
>
>.
>>
>My murphy rebel uses clear sight gauges. The bottom outlet has to be
>separate from the fuel line not just tee'd in. Use tygothane for the
>sight tube as most other plastic lines will discolour and go brittle
>in no time flat.
>
>