Ventus ballast leak

Hi all,

Id like to ask for help here. My Ventus a SN143 right wing ballast is
leaking around the ballast valve actuator rod. I've contacted S&H but
no response so far. I do not know if a O-ring seal would fit in the
small recess.

Have anyone in this group experienced this problem?

Thanks to everyone

On Oct 9, 7:21*am, wladkummer76 wrote:
Hi all,

Id like to ask for help here. My Ventus a SN143 right wing ballast is
leaking around the ballast valve actuator rod. I've contacted S&H but
no response so far. I do not know if a O-ring seal would fit in the
small recess.

Have anyone in this group experienced this problem?

Thanks to everyone

This is consistent with failure of the bellows that seals this area.
M&H will have part and installation information.
UH

On Oct 9, 5:44*am, wrote:
On Oct 9, 7:21*am, wladkummer76 wrote:


This is consistent with failure of the bellows that seals this area.
M&H will have part and installation information.
UH

We had a customer ask us to look into his Ventus leak in the
springtime. The only access for replacing a bellows is to cut a
hole in the wing, which we did.

Turns out the bellows was fine.
The silly part is the 'never-anticipated-for maintenance' design.
The bellows is installed on a brass actuator rod, which has to
be disassembled from the inner mount (tip end) with a roll-pin
style keeper outboard of the suspension post.
The bellows is slipped over some looks-like-typical wing tape
lapped around the brass pushrod to size it out and provide a
compression seat for the hose clamp which tightens and fixes
the bellows rootend in position. Water can leak
under/through the tape on the rod. Water could leak
through a perforated bellows.

Water can also leak through the twenty year old, now rusted,
iron sleeve that is set in the root rib, which had become
transparent when the brass rod was removed.
Can you imagine tapping out the remaining rusty material
and machining an inner sleeve of brass material to seat/adhere
in the root rib? We feel our leakage was through that iron
sleeve, not from the bellows which we pressure checked as sound.

Then after dump reassembly, you have a nice 12 inch or
so hole to patch in your (carbon) skin, and refinish to match.
So a leaky "bellows" is not a small item of consideration
in either cost or time.

Best wishes,

Cindy B
www.caracole-soaring.com

On Oct 9, 4:21*am, wladkummer76 wrote:
Hi all,

Id like to ask for help here. My Ventus a SN143 right wing ballast is
leaking around the ballast valve actuator rod. I've contacted S&H but
no response so far. I do not know if a O-ring seal would fit in the
small recess.

Have anyone in this group experienced this problem?

Thanks to everyone

A VERY affordable fix is to simply get some Chapstick and slather /
smear it with your finger around where the ballast actuator rod comes
out of the wing. A 1/16" layer does nicely. This can be easily done
at the same time you are greasing the wing assembly rods. Re-apply a
layer of Chapstick each time you assemble on days you plan to fly with
water. A little Chapstick also works very nicely to stop any drips
emminating from the drain valve in the undersurface of the wing.

19

On Oct 9, 4:52*pm, Bob wrote:
On Oct 9, 4:21*am, wladkummer76 wrote:

Hi all,

Id like to ask for help here. My Ventus a SN143 right wing ballast is
leaking around the ballast valve actuator rod. I've contacted S&H but
no response so far. I do not know if a O-ring seal would fit in the
small recess.

Have anyone in this group experienced this problem?

Thanks to everyone

A VERY affordable fix is to simply get some Chapstick and slather /
smear it with your finger around where the ballast actuator rod comes
out of the wing. *A 1/16" layer does nicely. *This can be easily done
at the same time you are greasing the wing assembly rods. *Re-apply a
layer of Chapstick each time you assemble on days you plan to fly with
water. *A little Chapstick also works very nicely to stop any drips
emminating from the drain valve in the undersurface of the wing.

19

Bee 's wax from the seals used to install toilets also works and is a
little more substanial than chapstick. Get a Ace hardware or
HomeDepot.

Richard
www.craggyaero.com

Same problem on my V2C SN30
I only started to fly with water this season.
I noticed water dripping out of the fuselage draining hole just in
front of the wheel, after landing.

The repair as described by Cindy sounds horrible.
Need to try the bee wax next season.

Hans Van Weersch

On Oct 10, 3:13*am, weersch wrote:
Same problem on my V2C SN30
I only started to fly with water this season.
I noticed water dripping out of the fuselage draining hole just in
front of the wheel, after landing.

The repair as described by Cindy sounds horrible.
Need to try the bee wax next season.

Hans Van Weersch

Thanks all for the responses. I use the chapstick hint for sealing the
dump valve and I'll try to use it for sealing the actuator rod leak.

To Cindy, since I'm in Brazil I unfortunately cannot bring the plane
for fixing at Caracole. Do you have any pictures on the fix you have
done? The hole was cut on the underside of the wing, right? Do you
know the position of the center?

To Cindy, since I'm in Brazil I unfortunately cannot bring the plane
for fixing at Caracole. Do you have any pictures on the fix you have
done? The hole was cut on the underside of the wing, right? Do you
know the position of the center?

Okay - I admit to weak Google skills.

Send an email address to me directly and we will see what we can send.
I'm at info at caracole-soaring.com
Yes, we took a few photos mid-process.
No - they didn't tell us where to center the hole.
And the hole for access was top side.

Thanks for admitting you were geographically awkwardly
located to use our professional services...... when a shop goes
through a learning curve like that, they don't expect to hand
off the info willy-nilly. Generic girly descriptions however, can be
freely shared for general education on the aging fleet at large.

smile,

Cindy B
www.caracole-soaring.com

Yes to all of the fixes, but eventually (if you fly alot with water) you
will need to have it fixed. Mine, ser # 214, was flown for 3 years with a
rubber glove fix and the beeswax idea but, each time the rod is actuated,
it would leak again until eventually it rusted the steel rods (and Cindy
both of my rods were steel) to the point that it wouldn't turn any more.
My Mechanic, replaced them both with stainless steel and new bellows.
Which with any luck should last without further repairs until I sell it or
my estate gets it Hopefully the latter, much later

Interesting note was that after that repair, a few years, I noticed
leakage in the leading edge. That turned into a refinish and when the old
finish was taken off, there were multiple pin holes in the top of only one
wing through the fiberglass and the water was migrating under the
deteriorating gelcoat. That was repaired by vacuming thinned out epoxy
resin into the pin holes and then tested before refinishing. Otherwise my
Ventus has produced many good flights and memories

Another note to the V2C that said he had a problem with rod leakage, I
could be mistaken, but I thought they had changed to an "O-Ring" seal as
with the nimbus 3 and later models with screw-in face plate that goes over
the rod. Don't remember exactly though.

Good Luck, after all they ARE airplanes!


At 22:28 13 October 2010, CindyB wrote:

To Cindy, since I'm in Brazil I unfortunately cannot bring the plane
for fixing at Caracole. Do you have any pictures on the fix you have
done? The hole was cut on the underside of the wing, right? Do you
know the position of the center?

Okay - I admit to weak Google skills.

Send an email address to me directly and we will see what we can send.
I'm at info at caracole-soaring.com
Yes, we took a few photos mid-process.
No - they didn't tell us where to center the hole.
And the hole for access was top side.

Thanks for admitting you were geographically awkwardly
located to use our professional services...... when a shop goes
through a learning curve like that, they don't expect to hand
off the info willy-nilly. Generic girly descriptions however, can be
freely shared for general education on the aging fleet at large.

smile,

Cindy B
www.caracole-soaring.com

In UK on my Mosquito Bw endless wing tank leaks were cured
with swimming pool paint and a wonderful smart fluid called
Fernox F4, which is used for sealing leaks in central heating
systems.

As for sealing dump valve rubbers, we swear by Vaseline, which
has alternative use for sexual activity (smear it on the door
handle - it stop the kids getting into the bedroom)

bw BB


At 20:37 14 October 2010, Cliff Hilty wrote:
Yes to all of the fixes, but eventually (if you fly alot with water)
you
will need to have it fixed. Mine, ser # 214, was flown for 3
years with a
rubber glove fix and the beeswax idea but, each time the rod
is actuated,
it would leak again until eventually it rusted the steel rods (and
Cindy
both of my rods were steel) to the point that it wouldn't turn
any more.
My Mechanic, replaced them both with stainless steel and new
bellows.
Which with any luck should last without further repairs until I
sell it or
my estate gets it Hopefully the latter, much later

Interesting note was that after that repair, a few years, I
noticed
leakage in the leading edge. That turned into a refinish and
when the old
finish was taken off, there were multiple pin holes in the top of
only one
wing through the fiberglass and the water was migrating under
the
deteriorating gelcoat. That was repaired by vacuming thinned
out epoxy
resin into the pin holes and then tested before refinishing.
Otherwise my
Ventus has produced many good flights and memories

Another note to the V2C that said he had a problem with rod
leakage, I
could be mistaken, but I thought they had changed to an "O-
Ring" seal as
with the nimbus 3 and later models with screw-in face plate
that goes over
the rod. Don't remember exactly though.

Good Luck, after all they ARE airplanes!


At 22:28 13 October 2010, CindyB wrote:

To Cindy, since I'm in Brazil I unfortunately cannot bring
the plane
for fixing at Caracole. Do you have any pictures on the fix
you have
done? The hole was cut on the underside of the wing, right?
Do you
know the position of the center?

Okay - I admit to weak Google skills.

Send an email address to me directly and we will see what
we can send.
I'm at info at caracole-soaring.com
Yes, we took a few photos mid-process.
No - they didn't tell us where to center the hole.
And the hole for access was top side.

Thanks for admitting you were geographically awkwardly
located to use our professional services...... when a shop
goes
through a learning curve like that, they don't expect to hand
off the info willy-nilly. Generic girly descriptions however,
can be
freely shared for general education on the aging fleet at
large.

smile,

Cindy B
www.caracole-soaring.com