Fuel Drip Containment

Hi Jim,

I have seen people hang an empty plastic oil bottle on the fuel vent to
catch the dripping fuel on Cessnas. Have you tried this? It shouldn't be too
much of a fire hazard and will save your hangar floor. Just make sure that
you drain the bottle regularly because the angle it sits on the vent, it
won't hold a whole quart of fuel. Using a GATT jar or some other filter, you
can reuse the fuel.

"Jim Weir" wrote in message
...
Snarly Charlie, the 182, has the classic "Cessna drip" from the fuel vent
when
the tanks are filled and the hangar gets warm. I've tried everything I
know to
stop it, but all I can do with all the mechanical fixes is slow it down.

("Jim Weir" wrote)
Another thought is to put some sort of oven pan with a mat of some sort
that
would let the gasoline evaporate slowly from under the mat. The problem
is
finding a nonflammable mat that gasoline will not attack chemically.


Pet store (or a garage sale) buy a lizard heating rock. $10.

Put the flat rock UNDER, maybe a large brownie pan, and insulate around the
rock.

We used a 2" thick piece of rigid pink insulation and cut out the shape of
the rock. Rock fit flush in the hole. Then we also put another piece of
rigid pink UNDER the rock, So now the rock/insulation layer is sandwiched
between a solid piece of 2" insulation on the bottom and the container on
top.

The rock should be upside-down in the insulation hole to mate up with the
bottom of whatever you're using as a drip pan.

Run a couple of bands of duct tape around the pink edges for that "finished"
look and you're all set.

For us it was an aquarium for the lizard (anole) brought home from school at
the end of the year, by the 3rd grade niece. Kept that sucker alive for 2
years.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/nature/w...iles/anole.htm

You know, any small heating pad would work in this setup. I had a waterbed
heater that I kept for years after the bed had been thrown away. Used the
pad all the time. Gave the pad to my sister a while back, haven't seen it
since.

Or ...a can of yellow foam insulation is $2.95 - $3.95 ...and it's fun to
play with. Wear latex gloves because that stuff turns your hands black,
before it hardens.

Whatever you choose, just separate the heating thing from the thermal mass
pan thing.

Good luck.
--
Montblack
"Styled by the laws of nature.............Concorde"

On Sat, 25 Oct 2003 18:33:46 GMT, "Sven"
wrote:

Hi Jim,

I have seen people hang an empty plastic oil bottle on the fuel vent to
catch the dripping fuel on Cessnas. Have you tried this? It shouldn't be too
much of a fire hazard and will save your hangar floor. Just make sure that
you drain the bottle regularly because the angle it sits on the vent, it
won't hold a whole quart of fuel. Using a GATT jar or some other filter, you
can reuse the fuel.

"Jim Weir" wrote in message
.. .
Snarly Charlie, the 182, has the classic "Cessna drip" from the fuel vent
when
the tanks are filled and the hangar gets warm. I've tried everything I
know to
stop it, but all I can do with all the mechanical fixes is slow it down.

The RIGHT way to solve the problem is to go flying!!!!

Don't fill your plane before putting it away?

We turn the fuel valve off or turn it to left or right tank -- this seems to
mitigate the problem considerably, though I am not sure why it does this.

"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...
Don't fill your plane before putting it away?

We turn the fuel valve off or turn it to left or right tank -- this seems
to
mitigate the problem considerably, though I am not sure why it does this.

Because in any position besides the BOTH setting, it prevents fuel from
flowing between the tanks... or more precisely, from the (slightly) upper
tank to the lower tank and out the lower tank's fuel vent.

Eric

"Eric Miller" wrote in message
...
| "C J Campbell" wrote in message
| ...
| Don't fill your plane before putting it away?
|
| We turn the fuel valve off or turn it to left or right tank -- this
seems
| to
| mitigate the problem considerably, though I am not sure why it does
this.
|
| Because in any position besides the BOTH setting, it prevents fuel from
| flowing between the tanks... or more precisely, from the (slightly) upper
| tank to the lower tank and out the lower tank's fuel vent.
|

Okay, that much I knew, but why doesn't the lower tank just empty itself?
Does it need the pressure from the higher tank in order to start siphoning
out the fuel vent?

"C J Campbell" wrote
Okay, that much I knew, but why doesn't the lower tank just empty itself?
Does it need the pressure from the higher tank in order to start siphoning
out the fuel vent?

I think the lower tank does empty itself... but just until it gets to the
level of the fuel vent.
In the BOTH setting, they'll both empty to the level of their respective
vents.
Keep in mind that the right tank is vented to the left tank, and the left
tank is vented overboard, so if possible, it might help to make the right
tank the lower one.

Eric

C J Campbell wrote:

Okay, that much I knew, but why doesn't the lower tank just empty itself?
Does it need the pressure from the higher tank in order to start siphoning
out the fuel vent?

It doesn't siphon, it flows. Without the fuel from the other tank it
can't flow.

Eric Miller wrote:


I think the lower tank does empty itself... but just until it gets to the
level of the fuel vent.
In the BOTH setting, they'll both empty to the level of their respective
vents.

There is only one vent, under the left wing. If fuel expands it runs in
a line between the left and right tanks. This line is above the tanks.
Fuel will also go thru this line if the selector is on both, the tanks
are full or near full and the plane is not level. Move the selector to
either right or left and this won't happen. If left on both the tanks
will level themselves thru the selector.

****There is only one vent, under the left wing*****

Not on my high wing Cessna. There are vents behind the struts for both
wings.

Karl
"Curator" N185KG

"Newps" wrote in message
news:KXRmb.34654$Tr4.62408@attbi_s03...


Eric Miller wrote:


I think the lower tank does empty itself... but just until it gets to
the
level of the fuel vent.
In the BOTH setting, they'll both empty to the level of their respective
vents.

There is only one vent, under the left wing. If fuel expands it runs in
a line between the left and right tanks. This line is above the tanks.
Fuel will also go thru this line if the selector is on both, the tanks
are full or near full and the plane is not level. Move the selector to
either right or left and this won't happen. If left on both the tanks
will level themselves thru the selector.