FLO-FAST Fueling Question?

[Piper J3]

I have hauled Mogas for a long time – 20 years J3-Cub and now 4 years RV-12. Never had a problem pouring directly from 5 gallon plastic cans directly into airplane.

Fast forward… this year, I’m realizing that at age 67, it might not be in my best interest to keep lifting heavy fuel cans to shoulder height. I have ordered four new 5 gallon racing fuel jugs which I will use to transport fuel to the hanger. No problem there. My plan is to purchase a 15 gallon FLO-FAST Professional Model Hand-Crank Pump and Gasoline Container Combo to transfer the fuel into the airplane. I think this is going to work well. I’ll post photos of the entire process as soon as I get it up and running.

My question is… does any of this need grounding for spark suppression? I always place plastic container on ground when filling which is recommended procedure. What to do at the hanger when pouring from 5 gallon jugs into 15 gallon FLO-FAST container? And then what about grounding 15 gallon rig to the airplane or even grounding the airplane to earth during fueling. I never did any of this for the 20+ years of hauling Mogas.

I think maybe old age is making me more cautious which is a good thing…

[tomkk]

Good questions. I've pumped something over 3000 gals of auto fuel into my -12 with my Flo-Fast pump. I use the 5 gal tank with my Flo-Fast. I use Mr Funnel to transfer into the FF tank. The FF pump has a grounding cable that I connect to the aircraft. Never thought about grounding when transferring into the FF tank.

[Tony_T]

Hi Jim,

I've been using FLO-FAST jugs and pump for 10 years. I don't transfer fuel at the hangar, just put the pump on the 7.5 gal. jugs. Eliminates a hassle and any possible static problem from a transfer. I also have the optional 80 micron filter on the pump suction and don't feel any additional filtering is necessary.

I ground the pump to the aircraft aft tie-down ring and additionally I have a 50' ground cable that goes from the ring to the hangar power ground. The aircraft can be pulled out of the hangar for fueling with the reach of the 50' cable. I even leave the aircraft grounded when it is in the hangar as I usually have my Odyssey battery charger connected and a Golden Rod in the cockpit during winter. I've been taught that you can't have enough grounds!

[RFSchaller]

Jim,

I?m 68 and thinking about the same thing. Sucks when we have to realize we aren?t still the veteran cosmic rockers (nod to the Moody Blues) that we were back in the 1970s!😜

Rich

[seagull]

I fuel with MoGas in my hangar. I built this "fuel cart". The jugs are just shy of 6 gallons each, the pump is 12 volt, designed for gasoline and pumps 8 gallons / minute.The filter is 17 micron with water block. The pump came with hoses that have a ground bond so the fuel is grounded from the container to the nozzle. The cart is grounded to the aircraft with a 1/8" vinyl coated cable 12' long. Another 12' cable connects the cart to the hangar ground. Total investment minus battery and labor $425.00.

I spent a lot of time struggling over the grounding issue, read a lot and decided it was important, the reason for the design and pump / hose I used.

[rv8ch]

Static will cause a fire. Here's one of many examples.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7IulTJlifo

On October 28th, I recieved a call from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center in Florida reporting that my emergency beacon activated on our plane. I told them it was having its annual inspection in Santa Maria thinking that the mechanic may have accidentally activated my ELT when changing the battery. I could not reach them by phone or email. I called the next day to find out that my beacon was activated because my airplane was destroyed by fire. The mechanic was draining the left fuel tank into a 55 gallon metal barrel. He wiped the lower part of the wing with a cotton rag to catch a dribble of gas that was headed toward the cockpit door which was open. A static spark ignited the gas stream into the barrel. He dragged the barrel out of the hangar leaving the flaming 3/4 inch stream of flaming fuel pouring on the cement floor that made a flaming puddle. The staff exhausted every fire extinguisher they had. The interior caught fire and they gave up and got two other airplanes out of the hangar. One was on jacks. Once the interior caught, the magnesium rudder pedals ignited and poor N234SS was done. The airport fire truck arrived and doused the flames but had to let the magnesium pedals burn out. Everything from the instrument panel forward fell to the floor after detaching from the fuselage. So sad to see our baby go in such a horrific way. We hope you all enjoyed all her videos.

You can Google Santa Maria hangar fire to see video and pictures from the local news stations.

[Jetmart]

Years ago EAA had an article how to put a ground strap & post in a plastic fuel container. I did this when using Mogas in my Tiger Moth. I never felt comfortable sitting on the top wing pouring from a plastic jerry can. I grounded the portable container to the aircraft and the aircraft to a ground.

[DHeal]

Here is one EAA / CAFE article:

https://cafe.foundation/v2/pdf_cafe_...g%20Safety.pdf

[SMRacer]

I have used 15 gallon Flo Fast containers and hand pump for racing and turf equipment. Now I use it for aircraft refueling. Works well on a low wing aircraft. The pump has a grounding cable that can be attached to the aircraft and then I use a 20 foot coiled grounding cable to ground the aircraft.

This is the grounding cable I use:
https://www.jmesales.com/stewart-bro...BoChUwQAvD_BwE

It's a lot of cranking, about 20 revolutions per gallon. Plus using it to pump fuel will eventually cause the pump to need to be primed especially when fuel level in the bottle is low. Remember the 15 gallon bottle weighs about 80 pounds filled and I use a hand truck to move it around the hangar.

The system will end up being a bit pricey. Bottle(s), pump, grounding coil and hand truck will probably cost about $500.

One other thing to consider. You should not fill the plastic fuel bottle unless it is on the ground. The 15 gallon version can be a problem lifting it into the bed of a truck.

[n74846]

I am at a tie down and pour from 5 gallon jugs directly into the plane. The jug is in direct contact with the filler tube at all times prior to, during and post fill. Is there still a spark risk unless the plane is grounded as well? I was only concerned with a spark from the jug to the plane, and not grounding the plane.