Putting gas in tanks

[Jimboscr]

I both tested with air and fuel. A friend who had problems with his tanks, found that even though he had no leaks using air or sprayed water he still had fuel wicking around some of the rivets. so I filled the tank with car fuel and let it sit for a day, and then looked for leaks. Sure enough I had a couple. Then I transferred the fuel to the next tank. No problems with that one. Then I put the fuel in my car.

Cheers

Jim

[s10sakota]

That's exactly what I'm doing! I put fuel in one of the tanks last night. I haven't looked at it today yet, but hopefully there's no leaks. I have the leading edge facing up so I'm testing the back of the tank now. If no leaks, then I'll let the tank sit on it's two ends for a day each. Finally, I'll put it in the cradle and test the front. Then I'll dump the gas into the other tank and do it all over. Then I'll burn the gas in my car

[s10sakota]

Lookin' good so far! No leaks anywhere along the rear baffle, and no leaks on the outboard end!! Now I'll flip the tank over and check the inboard end...

feelin' good so far

[flywithme623]

Did the balloon test and tested fine.
Today I put 2 GAL of car gas in it and I had one rivet leaking. Lucky me it's on the bottom and I think I'll just seal in a pop rivet.

The other tank did never check out good and I put gas in it after I just couldn't find the leak. The gas came running right out of the rear baffle. Got that fixed now and will be ready for testing next week.

Yeap! The gas will tell the truth!!!

[DanH]

Don't give yourself a Darwin Award. Do it right.

http://cafefoundation.org/v2/pdf_caf...g%20Safety.pdf

[s10sakota]

That link does not work but I would be interested to read what it says!

[flywithme623]

Had the tank sitting for two days now and rotated it like a rotisserie chicken.
Found two more rivets and a food long baffle seam leaking. What a mess.
I used almost the whole can of pro-seal on one tank and still didn't get it right.

So after getting over that frustration I will tackle the cutout for the baffle on two places and seal it up on the inside.

[BillL]

The PDF is there at cafefoundation.org , click "research" tab, then "reports" down the right side. It is in the list.

[David-aviator]

Originally Posted by BillL

The PDF is there at cafefoundation.org , click "research" tab, then "reports" down the right side. It is in the list.

It is titled "Fuel Handling Safety" and worth reading.

Fuel can be handled safely but one needs to be aware of the hazards of doing so. The key is managing static electricity and the report explains how to do it.

PS The balloon test is valid. My tanks passed and now have fuel in them all the way to the flow divider, no leaks so far. You can do a tank leak check with the balloon procedure or air pressure and soapy water with confidence so why mess around with fuel before you need to.

[wirejock]

Originally Posted by BillL

The PDF is there at cafefoundation.org , click "research" tab, then "reports" down the right side. It is in the list.

I read it. Pretty scary. Makes me nervous about filling my lawnmower much less anything bigger.
I can attest to the volatility of gas. Long ago I worked for a transportation agency. One day a driver was fueling with a cigarette. I asked her to put it out. She quipped about how nothing would happen because she does it all the time and showed me how safe it was by flicking a lighter next to the tank fuel hole. Guess what happened. She took off running. Thankfully the tank was completely full to the neck and only the vapor by the neck and the fuel on the ground where she threw the nozzle caught fire. I went for the extinguisher and blasted everything in sight. That could have been a really bad day for a lot of people. And they didn't fire the idiot!
That's the first time in 25 years I've retold that story.

I think about that day a lot. Every time I fill up a vehicle. It makes me even more nervous up here in the mountains because everything generates static. You hear the crackle all the time.