Wait time between applying tank sealant and putting fuel in tank

[pmnewlon]

Last week I found that the fuel senders in both tanks of the RV4 I purchased were not working correctly. I pulled the tanks and installed new SW level senders per Van's instructions.

Last night I sealed the access covers and senders. After searching a bit in the older posts, I am still not too clear on how long I should wait to add fuel to the tanks. According to the product literature (flamemaster), what I bought should have been tack free in 30 minutes and fully cured in 24 hours. Two hours later it was still very soft and definitely tacky.

Temps here are running in the high 80's with lots of humidity.

Any feedback on how long I should wait to put some fuel in the tanks to see if I have leaks would be appreciated!

[Ironflight]

I'd wait until it is completely tack free - and at least 24 hours. That's about what we did last time we had to do a re-seal. Of course, we had another airplane to fly, so we weren't that anxious...

[pmnewlon]

When I checked after 24 hours it was very solid. My test piece was still off-gassing pretty heavily so I am going to wait until tomorrow.

[rv6rick]

Personally, I would never even consider adding fuel until at least a week or even 10 days had passed.....no matter what.

Depending on your batch of proseal and how it was mixed the cure time varies greatly. I'm sure you left a 'test' puddle of proseal on some cardboard or where ever....this will help to determine how your mix is curing. But even 'if/when' it looks and feels 'OK' I would never add any fuel until after a week.

I've seen many tank leaks repaired or re-prosealed and fuel poured in the tank after 3 days.....only to start leaking again a day or a week later. It's ALWAYS worth the extra time and NEVER worth being in a hurry.

That's just me....good luck and safe flying.

[Larco]

I was told by the manufacture that when you can touch it without leaving a finger print you are good to go. The warmer the OAT the quicker it cures for sure and this test worked good for me during several tank builds. Larry