A

aerolite

Member
I noticed that Van's sells a fuel pick up tube with a stainless steel finger screen. I did what the plans show and cut seven 1/16 wide cuts in the tube but to me there should be some sort of screen as well. Is it one or the other? Has anyone put a screen over the cuts in the tube?
Thanks,
Steve
 
Steve,
I think you probably could. However it might just be more restriction. I ordered the pickup tube with the screen for both the -6A and the 7A. It is full flow and the screen fits around the end of the pickup tube. The open end of the tube fits right against the bottom of the tank by the drain. I really think it is much better than cutting slots in the PU tube, but obviously the slotted tube works.

Wes Hays
Winters, TX
RV-6A Flying
RV-7A Fuse.
 
I didn't use the slotted pickup tubes ...

that came with my quickbuild. I replaced them with the optional pickup tubes that you referenced.
 
i would not

i wouldnt cover the slots with screen. i had the slots first and when the "saftey wire your pick ups " came out i just replaced them with the screen pick ups. the screen is fairly coarse any way. the thought of only picking up fuel from half the tube surface bugged me and i felt the screen was a better method. YMMV
 
I left the slotted pickups in. I don't want anything in there that may get clogged that I can't easily check. At annuals, I blow air back into the tanks to clear anything that may be caught somewhere. I also do a volume check of the fuel system by running the boost pump and timing a measured amount.

JMHO
Roberta
 
I built the slotted tubes but replaced them with Van's screened units when the service bulletin came out concerning saftey wiring the B nuts to the anti-rotation bracket. Bonus: the new B nuts come crossdrilled for safety wire.
Steve
 
Thanks

Thanks for the replies. I decided to stay with the slotted one I made and just drilled the hole for the lock wire. I like Roberta's idea of blowing air thru to clean out any debris, I think that would be easier to do than if a screen was on it. I took the advise of a friend whose on his fifth RV and has never seen a problem with the slots and mentioned if anything smaller does get thru then the gascolator will get it anyways.

Steve
 
If you're running a carb make sure you put an inline filter in before the pump, quite a few reports of debris clogging the inlet of the little facet. With the screens on I wasn't to concerned about this but I recently added a 74 micron flowezy filter inline anyway. With just the slots in the pick-up tube large debris could easily make it's way to the pump and stop the flow of precious juice!
 
auto tank screens

What I am doing and a couple other Eggenfellner Subaru users are doing is using an automotive sock at the pickup. It can screen out a huge amount of crud and still not get clogged.

Pic & description here:

http://meyette.us/engineAug05.htm#aug26

brian
 
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Ya know, there's a screen in the gascolator too. Personally, I'd rather have the gunk pumped out of the tank and traped there than plug the system up at the tank. That'd be bad juju to have a screen in the tank get cloged up in flight.
 
I gotta go along with Joe here. I have had the "socks" on automotive pick ups completely clog.
First one was on a '69 Caddy convertible (while on vacation). All indications were a bad fuel pump. Replaced fuel pump, "no joy". Turned out the sock was completely clogged. Blew it off with air pressure and all was good. Wouldn't want the same experience in an airplane.
 
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