M

mark donahue

Member
Getting to the prep and painting stage, and I look at my gascolator with my lower cowling on, and think....the cowl should have a hole drilled to allow sumping the gascolator. Is that what is being done by all of you great builders?
 
That's what I did. Then I packed flox into the voids in the core, used flox to build a rounded edge to the hole, then laid thin fiberglass strips to cover the flox.

In hindsight, I wouldn't install a gascolator under the cowl. I'd put 'em in the wing roots - they stay cooler there, which is beneficial from a vapor lock perspective.
 
Kyle,

You wouldn't install a gascolator under the cowl? You'd put 'em in the wing roots ?

Thats what Andy from Andair recommended. How did you manage to ge them into the limited space available between the hull and the wing? :rolleyes:

Would you show us a picture?

Many thanks, Pit
 
My gascolator is in the "stock" position on the firewall and with my first engine I put a hole in the cowl to drain it and in almost 300 hours of flying I never found water in it. My -9 is a tail dragger and I guess water can't move up hill. However, it is there to trap any water mixed in with my 100LL..

With the new engine and cowl, I did not drill the hole and every time I remove the cowl, I check the sump and still haven't found anything in it.

Note, you have to have the fuel pump on to sump the gascolator.

I seem to remember reading that putting a gascolator on each wing is a requirement in the UK but maybe someone from over there can comment on that.
 
I have never found anything in mine either, in 1300hrs. I'm doubting the value of installing it.
 
mark donahue said:
Getting to the prep and painting stage, and I look at my gascolator with my lower cowling on, and think....the cowl should have a hole drilled to allow sumping the gascolator. Is that what is being done by all of you great builders?
Click to expand...

I have the same set up as you. I lined up the Andair gascolator outlet and drilled a 1" hole in the bottom of the cowl. I use a snap-in chrome plug from Lowes and it snaps in and out easily. It has worked great for almost 200 hrs. I checked it every preflight for 100 hrs, finding nothing. Now I just check it periodically. Like others, I have never found any water or debris. I clean the filter at condition inspection time.

Forgot to add that I use the long narrow type of fuel tester and just push it against the fuel drain on the Andair Gascolator. You don't need an extension for the fuel drain this way.
 
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Selmax said:
Kyle,

You wouldn't install a gascolator under the cowl? You'd put 'em in the wing roots ?

Thats what Andy from Andair recommended. How did you manage to ge them into the limited space available between the hull and the wing? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I don't have them in the wing roots, but that is where I would put them if I got a do-over. I don't know the particulars, but do know that others have succeeded in making that installation fit.
 
I put a hole directly below the gascollator sump. I think it ended up more like a slot. Then, I removed the sump valve and replaced it with a properly sized pipe from Lowes Aerospace. Then, I attached the sump valve to the end of the pipe. The end of the valve ends up even with the outside surface of the cowl so no plug is needed.
 
I did the same as Kelly and many others using a pipe nipple (extension) to bring the drain fitting down and flush with the hole in the bottom of the cowl. I also drilled the nut on the drain and safety wired it to the hinge where the cowl fastens. Not sure if the safety wire is necessary but you sure don't want the drain or extension coming loose in flight.
 
I notched my bottom cowl to allow me to drain the gascolator. I have drained it several times during preflight and almost nothing at all comes out. Might be why Vans doesn't bother with accessing it from outside the cowl. If I were to do it again, I would likely not bother. Here are a couple of pictures:

Inside view:
http://www.aclog.com/rv-9a/images/Firewall%20Forward/2d021997679aea43bb6747c3c9bf12eb31665_IMG_0978.jpg

View from outside:
http://www.aclog.com/rv-9a/images/Firewall%20Forward/40087a1c1fa5c17c1545c95b52d0db2d31665_IMG_0977.jpg
 
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Thanks everyone. I think I will not drill a hole at this time and just drain the gascollater everytime the cowl is off, based upon your experience.
appreciate your responses, and hope to be flying one of these not so distant days. I cant wait to see if this thing really will fly.
Thanks again,
Mark
 
Arveeniner,

You removed the sump valve and replaced it with a properly sized pipe from Lowes Aerospace, did you?

May I ask where did you got the pipe from and which length should it have?

Regards Pit
 
Why no sump...

Several you said something like, "I sumped the gascolator every flight for x number of hours and never found anything. Now I just do it when the cowl is off"

I don't get that logic. What's to say that you won't find something in the x + 1 hour? I've definitely found water in my C172 sump. How is the gascolator different than a C172 gascolator?

Thanks,
Michael-
 
Michael Burbidge said:
Several you said something like, "I sumped the gascolator every flight for x number of hours and never found anything. Now I just do it when the cowl is off"

I don't get that logic. What's to say that you won't find something in the x + 1 hour? I've definitely found water in my C172 sump. How is the gascolator different than a C172 gascolator?

Thanks,
Michael-
Click to expand...

Different airplanes with different fuel systems.

On the 172 the fuel, and water, flow down hill. The tanks in the RV are below the gascolator and I'm yet to see fuel / water move uphill unless the fuel pump is running. Thus, if you sump the tanks, you should not get water in the gascolator.
 
N941WR said:
The tanks in the RV are below the gascolator and I'm yet to see fuel / water move uphill unless the fuel pump is running.
Click to expand...

You can't check the firewall-mounted gascolator without running the fuel pump. Or rather, you can, but you won't get anything out of it.

Sump tanks first, then turn on pump and check gascolator. I've never found water in an airplane I was flying that was parked in a hangar, but I still check. I've found it many times in an airplane parked outside in inclement weather.
 
After pumping fuel...

I also sump after pumping fuel, as I have found in my C172 water in my tanks after fueling.

Thanks,
Michael-
 
Snowflake said:
You can't check the firewall-mounted gascolator without running the fuel pump. Or rather, you can, but you won't get anything out of it.

Sump tanks first, then turn on pump and check gascolator. I've never found water in an airplane I was flying that was parked in a hangar, but I still check. I've found it many times in an airplane parked outside in inclement weather.
Click to expand...
During the 1400 hrs I had a carb and gascolator on my -8, I never found more than 40-50 tiny flakes of stuff in the strainer and never any water.

I also keep my caps well lub'd. As a result I rarely ever (maybe once or twice ever) get water in my tanks when outside.

When I went to fuel injection, I had to repair that funky hole I had in the bottom of my cowling that I never used. Now have two large filters in the wing roots. Just a point of reference.
 
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