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Teflon on the fuel line - not a good idea...

A lot of builders did a lot of things in days of old before we had instant consultation from the internet….things that would curl your hair today. If you’re buying/restoring/flying an older home built, it’s something to be aware of. The builder probably did the best they could with the information they had at the time …. We just know more, and have to plow ahead and fix things!

Heck, we used to wash our hands in Avgas to remove the toxic grease stains!😉🤣
 
Ironflight said:
A lot of builders did a lot of things in days of old before we had instant consultation from the internet….things that would curl your hair today. If you’re buying/restoring/flying an older home built, it’s something to be aware of. The builder probably did the best they could with the information they had at the time …. We just know more, and have to plow ahead and fix things!

Heck, we used to wash our hands in Avgas to remove the toxic grease stains!😉🤣
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We've seen alot of very questionable things, but as Paul said, the internet is a great resource, and VAF is at the top of that list. That said, no teflon TAPE on anything.
 
Yeah Teflon tape is frowned upon now. In an emergency it can be used with extreme caution while wrapping. Today we have awesome sealants which still require care but less likely to contaminate the fuel system
 
Ironflight said:
A lot of builders did a lot of things in days of old before we had instant consultation from the internet….things that would curl your hair today. If you’re buying/restoring/flying an older home built, it’s something to be aware of. The builder probably did the best they could with the information they had at the time …. We just know more, and have to plow ahead and fix things!

Heck, we used to wash our hands in Avgas to remove the toxic grease stains!😉🤣
Click to expand...
While this *maybe* was not TEFLON, read the article below from Kitplanes about an incident with THE RV-1 and **me**.
Dan Horton was there and can attest to the findings.

Beware of what can get into your fuel system.

www.kitplanes.com

Error Chain

Some days, it's the little things. By James E. Clark.
www.kitplanes.com www.kitplanes.com
 
I found some Teflon tape on a fitting going into a directional gyro. After cranking out the fitting, I saw the telltale strings of Teflon in the female threads. it appeared that no tape was down in the fitting far enough to cause a problem, but i saw the real issue would come when reinstalling the fitting. It would push the threads down into the instrument. It would be the second guy that had the problem!
 
jclark said:
While this *maybe* was not TEFLON,
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Little itty bitty piece of blue silicone sealant, another no-no for fuel system threads. Found it at the inlet to the Facet pump.

jclark said:
read the article below from Kitplanes about an incident with THE RV-1 and **me**.
Dan Horton was there and can attest to the findings.
Click to expand...

Possibly the shortest pattern ever flown at 08A. I can attest his eyes were big as dinner plates, and he was talking real fast... ;)
 
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Good lesson learned. Teflon tape is probably the worst but not the only concern. Any sealant by it's nature isn't going to be relatively impervious to the working fluid, At best, anything loose the the system will be a filter element fouler. The consequences only go up from there.

Regardless of whatever thread sealant is applied, the good shop practice of leaving the first two threads clean should be considered a must.

Want to loose your job in aerospace? Get caught applying teflon tape to hydraulic system threads. Foul a servo-valve, last chance filter and things go sideways quickly.
 
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