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Doing a lot of thinking about fuel systems.

7 posts in this topic

Posted

I have read the service bulletins dealing with the early Kitfox fuel system, #29 is most interesting. My little plane still has the aluminium tanks, both wings and header. The vent system for the header tank would be best described as a "rub gold-burg" special. It has its own shut-off valve mounted above the wing shut-off. When I was looking at the plane, the P/O forgot to shut it off and it started siphoning fuel overboard as after the shut-off valve it went back down and exited the aircraft next to the gascolator. Any comments, pictures, and thoughts on what I should do are much appreciated. I could see myself getting in to trouble with this real easy. Mike 

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Posted

Mike,  All I know is what the Avid guys have said:  The Avids did not provide for a vent line from the header to the wing tank like all the Kitfoxes I have seen.  Some of the guys have put in a vent tube sort of like what you describe.  Akflyer says he opens the valve to vent any air out of the header and shuts it off before flight.  Maybe you should put that on your preflight checklist.  EDMO

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Posted

Maybe you can post up some pictures of what you have.  With my Avids, an aluminum header tank sits behind the seat.  Both  wing tanks feed into that header tank.  A vent comes out of that tank and goes up through the butt rib and that aluminum tube is turned over to keep water out.  I have a valve in that vent line so I can let the air out of the header tank.  If the vent valve is left open in flight, you can get fuel sucked out of the vent.  That is the reason for the valve.  JImChuk

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Posted

I went thru my picture file and I did not take any pictures of the vent system. I guess I can go back to what was there before. The one kind of handy thing about it was you could see the  fuel thru the tygon and know the header was full. Mike

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Posted

I have the Avid wing spar header tank with both wings feeding into it. I leave the shutoffs to both wings open at all times. It burns relatively even and the system vents wing to wing. If  you park on a hill or something you need to shut off the wings so they don't transfer. With the spar header tank the top of it is almost even with the back of the seat and the wings will transfer fuel back and forth if one has lots more gas than the other and the shutoffs are open. I've burned up as much as 23 gallons in a 4.5 hour flight covering almost 300NM with no issues. I do have the vents facing forward on both caps per the Avid AD. I think you can see the vents in this pic. I was parked on a green of a golf course. Didn't have much time to stick around for that pic ;)

IMG_1158.JPG

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Posted

A touch and git?  (as in git out of here) :-)  JImChuk

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Posted

I've the exact same set up as Joey's except no shutoff valves between header and the tanks.  No issues and 360TT AF.

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