isaacpr7

Carl, Hopefully by the end of this year they will approve the use of non-certified avionics. That would put most of us CBs in the high end toy ownership bracket

Carl, I don't plan on going into business with it because I have a super busy military career. When I retire in 4 years I might get around to doing something with it as far as labor goes. Meaning, I would charge for labor then and use the machine to make my life easier and make it economic for the customer. I think some people still charge the same amount for labor as if they were spending 100 hours doing it by hand even though they have access to machines such as the one I am building. Not saying there's anything wrong with giving a high quote. Just saying I rather go the CB way and help some fellow mooniacs along the way PS: You can drop your plane off if you want. It might have some gadgets mine is lacking. Lol! JK.

Did a little experiment and it was a success. I submerged a piece of the CPVC tubing in Polygone for two days and it was intact and just as strong as when I submerged it. Looks like I don't have to go with copper after all. Also, the shark bite fittings are not required either. The pressure being put through the system by the pump is not even close enough to making the unglued PVC end caps come off. Another score for us CBs. Instead of CPVC you can use PVC which is 5 times cheaper

Found a Mooney that had the tank cracked open and took the opportunity to install the tubing and made some cuts to make it work better.

Lol! I've actually seen those before. It would be cool to make one but my next project after I get back will be an electric aircraft tug

Got around to do some more testing today. By no means the picture shows the final design. I just used some garden hoses in order to test the pump. Later I will have to replace the hoses with more CPVC pipes for further testing.

Found a good read on governor adjustment: http://www.mccauley.textron.com/pga_governors.html

Thanks bonal. Adjusting the governor was my IA's first thought. I will try that next time he comes over. I checked that the control hit both stops while moving the cable to both ends and it was getting full teavel. Like you said, it's possible that adjusting the control stop will fix the problem. I wish there was more space back there to fit my hands though. Lol!

I checked that with a tach tester and the tester reads about 20 RPM higher than the instrument at 1000 RPM. I can't recall what the tester read at full throttle but I will check again. I belive that it was a higher spread at full throttle.

For some reason I have not been able to get 2700 RPM on take off since last annual was completed. Since that annual I have replaced all spark plugs, overhauled/timed both mags, and replaced the intake air filter. Fuel pressure is 6 psi. Nothing has given me an RPM greater than 2500-2600 RPM. I checked prop and throttle cables to ensure they have full travel by visually inspecting that each full position hits the stops. I removed the foam air filter for testing and it gave me 2550 RPM which is better than the 2500 RPM I've been getting today. Any thoughts?

Chisk, Just like Yetti mentioned, I will assemble and disassemble the pipes inside the tank. I measured the inside of the tank while it was empty and decided to go with 20" to give me some play room. Once I actually get to do it (not until I come back from deployment) I will trim as necessary but I do not expect the need to do so. When you switch to the other tank you can rotate the pipes as necessary for the position of the access panels. All pipes rotate freely on the quick release fittings.

Yetti, Using a parts cleaner tank is an amazing idea. As a matter of fact I have that 20 gallon parts cleaner my self. The only issue with using it for this project is that it would take at least five gallons to get it going because the tank is so wide and long that it takes several gallons just to reach where the pump is. You could modify that setup and make it work by using a different type of pump that would draw fluid while mounted at the bottom like a bilge pump. The tank that I made was from free scraps of steel and measures 18x12x12, which gives me 11.2 gallons of fluid. Every inch of height gives me just under 1 gallon. The goal is to maximize fluid level with the least amount of fluid in order to save some cash As far as welding materials go, I got it all done with a wire fed flux core welder. This is probably the cheapest way to weld. The entire spool of wire is under 20 bucks and it lasts for several projects. So far my only expense has been in some cheap CPVC pipes and quick release fittings and some cheap Chinese made nozzles (10 for 35 dollars) from eBay. Oh, and the cast iron pump, which I will exchange for something from eBay for under 100 bucks. I belive the one I purchased was a bit overkill.

Yetti, I'm not sure I can picture what you are describing but if you are talking about filling the aircraft ranks with solvent it would be too expensive. At close to 100 dollars a gallon to fill a 26 gallon tank would be brutal on the pocket. The solvent container that I am building can only hold 11.2 gallons if I was to fill it up; however, the intent is to leave some room for the installation of a screen where the solvent will be filtered for the first time when returning into the solvent tank. From the solvent tank it will be filtered prior and after the pump before being sprayed by the nozzles inside the aircraft fuel tank. The idea is to cycle and filter minimum amount of solvent to get the job done without breaking the bank or spending a massive amount of man hours stripping the fuel tanks

The only thing is that a hose would move around under pressure and not be aimed where you want it. Aslo, I don't know how the hose would react to the solvent. It might just melt. My prototype hase a house as a source of pressure just for testing but the final product will consist of only pipes going through the pump.

That's very easy Turbo. If you notice, every joint is a quick release. When you remove both top access panels, the small sectioned pipes are inserted into place and assembled inside of the tank. When you are done using it you can disassemble the pipes inside the tank and remove them.

Here's what the prototype looks like when hooked to a garden hose. Next will be the installation and rigging of the pump.

I had not thought about that to be honest. I might give them a call.

Started to work on the tank. What a PIA to get the leaks to stop. I'm sure trying to hone my welding skills.

I got to test it this morning and I was amazed at how cold the air was coming out of it. And that's without the bilge fan. Once I'm able to get into my hangar I will get my infra-red thermometer and see what it reads. Whatever it is I know it's way colder than outside temp.

I like the idea

I was planning on adding the marine bilge fan like the one you have but now that I see your pics I don't think it can fit in the cooler size I selected. The diameter is still good but the attachment point would not fit. Maybe I can come up with another way to attach it though.

Chris, The initial list of materials was just under 75 bucks and I added that flex tube, some hardware, and caulk for a little over 10 bucks. If I upgrade the fan to the one suggested it will bump it up another 40 bucks or so after shipping. This still beats 500 dollars

Well here's the final product, minus the fan upgrade that I will do later on.

That's awesome! I'm heading towards O'Reilly tomorrow to check it out Thanks for the lead.