nels Posted December 7, 2013 Report Posted December 7, 2013 Now that the miserable cold has come down on us here n southern Ohio, I was wondering about checking for water in the the tanks and sump. Say its zero outside and you sample for water in each tank and let's say you feel confident there is some water in the tank, will the drain just not dislodge due to ice? What would I expect to find. Does ice float in gasoline, I know it is less dense than in liquid form. Is there any de-ice or ice guard for fuel that is safe with the tank sealant? Just thinking out loud here. WELL, I should have read an earlier post. That one pretty much answered my questions. sorry.
Hank Posted December 7, 2013 Report Posted December 7, 2013 A friend of mine had tank work done on his 182, sitting a couple of days with the caps off. He flew home with no issues. On our next Sunday breakfast run, it was 8F; he had no trouble reaching Portsmouth 20 minutes away, but on the return his engine lost power on takeoff and he landed on the end of the runway. Long, hard runup revealed no problems, but takeoff #2 had the same power loss and landing at the end of the runway. Thankfully it is 5000'; had this happened at our home field he'd have gone into trees as he never got high enough to clear them. I gave him a ride home. The problem was diagnosed as frozen water in the fuel blocking the pickup, but it didn't happen on the first takeoff because there was more fuel in the tanks then. (How much fuel does a 182 burn from both tanks on a 20-minute flight at 2500 agl? Nobody knows why the first takeoff went well.) My plane had no trouble, climbed like a homesick angel and kept me toasty warm both ways. Didn't notice the two extra people coming back, either. Just be careful if you have reason to suspect water contamination on really cold days. 1
carusoam Posted December 7, 2013 Report Posted December 7, 2013 Going from cold to warm causes a new set of challenges. The unknown ice can melt and make itself into known water... This is mostly a situation of leaky caps, and outside storage. Not normal Mooney behavior... But, if you haven't kept you tanks from allowing water in. Now is the time to be aware how important this can be... The top (fuel neck) of my 65 M20C tanks rusted through. If you have an older mooney and see signs of rust at the caps, look to buy some new SS parts. Water also tends to freeze in the fuel drains making the drains not close when sampling... Water in the tanks is bad whether it is frozen or not... Best regards, -a-
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