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tks filter


aviatoreb

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My high pressure light comes on - time to replace the tks filter.

Where is it - is it something I can order the filter and just replace or can a local mechanic do it or does it need to be a specialty shop? Where in the airplane is the filter.  Intel appreciated.

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20 minutes ago, Cruiser said:

The filter is mounted on the forward face of fuselage former STA 88.00. 

It is under the floor access from the belly panel.

Oh cool - so how much shop time is that to replace?  Which level of service is that?  1) owner? 2) local mechanic? 3) specialty shop?

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1 hour ago, FoxMike said:

I have never changed a filter but it might be a little messy.  I would suggest you find a local mechanic who is familiar with TKS.  You can get a filter from CAV in Olathe, Ks.  I think he filter is a little pricey so be prepared.

Yah - I know / anything tks is very expensive.  I lost a tks stall strip 2 years ago ... 

ill probably go to Burlington for this job/ no one on the field knows tks.  I wonder if it's just a 1 or 2 hour job ( go have lunch then fly home) or more?

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The TKS tanks are under the rear seat behind the pilot and the pumps are under the rear seat behind the co-pilot. The filter is aft of the pumps shown in the red circle. The filter is number 40 in the exploded diagram below. It uses a filter element inside of the sealed filter assembly.Screen Shot 2017-01-17 at 12.28.19 AM.png

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6 hours ago, LANCECASPER said:

The TKS tanks are under the rear seat behind the pilot and the pumps are under the rear seat behind the co-pilot. The filter is aft of the pumps shown in the red circle. The filter is number 40 in the exploded diagram below. It uses a filter element inside of the sealed filter assembly.Screen Shot 2017-01-17 at 12.28.19 AM.png

Wow - Thanks!  That was very helpful!

BTW - yes - it is most likely I have a problem that is simply due to the filter needing replacement.  The system runs for about 2 min and then the high pressure light comes on.  The manual says if that happens and reseting the button doesn't work, then replace the filter. I have not replaced the filter, so clearly it must be time.

Has anyone done it (meaning at a shop) know how much shop time this takes?  So it seems the seats come out to access it from above - but someone else seemed to indicate you access it from below by removing belly panels?

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29 minutes ago, aviatoreb said:

Wow - Thanks!  That was very helpful!

BTW - yes - it is most likely I have a problem that is simply due to the filter needing replacement.  The system runs for about 2 min and then the high pressure light comes on.  The manual says if that happens and reseting the button doesn't work, then replace the filter. I have not replaced the filter, so clearly it must be time.

Has anyone done it (meaning at a shop) know how much shop time this takes?  So it seems the seats come out to access it from above - but someone else seemed to indicate you access it from below by removing belly panels?

The access should be from below after removing the belly panels.

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This sounds kind of funny. What could be collecting in the filter to slow the flow?

1) So little fluid is going through the system.

2) The fluid is a relatively clean liquid to begin with. 

3) To generate a high pressure to get an alarm, the filter (or something down stream) would have to get blocked, the flow would have to be increased, or the viscosity of the fluid has increased...  Is the fluid changing with age?  Evaporation causing a concentration change?

4) Consider other things that may cause an alarm.  Can the pressure alarm be tested easily while you are in there?

5) the intent of the filter is to restrain particles larger than the laser drilled holes in the wing's panels.

6) the Cirrus logic of swapping out the filter every two years is interesting.  there must be a reason for this.  Something funny is going on inside the filter over time?

7) Any idea what the technical details of the filter are?

I have no direct TKS experience, but lots of coffee and chemical filter experience...

Best regards,

-a-

Edited by carusoam
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Just now, carusoam said:

This sounds kind of funny. What could be collecting in the filter to slow the flow?

1) So little fluid is going through the system.

2) The fluid is a relatively clean liquid to begin with. 

3) To generate a high pressure to get an alarm, the filter (or something down stream) would have to get blocked, the flow would have to be increased, or the viscosity of the fluid has increased...  Is the fluid changing with age?  Evaporation causing a concentration change?

4) Consider other things that may cause an alarm.  Can the pressure alarm be tested easily while you are in there?

5) the intent of the filter is to restrain particles larger than the laser drilled holes in the wing's panels.

6) the Cirrus logic of swapping out the filter every two years is interesting.  there must be a reason for this.  Something funny is going on inside the filter over time?

7) Any idea what the technical details of the filter are?

I have no direct TKS experience, but lots of coffee and chemical filter experience...

Best regards,

-a-

I don't know - but I am guessing - given that the sponges out on the wings can dry out if you don't use it enough and somehow the fluid has a hard time getting through all parts of the sponges, then perhaps the same thing can happen to the filter - maybe it can dry out and become less able to transmit the fluid over time?  I don't know for sure though - all I know is that I read the operating manual and it says if the yellow high pressure light is on and not going away with the reset option, then it is time to replace the filter - and this is confirmed in forums over on beechtalk and copa (cirrus) that people have experienced this and replacing the filter fixes it more often than not.

So back to my original question - last part of my original question - has anyone had just this job done and if so, can they remember how much shop time we are talking?  Mostly for planning a day - is it a drop of my plane and go get lunch then fly home job, or is it an all day affair?  Or is it standard enough skills to enlist the mechanic on the field?

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6 hours ago, aviatoreb said:

Wow - Thanks!  That was very helpful!

BTW - yes - it is most likely I have a problem that is simply due to the filter needing replacement.  The system runs for about 2 min and then the high pressure light comes on.  The manual says if that happens and reseting the button doesn't work, then replace the filter. I have not replaced the filter, so clearly it must be time.

Has anyone done it (meaning at a shop) know how much shop time this takes?  So it seems the seats come out to access it from above - but someone else seemed to indicate you access it from below by removing belly panels?

I did mine myself last year.  Took about 30 minutes.  The most difficult part is taking out the 15 or so screws in the aft most belly panel (not the three forward panels, but the panel closest to the battery compartment).  It's a single screw on the filter housing.  The filter comes with 2 new o-rings as well for the casing.  Torque back to spec and safety wire if desired. Leak check and put the belly panel back up. Easy peasy.

i bought the filter from CAV.  I want to say it was about 150 bucks.

 

edit: the filter seems to be of a standard sort paper filiment.  The thing was pretty waterlogged with fluid when I replaced mine- the housing holds a bunch of fluid- so it's sitting in it pretty much at all times.

double edit: if you can do an oil change- you can easily do this filter swap.  And it is legal owner preventative maintenance.

Edited by M016576
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It's a simple bolt in design with two hose connections.  It's been a while since I've been under the seat so I can't say I remember if access is from there or under the plane through an access panel.  The one I installed in the Lancair is in a terrible location to change and I still don't think it would take me over a an hour to change it.  

Tom

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49 minutes ago, DVA said:

I’ll be surprised if it’s the filter for no reason other than they don’t often fail or clog. But I’ve been surprised before.

..I just ordered a new filter just now.

They said yeah this is a standard thing and when the filter gets tired that high pressure light goes on and it is just a time in service thing for the filter.  He said in all likelihood it is the filter - so fingers crossed - but yeah I suppose if not that - it could be something else.  Fingers crossed.

So filter is now $180 something - which is expensive for a paper filter - yeah.  But as they say "hey its an airplane - what did you expect to pay for $6 filter".  Cheapest thing I bought yet from Cav aero - considering the lost titanium stall strip I got when I lost one 2 years ago - and the new main pump I got 6 years ago....both were ...more than the over priced paper filter.  

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7 hours ago, aviatoreb said:

..I just ordered a new filter just now.

They said yeah this is a standard thing and when the filter gets tired that high pressure light goes on and it is just a time in service thing for the filter.  He said in all likelihood it is the filter - so fingers crossed - but yeah I suppose if not that - it could be something else.  Fingers crossed.

So filter is now $180 something - which is expensive for a paper filter - yeah.  But as they say "hey its an airplane - what did you expect to pay for $6 filter".  Cheapest thing I bought yet from Cav aero - considering the lost titanium stall strip I got when I lost one 2 years ago - and the new main pump I got 6 years ago....both were ...more than the over priced paper filter.  

Ironically- I paid something like $100 dollars to have my pump overhauled.  Cheaper than the filter I bought!  

The cheapest thing they sell?  That would be the coupling seals.  I think I paid about .25 cents each, for 6 of them, as I was replacing a leaking line.

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Ha, ha, ha. Yes!

I tried to get a couple of replacement stickers for the wings the CAUTION labels. They wanted $5 each.

I told one of the reps at a show they should be giving these labels and the nylon scrubbers for cleaning away instead of some useless pens and he said he would send me some........ still waiting. 

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On ‎1‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 0:20 AM, aviatoreb said:

Yah - I know / anything tks is very expensive.  I lost a tks stall strip 2 years ago ... 

ill probably go to Burlington for this job/ no one on the field knows tks.  I wonder if it's just a 1 or 2 hour job ( go have lunch then fly home) or more?

I am curious for what they charged you for the stall strip.   I lost one about 10 years ago and the Mooney dealer charged me 3K for the strip.   If I recall properly they had to ship the strip in from the UK and it took quite a while.   I lost two motors over the years but think my filters were only changed once to twice since 1997.

Norm

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