Fuel transfer

[ArtVandelay]

Running a tank dry is a useful exercise as it's the only guaranteed way to know how much useable fuel the wing holds

It’s not the ONLY way, to calibrate an engine monitor with fuel levels you have to go through a similar exercise, but on the ground. Simply remove hose from output of your electric boost pump, fill tanks, empty using the boost pump, JPI required 5 calibration points F 3/4 1/2 1/4 and empty. My tanks hold 1.5 gallons more than spec.


Tom

[gsxrpilot]

1 minute ago, ArtVandelay said:

It’s not the ONLY way, to calibrate an engine monitor with fuel levels you have to go through a similar exercise, but on the ground. Simply remove hose from output of your electric boost pump, fill tanks, empty using the boost pump, JPI required 5 calibration points F 3/4 1/2 1/4 and empty. My tanks hold 1.5 gallons more than spec.

Agreed, that's probably the best way to calibrate the JPI. And that's an excellent way to know exactly when the tank will run dry... while it's on the ground. Which might or might not be the same when in flight attitude in the air. I'm sure the differences are small, and maybe I'm just being paranoid. But the only time a dry tank really matters to me is in flight. So that's the condition I want to test.

[GeeBee]

38 minutes ago, EricJ said:

I would not recommend that, or at least not rely on that as a suitable ground.    A significant amount, if not most, of the static charge will be on the outside of the container, and for many plastic materials it's just difficult to drain off.   Setting it on the ground will do it, but it takes a while for the charge to bleed off, and that's not useful if you need to pick it up to use it.

Different plastics have different conductivity and some are infused with stuff to make them more conductive.   I've not been able to find out whether typical fuel containers are this way or not, or whether it's enough to help with static concerns.

 

Bingo!

38 minutes ago, EricJ said:

 

 

[75_M20F]

4 hours ago, Igor_U said:

7-8 gallons, depending how level you are.

Thanks

[skydvrboy]

I made my fuel stick over multiple fill-ups.  I think this method came from @gsxrpilot.  First, I ran a tank dry and filled it to the brim... 33.2 gallons.  Then, every time I fill up, I stick the tank before I start pumping fuel and mark that line on the stick.  Once the tank is full, I then subtract how much is on the pump from 32 gallons and label the line (I'm keeping that extra 1.2 gallons as usable reserve).  Over the last two years, I have created a fuel stick with a lot of random lines on it it, each noting the gallons of fuel remaining to the nearest 1/10th of a gallon.

The game I like to play now is to guess how much fuel it will take to fill the tank.  I can't remember the last time my guess was off by more than 1/2 gallon.  If I can stick the tank and know within 1/2 gallon how much fuel I have on board... I'm happy.

[DonMuncy]

I calibrated my dip stick today. It was not difficult, but time-consuming. The details of the process are too lengthy to post here, but I will be glad to share any details any one is interested in. 

[bradp]

My eyeballs have gotten pretty good over the years - I don't use that for "fuel decisions", still use a stick please,  but I can tell whether I have 25, 20 or 15 gallons in a tank within a couple of gallons.  If I don't have fuel at the bottom of the tank I have about 10 gallons on that side.  Caveat is that plane needs to be level, etc.