dzeleski Posted February 15, 2020 Report Share Posted February 15, 2020 Hi all, I keep running into this issue where we get rain during the day and then temps drop below freezing. Any water thats sitting in the top of the gas cap freezes causing the cap to be frozen in a locked position. I now keep a small screw driver that I can use to pick at the ice until I can open the cap but its obviously annoying as hell to deal with. Any one have a solution to this? Im considering making a cover for the cap on my 3D printer to try and keep most of the water out but I figured I would ask before I start trying to build it. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtVandelay Posted February 15, 2020 Report Share Posted February 15, 2020 I use painters blue tape.Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted February 15, 2020 Report Share Posted February 15, 2020 There is a thread around here somewhere... painters tape, plastic wrap, A hangar... toilet plungers without the stick, rubber mats, After the fact... a bag of hot water... a hair dryer (a NJ one comes with its own generator) Chipping at it is usually a bad idea... And flying it, hoping the low pressure will aid in the sublimation of the ice.... takes a really long time.... enough time to run out of gas and still not get access... Inviting the fuel cap guy to join the conversation... @OSUAV8TER... MS actually has a fuel cap guy..! PP thoughts of stuff I may have read around here... Best regards, -a- 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLJA Posted February 15, 2020 Report Share Posted February 15, 2020 Like a charm. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted February 15, 2020 Report Share Posted February 15, 2020 Carefully wrap the cap, without goofing up the oring’s seal... not getting that right leads to having a fuel slushy at the bottom of the tank... that is a bear to get through the fuel drain... Flying with known ice in the tank would be alright if only... it stays frozen... when ice melts inside the tank... expect it to possibly refereeze in a place where fuel is evaporating... -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gagarin Posted February 15, 2020 Report Share Posted February 15, 2020 (edited) Spray WD-40 on the cap to prevent ice forming. Edited February 15, 2020 by Gagarin 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N201MKTurbo Posted February 15, 2020 Report Share Posted February 15, 2020 Norm the Mooney Miser (RIP) used to sell plastic covers that were held on with Velcro stuck on the gas cap. I have a pair somewhere if you are interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilpilot Posted February 15, 2020 Report Share Posted February 15, 2020 6 minutes ago, carusoam said: Flying with known ice in the tank would be alright if only... it stays frozen Not strictly true although a very different circumstance from DZ's fuel cap issue. Relatively warm fuel can contain sufficient water in solution to form ice. When parked in the cold or at altitude the fuel can become sufficiently cold to form very fine ice crystals. These crystals, if they stay frozen, can blind the fuel screen and result in fuel starvation. Why I've often added a small amount of isopropyl alcohol when I plan to fly into a temperature significantly lower than the source of my last fueling. This is an approved practice for our aircraft. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbridges Posted February 16, 2020 Report Share Posted February 16, 2020 1 hour ago, carusoam said: Flying with known ice -a- Is that similar to flying in known ice, or is that a new term? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted February 16, 2020 Report Share Posted February 16, 2020 3 hours ago, neilpilot said: Not strictly true although a very different circumstance from DZ's fuel cap issue. Relatively warm fuel can contain sufficient water in solution to form ice. When parked in the cold or at altitude the fuel can become sufficiently cold to form very fine ice crystals. These crystals, if they stay frozen, can blind the fuel screen and result in fuel starvation. Why I've often added a small amount of isopropyl alcohol when I plan to fly into a temperature significantly lower than the source of my last fueling. This is an approved practice for our aircraft. For Neil and RB... Definitely not DZ’s current situation, just a warning of what can happen if not handled properly... if you have enough water in the tank to drain out... that means it is at equilibrium with as much moisture as the fuel can hold in solution... a relatively small number... But, when the temp drops enough to freeze... the ice crystals form something Other than a block of ice... +1 on having an ice block on any screen or filter... in my case it blocked the Fuel drain without a filter... it blocked some relatively large holes... +1 on having the dissolved fuel deposit somewhere... wherever the fuel gets evaporated... +1 on having the proper alcohol used with the fuel... the POH states how much of which one... in the event water does get in... and to have the ‘anti-freeze’ actually work... it probably needs all the ice to be somewhat melted... this may require a trip indoors to warm up... Sort of a new/ different form of carb ice... except the moisture came with the fuel and not the air... It took me weeks to figure out that my M20C fuel caps were nearly good, it was what they were mounted in, had rusted through... If you get water in your tanks, look to see if you have mild steel fuel necks holding the caps in place... the mild steal erodes from the outside, and rusts from the inside... where the metal was stretched during the forming process... when the erosion meets the corrosion... you get water in the tank... They make SS parts for that, not a terribly difficult swap to make. But it involves rivets and sealant and experience to get it right... Flight into known ice... and flight with known ice... can both be disastrous... in their own ways... Best to update one’s equipment to handle the situation... or sit this one out... to avoid either situation... So departing with some ice in the tank is similar to departing with some ice on the wings... Best to be avoided... PP thoughts only, stuff I learned in the days before MS... no need to repeat... Wish you guys could have been around 20yrs ago! Best regards, -a- 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted February 16, 2020 Report Share Posted February 16, 2020 17 hours ago, GLJA said: Like a charm. 17 hours ago, carusoam said: Carefully wrap the cap, without goofing up the oring’s seal... not getting that right leads to having a fuel slushy at the bottom of the tank... that is a bear to get through the fuel drain... No, he didn't use plain plastic wrap. The Press n Seal is a little sticky on one side, just tear off some and press on top of the wing, completely covering the gas cap and a couple of inches all around it. Even frozen, you can tear through it to unlock the cap, and removing the cap should pull if off the wing if you can't peel up an edge first. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy95W Posted February 16, 2020 Report Share Posted February 16, 2020 18 hours ago, Gagarin said: Spray WD-40 on the cap to prevent ice forming. I definitely understand the humor of this coming from José, but I gotta say, this might not be the worst idea around and it may just be one of the few appropriate uses of WD-40 on an airplane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry 5TJ Posted February 16, 2020 Report Share Posted February 16, 2020 Putting the plane in heated hangar for a few hours is a good solution & one that may melt other ice you don’t see such as inside control surfaces. (I know, it’s not a CB choice) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLJA Posted February 16, 2020 Report Share Posted February 16, 2020 3 hours ago, Hank said: No, he didn't use plain plastic wrap. The Press n Seal is a little sticky on one side, just tear off some and press on top of the wing, completely covering the gas cap and a couple of inches all around it. Even frozen, you can tear through it to unlock the cap, and removing the cap should pull if off the wing if you can't peel up an edge first. This might help with the visually impaired, in order to assist how it works. Hank is bang on. Jeff used this on ice up here in Canada. Don’t see why it wouldn’t be as effective with rain 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted February 17, 2020 Report Share Posted February 17, 2020 Now, that defines going the distance... to describe things for MSers! Great video! Thanks for sharing. Best regards, -a- 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N201MKTurbo Posted February 17, 2020 Report Share Posted February 17, 2020 If you put that stuff on the whole wing you could clean the ice off in a hurry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dzeleski Posted February 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2020 Thanks guys super helpful! Ill probably resort to the glad press and seal for now. Obviously a hanger is the best answer but none are available where I live, im on several wait lists but it might be years before I get one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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