Fuel tank reseal

[RobertGary1]

8 hours ago, shawnd said:

I am planning on doing mine at Advanced Aircraft in Troutdale, OR  and heard they have the same process but will get more details soon. At the end of the day, he offers 7 year warranty and along with being an hour away, makes it an easy choice. @Lancer11A be sure to check for warranty and get the documentation.

He does one a month. I’m March.

[StevenL757]

On 12/22/2020 at 9:50 AM, Lancer11A said:

I’m sure a few of you have had your tanks stripped and resealed.  Looking at Weep No More out of Minnesota and wet wing from Florida.  Big difference in cost.  Any insight for both would be appreciated 

Paul

1966 M20C

Paul has done work for me in years-past, and will be the one to do a full strip and reseal when my tanks are ready.  Can’t recommend him highly enough.

Steve

[shawnd]

1 hour ago, RobertGary1 said:

He does one a month. I’m March.

Haha so you are the one who snuck in....

[mike_elliott]

8 hours ago, RobertGary1 said:

He does one a month. I’m March.

Finally give up on the annual patching you do?

[RobertGary1]

8 hours ago, mike_elliott said:

Finally give up on the annual patching you do?

Never patched annually but every 5-6 years I did. 

[Vance Harral]

50 minutes ago, RobertGary1 said:

Never patched annually but every 5-6 years I did. 

Same experience here.  Our partnership bought an airplane with original sealant, which had been patched by the prior owner a few years before we bought it.  We've owned it another 16 years since, and have taken it to a nearby MSC three times for patching, i.e. about every 5-6 years.  Total amount shelled out for the 3 patches is in the neighborhood of $3-4K, spread across those 16 years.  The alternative would have been a full strip-and-reseal to the tune of $8-10K (including travel expenses) at the first sign of trouble.  The shops that do this work are good, and they stand behind their long warranties.  But even the best warranty on a full strip-and-reseal would have expired about a decade ago, and who's to say we wouldn't have needed a patch or two since?

We still have some issues at the top of the tanks, which seep a little with full fuel.  But they meet airworthiness requirements, and we generally fill to the tabs only.  Our airplane is also a "workhorse" rather than "show plane", so the top-side seeps are not an issue in practice.

The point of saying all this is not to pooh-pooh people who have a full strip and reseal done, or who negotiate down the purchase price of a wet wing airplane with old sealant.  Both of those things are reasonable.  But I also think some people get a little carried away about tank sealant concerns.  There are a lot more shops that do decent patch work than there are shops that do full strip/reseal, and patch work can keep wet wings in reasonable shape for a very long time at relatively low cost.

Robert, out of curiosity, what convinced you to go the full strip/reseal in the end?

 

Edited December 28, 2020 by Vance Harral

[hammdo]

I’ve found 2 very small runs — screws from the left lower fuel bay cover and one on the right wing walk rivets - only when I top it off and let it sit. I run the right tank first after fill up. Not bad since the last reseal in 1982. David made one fix. 
 

Screws I’ll do when the left tank gets lower. Hope those screws come out ok...
 

I read this thread with interest as I’d like to paint the plane someday ;o)

-Don

[laytonl]

I have used both Paul and Edison (different airplanes).  Both did a great job, good customer service and done on-time.  Paul was more difficult to schedule due to work load buts that’s not a big issue.  I chose Edison for the second Mooney because he was closer to me and others had given him excellent recommendations.  Lee

[LucasC]

About what does it cost to have each wing done? I have monroys so be a little more i bet. 

[RobertGary1]

1 hour ago, LucasC said:

About what does it cost to have each wing done? I have monroys so be a little more i bet. 

I’m doing both wings at the place in Oregon for 10K. The place in the Midwest is 1k cheaper but the place in Oregon uses Top Gun in Stockton for warranty work so I don’t have to fly too far if there is an issue. 

[kortopates]

31 minutes ago, RobertGary1 said:

I’m doing both wings at the place in Oregon for 10K. The place in the Midwest is 1k cheaper but the place in Oregon uses Top Gun in Stockton for warranty work so I don’t have to fly too far if there is an issue. 

They will likely be my choice when the time comes as well. Don't think I have the patience to do the job myself. Didn't know about Top Gun doing warranty work - that's a nice bonus! 

[Hector]

In recognition that sometimes you just need a patch job, I once tried to start a list of folks people had used and would recommend for a patch job. It didn’t get much traction with folks instead insisting patching is not worth it. I think the point was missed that although I generally agree that once a tank starts leaking patching probably doesn’t pay off in the long run, circumstances can be very different and in some cases patching can make sense. My plane currently has a small seep at the top of the inboard forward spar cap. If I fill up I lose 2-3 gallons over several days and then it stops. I thought about trying to patch this up myself and have read Maxwells procedure on how to do it, but frankly if I knew of someone in Florida or Georgia that was good at this I just as soon let them do it. I wonder if there is an interest in getting such a list going again.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Lancer11A]

I thank all for your input.  Cost difference , for both wings/  weep no more $6800 /  wet wingolojist $8900

[Hank]

30 minutes ago, Lancer11A said:

I thank all for your input.  Cost difference , for both wings/  weep no more $6800 /  wet wingolojist $8900

Wow! Ten years ago, pricing was virtually identical. Edison at Wet Wings also gave discount for MAPA membership.

Times change. Paul's pricing is encouraging!

[shawnd]

Nice to see the price for M20C. Was that for both wings? M20K pricing seems to be double that per wing, yikes!

[RobertGary1]

On 12/29/2020 at 10:51 PM, Hector said:

In recognition that sometimes you just need a patch job, I once tried to start a list of folks people had used and would recommend for a patch job. It didn’t get much traction with folks instead insisting patching is not worth it. I think the point was missed that although I generally agree that once a tank starts leaking patching probably doesn’t pay off in the long run, circumstances can be very different and in some cases patching can make sense. My plane currently has a small seep at the top of the inboard forward spar cap. If I fill up I lose 2-3 gallons over several days and then it stops. I thought about trying to patch this up myself and have read Maxwells procedure on how to do it, but frankly if I knew of someone in Florida or Georgia that was good at this I just as soon let them do it. I wonder if there is an interest in getting such a list going again.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Patching, done correctly is inarguably worth it. Otherwise those like Maxwell wouldn’t be doing it. I survive 20 years on occasional patches. In the wet wing world patching is just expected maintenance. 

[kortopates]

1 hour ago, RobertGary1 said:

Patching, done correctly is inarguably worth it. Otherwise those like Maxwell wouldn’t be doing it. I survive 20 years on occasional patches. In the wet wing world patching is just expected maintenance. 

Absolutely agree, it would be silly to reseal the entire tank when the sealant is in good shape except for a leak.  Once one opens a tank, its possible to to get a good idea of the sealant's condition and if patching is adequate or not.

[Hank]

6 minutes ago, kortopates said:

Absolutely agree, it would be silly to reseal the entire tank when the sealant is in good shape except for a leak.  Once one opens a tank, its possible to to get a good idea of the sealant's condition and if patching is adequate or not.

My tanks had evidence of repeated patching, but parts of the sealant had degraded enough to be described as "sandy." At some point, all wet wings will need to be redone. Each of us get to make our own decision on when to do so.

[Sandman993]

On 12/27/2020 at 8:19 PM, carusoam said:

When you get the chance to speak with an icon in the industry... take it!   

Take notes while the conversation is going on...

Write as fast as you can...

Best regards,

-a-

Thanks for the kudos carusoam! Oh wait, that wasn’t meant for me was it?

[Sheriff23]

Previous owner resealed both tanks at Wet Wingologist in FL just before I bought the aircraft....

They resealed both tanks and repaired/resealed around the sumps. 

High quality work and no issues. 

Highly recommend them, but I have heard great things about Weep No More as well.  

If travel is an issue, I'd choose whoever was closer/able to schedule you in.

[desmd1]

I just had my 1986 252's tanks stripped and resealed in Ft Lauderdale by Wetwingologists East (Edison Gomez), and while at KFXE, I had Premier Aviation, a Mooney center, replace the decade old donuts and check the aircraft rigging.  Wetwingologists was on time, meticulous, communicative.  I left the plane there for one month in December, the job taking about two and a half weeks.  They've been doing this work for seventeen years and have their own proprietary technique with a transferable seven year complete guarantee, and Premier vouches for their work.  It's not inexpensive, particularly since I have Monroy long-range tanks as well as the factory mains.  I don't know about you, but choosing Ft Lauderdale KFXE, with a nearby commercial airport KFLL, over Minnesota in the winter was an easy choice.

[steingar]

Of course, if your shop knows anything about Mooneys you can buy the bladders and have them installed right where you are.  With the travel costs and time to get to one of those shops the bladders could wind up being a wash cost wise.  Just a thought.

[LANCECASPER]

41 minutes ago, steingar said:

Of course, if your shop knows anything about Mooneys you can buy the bladders and have them installed right where you are.  With the travel costs and time to get to one of those shops the bladders could wind up being a wash cost wise.  Just a thought.

Bladders not available for K, L, M, R, S, TN, Ultra

[jlunseth]

On 12/22/2020 at 8:50 AM, Lancer11A said:

I’m sure a few of you have had your tanks stripped and resealed.  Looking at Weep No More out of Minnesota and wet wing from Florida.  Big difference in cost.  Any insight for both would be appreciated 

Paul

1966 M20C

I had Weep No More do my tanks in about 2009, when the company was still just getting off the ground. Its now twelve years later and there is no sign of leakage, despite the fact that I was a relatively new pilot at the time, and particularly new to Mooneys. As far as I can tell, Weep No More's work is essentially permanent. I understand, though, that they have a long waiting list. I would get on it if I were you.

[mike_elliott]

1 hour ago, jlunseth said:

I had Weep No More do my tanks in about 2009, when the company was still just getting off the ground. Its now twelve years later and there is no sign of leakage, despite the fact that I was a relatively new pilot at the time, and particularly new to Mooneys

Being new to Mooneys really doesn't affect sealant life, but proper care does of course. When Paul does a complete strip and reseal, it will serve one well thru most of ones flying life as you elude to. Paul is very open on how to help keep sealant pliable and able to get maximum life from it. While it is resilient, hard landings do not compromise the integrity, but if the sealant is brittle, everything does. I trust this is what you meant when you said you were a relatively new pilot your landings in the Mooney were less than smooth.

Keeping the tanks relatively full and in a hangar, out of the sun, will go a long ways in keeping the sealant pliable. Shock disks not so much