apenney Posted February 24, 2021 Report Posted February 24, 2021 In January I went to fill my Bravo with TKS and as I started to pour it into the fill port, I noticed that it sounded different...louder and with splashes. After a half gallon or so I could hear something draining under the belly drain....TKS. Crap. So I stopped filling and looked into the fill port and something looked different. I opened the left side panel and could see that the hose and hose clamp that secures it to the fill port had come off. I reattached and secured it and problem fixed. I learned to looked into the fill port from then on and as long as I could see the ribs of the hose then I knew it was still attached. Also, there is a little bit of resistance when opening the fill port door and less if the hose is detached. Well the hose came off again the other day. I reattached it but wondering if there is something else that I should do to prevent it from happening again...kind of a pain to get in there to reattach, especially when away from my home airport in an unheated hangar in the Michigan UP. Theoretically, TKS could back flow too if the hose dipped below the tank level? 1 Quote
carusoam Posted February 24, 2021 Report Posted February 24, 2021 Sort of an MS service difficulty report... We have a TKS guy... @CAV Ice @CAV Ice Protection See if @M20Doc how familiar he is with the TKS system... (fill hose is probably too slippery to stay connected) There may be a really good way to clean/roughen the surfaces before getting the proper torque on the right hardware... PP thoughts only, not a mechanic... Best regards, -a- 1 Quote
smwash02 Posted February 24, 2021 Report Posted February 24, 2021 I've not had this problem with mine, scary thought of it falling off. Losing the fluid is one problem, but also dirt getting in there. Is the plastic nipple it attaches to cracked? This could cause it to slip off even with the hose clamp on there. Is there significant tension on the hose when the door is open? Is the mating surface between the nipple and hose clean and dry? Perhaps a zip tie mount could be used to ensure it stays pointed up and relieve some of the tension from the hose hanging. Will be curious what you find. 1 Quote
Yetti Posted February 24, 2021 Report Posted February 24, 2021 5/16 nut driver. tighten stainless clamp 1 Quote
smwash02 Posted February 24, 2021 Report Posted February 24, 2021 57 minutes ago, Yetti said: 5/16 nut driver. tighten stainless clamp Sometimes the most obvious answer is the right one. I ass/u/me/d that this had already been attempted. Quote
Yetti Posted February 24, 2021 Report Posted February 24, 2021 44 minutes ago, smwash02 said: Sometimes the most obvious answer is the right one. I ass/u/me/d that this had already been attempted. It fell off a second time. Tighten a bit more. don't over tighten. In theory the friction tape could be used between the hose and filler cap assembly. Test friction tape with TKS fluid prior to attempting. Quote
CAV Ice Posted February 25, 2021 Report Posted February 25, 2021 @apenney clean the inside of the convoluted tubing and filler door connection very well with isopropyl alcohol and let dry. Coat filler door with a layer of Dow Corning RTV Sealant 732 (color of your choice), install convoluted tubing, tighten hose clamp and allow to cure. 3 2 Quote
carusoam Posted February 26, 2021 Report Posted February 26, 2021 Great follow-up CAV! I’m glad you are here! Best regards, -a- 2 1 Quote
apenney Posted March 1, 2021 Author Report Posted March 1, 2021 On 2/24/2021 at 12:09 PM, Yetti said: 5/16 nut driver. tighten stainless clamp yes Quote
apenney Posted March 1, 2021 Author Report Posted March 1, 2021 On 2/25/2021 at 11:51 AM, CAV Ice said: @apenney clean the inside of the convoluted tubing and filler door connection very well with isopropyl alcohol and let dry. Coat filler door with a layer of Dow Corning RTV Sealant 732 (color of your choice), install convoluted tubing, tighten hose clamp and allow to cure. Ok thanks for the suggestion! Will work on it. Quote
apenney Posted March 1, 2021 Author Report Posted March 1, 2021 On 2/23/2021 at 11:37 PM, smwash02 said: I've not had this problem with mine, scary thought of it falling off. Losing the fluid is one problem, but also dirt getting in there. Is the plastic nipple it attaches to cracked? This could cause it to slip off even with the hose clamp on there. Is there significant tension on the hose when the door is open? Is the mating surface between the nipple and hose clean and dry? Perhaps a zip tie mount could be used to ensure it stays pointed up and relieve some of the tension from the hose hanging. Will be curious what you find. There is some tension when opening the door. In fact, it wants to close when I let go of the open fill door. I tried to pull a little on the hose as it goes to the TKS tank but there isn't any extra to pull toward the fill door. Quote
CAV Ice Posted March 1, 2021 Report Posted March 1, 2021 @apenney Per our installation manual two sections of convoluted tubing are used in two separate places. You could measure your existing length of tube and purchase a new (longer) length of tubing to relieve the tension on the door. Additionally there is a NOTE in the install instructions "When connecting the convoluted tube, apply sealant to the pipe stub/inside of tube before assembly". 1 Quote
apenney Posted March 2, 2021 Author Report Posted March 2, 2021 @CAV Ice I wonder if extreme cold might compromise the sealant if it was originally applied at the factory? The fill stub looked clean though when the hose was off of it. Thanks for the direction! Quote
CAV Ice Posted March 2, 2021 Report Posted March 2, 2021 @apenney the sealant is stable and flexible from -76°F to 356°F. My guess is it never got put on during install if the stub is clean. 1 Quote
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