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Fuel caps


Kevin too

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Not to come across rude, but is this really a problem?

I'd be thinking twice about having my plane at airport where fuel theft goes on...not too tough to break in and steal avionics if the neighborhood is that bad!

Just sayin'

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6 hours ago, Kevin too said:

It's not theft that's my concern, it's contamination.  I've only been getting fuel from the airport fuel farm, if my tanks check out ok then I can't eliminate if it's the fuel farm unless I can secure the caps.

Meaning you suspect someone had”s tampered with your fuel??

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11 hours ago, Kevin too said:

It's not theft that's my concern, it's contamination.  I've only been getting fuel from the airport fuel farm, if my tanks check out ok then I can't eliminate if it's the fuel farm unless I can secure the caps.

Mine stays in my hangar.  I still sump the tanks and verify levels during pre-flight.  Habit I guess but I do.

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6 hours ago, 1964-M20E said:

Mine stays in my hangar.  I still sump the tanks and verify levels during pre-flight.  Habit I guess but I do.

Besides a good habit, what if flakes of tank sealant or other junk worked their way loose while sitting? Not a bad idea to let them come out. Maybe condensation can accumulate from inside? Once water is submerged under fuel, it is unable to ever evaporate?

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6 hours ago, 1964-M20E said:

Mine stays in my hangar.  I still sump the tanks and verify levels during pre-flight.  Habit I guess but I do.

I do as well.   I usually fill it before putting it away, so I sump test before the next flight to try to catch any water that the fuel vendor may have sold me.   I check levels to see whether I got any new leaks or not, and smell it to make sure it's the good quality stuff, (e.g., not turbine oil).

It's not a bad habit to be in, for sure.

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27 minutes ago, 201er said:

Besides a good habit, what if flakes of tank sealant or other junk worked their way loose while sitting? Not a bad idea to let them come out. Maybe condensation can accumulate from inside? Once water is submerged under fuel, it is unable to ever evaporate?

Wouldn’t think it would evaporate but the amount of water that fuel just normally suspends is dependent on temperature. All fuel contains some amount of water. 

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13 hours ago, 201er said:

Besides a good habit, what if flakes of tank sealant or other junk worked their way loose while sitting? Not a bad idea to let them come out. Maybe condensation can accumulate from inside? Once water is submerged under fuel, it is unable to ever evaporate?

I did some back-of-napkin calculations a while back and a tank of fuel will actually DISSOLVE about half a tablespoon of water in a full tank at room temperature and up to a full half a tablespoon of water in cold weather, so there COULD be some condensation, but it would be a trivial amount.

Of course, that doesn't account for how much water gasoline could SUSPEND, and I couldn't find a good reference for that

Edit:  Struck by the dyslexia bug!

Edited by jaylw314
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19 hours ago, Kevin too said:

It's not theft that's my concern, it's contamination.  I've only been getting fuel from the airport fuel farm, if my tanks check out ok then I can't eliminate if it's the fuel farm unless I can secure the caps.

I think what you really want is a new set of O rings for your gas caps.  The lock doesn't keep the water out, good o rings do.  

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25 minutes ago, jaylw314 said:

I did some back-of-napkin calculations a while back and a tank of fuel will actually DISSOLVE about half a tablespoon of water in a full tank at room temperature and up to a full tablespoon of water in cold weather, so there COULD be some condensation, but it would be a trivial amount.

Of course, that doesn't account for how much water gasoline could SUSPEND, and I couldn't find a good reference for that

Solubility generally increases with temperature.  Less water should dissolve in avgas in cold weather.

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47 minutes ago, mooniac15u said:

Solubility generally increases with temperature.  Less water should dissolve in avgas in cold weather.

That only happens in a world where I have dyslexia :lol: Yes, I worded that backwards!

Edited by jaylw314
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3 hours ago, jaylw314 said:

That only happens in a world where I have dyslexia :lol: Yes, I worded that backwards!

LOL!

Maybe fix your post so that future readers aren't misled...though damage from a 1/2 tablespoon error is unlikely:D

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  • 2 weeks later...
It's not theft that's my concern, it's contamination.  I've only been getting fuel from the airport fuel farm, if my tanks check out ok then I can't eliminate if it's the fuel farm unless I can secure the caps.

Are you thinking someone is tampering with your fuel or do you think water is “leaking” in when it rains? If it’s the later, try new o-rings. If it’s the former, someone wants you dead.


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