Fix Posted January 1 Report Posted January 1 Hi all, You guys/girls that have TKS installed, is there a simple way to remove/drain TKS Fluid from the tank for summer use or when needed for W&B? Sure why fill it up to max when not needed, but I've noticed that TKS get filled up on the annual, that's why I wonder if there is a simple way. Instead of running the system and waste the fluid, would like to save it for another time. Quote
GeeBee Posted January 1 Report Posted January 1 Loosen the line at the filter and pump it out into a container. Would not recommend it however for three reasons. One, you want to run the system monthly otherwise you will get gelling in the panels and it is hard to clear them. Two, a dry system is difficult to get primed again. The pumps are not self priming. If you are lucky you can get it going again by priming the system with the windshield pumps, but most times you have to resort to purging the system with a pressure pot loaded with fluid on compressed air. Three, running the main pumps dry is really hard on them. Oh and a dry system will get seals drying out all over the place. The alternative method is to pull the hose on the bottom of the tank, however it has PRC sealant on it and is hard to get off, then when you reseal you have to "re-goop" it. Simple way is to run the system down while you fly. It is a whole lot more fun than the other two and your system will be well maintained and ready when you need it. During the summer I run my system down to 1 gallon, put 2 gallons in it when I plan the monthly exercise of the system. Quote
Fly Boomer Posted January 1 Report Posted January 1 5 minutes ago, GeeBee said: During the summer I run my system down to 1 gallon, put 2 gallons in it when I plan the monthly exercise of the system. So your monthly flush takes about a gallon? How long does it take to push out that amount? Quote
Fix Posted January 1 Author Report Posted January 1 I was not thinking of removing all TKS Fluid, but getting it down from 6.5g to 3 or something. Is it possible to pump it out from the filler hole? Quote
GeeBee Posted January 1 Report Posted January 1 58 minutes ago, Fix said: I was not thinking of removing all TKS Fluid, but getting it down from 6.5g to 3 or something. Is it possible to pump it out from the filler hole? It is but it would have to be a small tube, no bigger than 1/4 poly because the fill tubing is corrugated and it will snag as you try to run it down. If you take off the bottom panel there is some clear tubing attached so you can see when you are on target. Two man job to do it easily, one a rammer the other a spotter. If you go down to 3.75 it is considered minimum dispatch level for icing conditions. Quote
GeeBee Posted January 1 Report Posted January 1 1 hour ago, Fly Boomer said: So your monthly flush takes about a gallon? How long does it take to push out that amount? Hmm, figure about 30 minutes on high flow maybe less depending on how many leaks you have and if you have the SS nozzle on the prop. It seems to use a little more fluid than the copper. Quote
Fritz1 Posted January 1 Report Posted January 1 I run mine 10 min every month, cycle all pumps eventually got rid of all the dead spots, 10 min on high is a tad less than 1 gal, leave about 3 gal in there in summer just in case, bleeding off 3 gal thus takes about 3 months, dead spots best revived by massaging fluid into them with a sponge, if system is primed correctly aircraft will keep seeping fluid into the hangar, system reliably removes moderate icing, the downside is short runtime, you want to land with half your fluid on board, that gives you a tad over an hour run time on low, however the system is typically only used for 5 or 10 min at a time during climb or descent and it is well suited for that Quote
Fly Boomer Posted January 1 Report Posted January 1 2 hours ago, GeeBee said: Hmm, figure about 30 minutes on high flow maybe less depending on how many leaks you have and if you have the SS nozzle on the prop. It seems to use a little more fluid than the copper. Your comment about "depending on how many leaks you have" made me laugh. I'm beginning to believe there will always be leaks. Quote
Fly Boomer Posted January 1 Report Posted January 1 13 minutes ago, Fritz1 said: I run mine 10 min every month, cycle all pumps eventually got rid of all the dead spots, 10 min on high is a tad less than 1 gal, leave about 3 gal in there in summer just in case, bleeding off 3 gal thus takes about 3 months Just to clarify, are you saying you had some dead spots, but 10 minutes per month and sponging the panels got rid of all your dead spots? Have you ever used anything in the tank or on the panels other than TKS fluid? Quote
Fritz1 Posted January 1 Report Posted January 1 Yes, the dead spots went away by running 10 min per month and massaging fluid into dead spots with sponge, in addition I typically use 5-10 gal every winter, running at very cold Temps on high flow gets rid of the dead spots better than anything else, took me about 2 years to really get rid of all dead spots, aircraft lived in TX before I bought it and membranes were almost dry. What really is a dead spot and what is not only becomes apparent in icing conditions, running the system on the ground at 70 F flow pattern may appear uneven due to low fluid pressure, by nature fluid also rather oozes out at the bottom half of the panel, tail feathers have a much higher flow rate due to smaller radius, never saw any dead spots there. 1 Quote
GeeBee Posted January 1 Report Posted January 1 I built my own purge pot (using a Harbor Freight paint pot) and it cleared the dead spots pronto, also gives you a good leak check. Quote
Fly Boomer Posted January 1 Report Posted January 1 2 minutes ago, GeeBee said: I built my own purge pot (using a Harbor Freight paint pot) and it cleared the dead spots pronto, also gives you a good leak check. Is that something TKS covers in one of their documents? It's been a bit since I reviewed all that. Quote
Fritz1 Posted January 1 Report Posted January 1 Good idea, never done pressure pot, probably covered in CAV service manual, I only use water and tks fluid to clean panels, spent quite some time sealing belly pan so fluid does not splash in there any more Quote
GeeBee Posted January 1 Report Posted January 1 1 hour ago, Fly Boomer said: Is that something TKS covers in one of their documents? It's been a bit since I reviewed all that. Yes. Not that hard. Purge through the filter, using a pressure pot filled with fluid, do not exceed 60 psi. Disconnect the propeller line at the firewall and plug it before purging. 1 Quote
Fly Boomer Posted January 1 Report Posted January 1 2 hours ago, GeeBee said: Yes. Not that hard. Purge through the filter, using a pressure pot filled with fluid, do not exceed 60 psi. Disconnect the propeller line at the firewall and plug it before purging. Does this look like something that could get the job done? https://www.harborfreight.com/2-1-2-half-gallon-pressure-paint-tank-66839.html Quote
GeeBee Posted January 1 Report Posted January 1 Yep, put a filter after it and a pressure gauge. You need to order a B nut, olive and seal from CAV. You'll also need a method to seize the olive. 1 Quote
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