[rebel-builders] Fuel Tank Leak

Darryl Conway · Post by **Darryl Conway** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 5:50 pm

Due to the problems experienced by many of the quickbuild kit owners (a guy I consider knowledgeable with 'inside info' told meall of the quickbuild tanks leaked) and because of the Murphy letter re: same, I did the following on my Moose. Before installing the wings, I received the tank fix kit from MAM (doublers, cover plates, etc.) and added the extra access holes to each tank section. I then added proseal to every joint surface inside the tanks, covered the rivet stems, the hinge bolts, anyplace with a possibility of leaking. Next, I had five guys helping turn the wings in every position required to get the slosh sealant (red) to flow over the entire inside. This was better than just using a 'rotisserie' for me. The access covers were installed and sealed with proseal, each rivet dipped in proseal, etc. A thorough inspection of the tanks with light and mirror is essential. The strainers, fuel capacitance probes, etc. were installed last and
checked. After @ 70 hrs flight time so far, not one hint of a leak. It was extra work, but well worth it. Just sayin.......
Darryl

________________________________
From: Hans Kuck <hansk3d@gmail.com>
To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Sent: Wed, December 16, 2009 7:49:46 PM
Subject: Re: [rebel-builders] Fuel tank leak

There is a commercial slosh sealer ( I forgot the Brand name) on the market.
Aviall sells it.

I did not take a chance with wet tanks and slosh sealed the tanks prior to
installation. I used a qt of sealer in each tank, rotated the wing on a
"rotisserie"

No leaks yet Cross your fingers.!!. Worked well for me. Pricy about $ 75 a
qt, but worth it, I think
cheers
Hans
640E

On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 10:48 AM, Gary Gustafson <gargus@comcast.net> wrote:

I too had a leak in the right wing tank at the top trailing edge
and could not stop it until I cut an inspection port in the rib
next to the fuselage, cleaned the area, and the sealed with ProSeal.
This approach requires an inspection plate, several doublers, and
more ProSeal around the inspection hole doublers and inspection
plate. Takes a bit of time but seems to have worked with no leaks
on the trailing edge or around the inspection port, so far.

ProSeal on the outside did not work even with negative pressure (slight).

Good luck

-----Original Message-----
From: mike.davis@dcsol.com [mailto:mike.davis@dcsol.com] On Behalf Of
David
R. Greaton
Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 12:05 PM
To: rebel builbers list
Subject: [rebel-builders] Fuel tank leak

Hi All,

I just pressure tested my wing tanks. This is one of the wings built in the
Phillipines that leaked awfull. After much sealing I have one leak left and
I would appreciate any and all advice. The leak is in the top of the wing
in the area where the strut attaches. It is a small hole maby the size of a
pencile lead in the very top and in a corner. I can easily acess it from
inside the strut area without opening up my wing again (which I would
prefer
not to do). My question is will tho pro-seal hold in this area if applied
over the zincchromate or do I mave to try to remove the chromate, and will
a
patch from the outside be OK?

Thanks,
Dave Greaton
SR/MOOSE 189

-----------------------------------------------------------------
List archives located at: https://mail.dcsol.com/login
username "rebel" password "builder"
Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------
List archives located at: https://mail.dcsol.com/login
username "rebel" password "builder"
Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------

--
Hans Kuck
P.O.Box 2212
Sechelt B.C.
V0N 3A0
Canada

-----------------------------------------------------------------
List archives located at: https://mail.dcsol.com/login
username "rebel" password "builder"
Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------
List archives located at: https://mail.dcsol.com/login
username "rebel" password "builder"
Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Drew Dalgleish · Post by **Drew Dalgleish** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 5:50 pm

What Wayne said!!

Fuel systems are one area where you don't want to be fooling around with
snake oil. PRC will seal a fuel tank just fine all by itself. There's a
whole bunch of flying rebels with nothing else and if you need more
opinions just go over to the RV lists and ask the same question. Sloshing
compound may work well in the short term and maybe in the long term as well
but the problem is when it fails it tends to fail catastrophically. I think
that it's reasonable to expect that some time during the life of an
airplane it may get some contaminated fuel and that those contaminents may
attack any sloshing compound in the tanks.

For the OP I would clean up the primer around the leak then run a small
drill bit through the hole to open it up and clean it out as well. Then I'd
try to suck some brushable or thinned pro-seal into the hole with a low
vacuum. Let set for a few days then pressure test again. If that didn't
fix it I'd cut the top and fix it from the inside.
Drew

-----------------------------------------------------------------
List archives located at: https://mail.dcsol.com/login
username "rebel" password "builder"
Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Wayne G. O'Shea · Post by **Wayne G. O'Shea** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 5:50 pm

Here's a couple shots of the 7 year old slosh job I tore apart and then
watched this take place over the next couple of days while the parts were
leaning against the wall. If that don't scare you off the stuff I don't know
what will...

http://www.irishfield.on.ca/gallery/slosh.jpg

http://www.irishfield.on.ca/gallery/slosh2.jpg

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Bridgewater" <ecomind@ymail.com>
To: <rebel-builders@dcsol.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 9:18 PM
Subject: Re: [rebel-builders] Fuel tank leak

Wayne thanks for those words of wisdom, I think that I did mine the best
way, before putting lid on brushed three coats in tanks, masked off lid
joints painted tree coats assembled lids ad sloshed lid joints once and
drained out and sucked excess out of the corner with a small plastic pipe
and left cure for a week or so, it worked ok for me but I have heard of a
jet fighter having the bag collapse in the tank so I wanted it to stick
well and evanly to all surfaces, "Hey its a great site."Regards Brian.

________________________________
From: Wayne G. O'Shea <oifa@irishfield.on.ca>
To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Sent: Thu, 17 December, 2009 1:33:37
Subject: Re: [rebel-builders] Fuel tank leak

I've always had an interest and always will... just don't need some of the
BS that goes with that.. and besides the wife's out of town and the Leaf's
suck! I couldn't sit back and let the use of sloshing compound take
another
round, around here as SOP.

I was brought up to fix it right.... or don't fix it at all. Over the last
20 years I've seen different brands and different "colours" come back to
haunt many. At one time I considered lobbying Transport Canada / MDRA to
refuse a final inspection of an aircraft if any evidence of sloshing
compound being used in a fuel tank was found.

I've opened up one that used the yellow Randolph sloshing compound, SEVEN
years prior, and watched it ouzz out from under the "skin over" as the
parts
sat leaning against the wall. Picture a can of paint you've had in the
basement for 4 years.. skimmed over hard.. liquid underneath. Just a
disaster waiting to happen when that skin over lets go and smothers your
outlet screen. Randolph white.. the alchohol resistant type 912 I think it
is... After a while it just dries out and flakes off like scrapping paint
chips off Grandmas old picket fence. Aircraft that I shipped to Maui.. had
the Red in it's tanks, with lots of leaks and issues, and I ended up
riping
the entire 3 bay fuel tank assemblies out of the wings and starting over
with straight PRC before I sold it to the lads over there.

Almost met my maker about 15 years ago at a local flyin. Went to go for a
spin in a Luscombe 8E with 150 HP lyco in it. Thank god it died taxing the
30 feet from beside the hangar to the grass strip. Gascolator packed pull
of
sloshing compound that let go... and kinda glad someone skipped protocal
and
didn't have finger strainers in the tank outlets!

Just a few of my observations... and I think they'll keep me alive. I sure
hope that all you guys that sloshed got everything drained back out... the
stringers must be a bitch to do so... and that you use a mirror and
flashlight on occassion to check you tanks and pull your finger strainers
at
annuals.

Regards,
Wayne

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Bridgewater" <ecomind@ymail.com>
To: <rebel-builders@dcsol.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 8:14 PM
Subject: Re: [rebel-builders] Fuel tank leak

Hi Wayne nice to see you taking an interest again, I take you have had a
lot of experience with sloshing comp, I have only used the red can't
remember what it is called but have had only sucsesfull results with it I
have seen a white substance that sets very hard and brittal which I had
to
clean out of this rebel and reseal with the red stuff but would like to
hear your veiws regards Brian.

________________________________
From: Wayne G. O'Shea <oifa@irishfield.on.ca>
To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Sent: Thu, 17 December, 2009 0:12:13
Subject: Re: [rebel-builders] Fuel tank leak

It should be outlawed everywhere!

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Bridgewater" <ecomind@ymail.com>
To: <rebel-builders@dcsol.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 7:09 PM
Subject: Re: [rebel-builders] Fuel tank leak

Hi Dave Have you not used sloshing compound in the tank yet or is it
outlawed over there, regards Brian rebel 274R

________________________________
From: David R. Greaton <dgreaton@maine.rr.com>
To: rebel builbers list <rebel-builders@dcsol.com>
Sent: Wed, 16 December, 2009 17:05:24
Subject: [rebel-builders] Fuel tank leak

Hi All,

I just pressure tested my wing tanks. This is one of the wings built in
the Phillipines that leaked awfull. After much sealing I have one leak
left and I would appreciate any and all advice. The leak is in the top
of
the wing in the area where the strut attaches. It is a small hole maby
the
size of a pencile lead in the very top and in a corner. I can easily
acess
it from inside the strut area without opening up my wing again (which I
would prefer not to do). My question is will tho pro-seal hold in this
area if applied over the zincchromate or do I mave to try to remove the
chromate, and will a patch from the outside be OK?

Thanks,
Dave Greaton
SR/MOOSE 189

-----------------------------------------------------------------
List archives located at: https://mail.dcsol.com/login
username "rebel" password "builder"
Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------
List archives located at: https://mail.dcsol.com/login
username "rebel" password "builder"
Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------
List archives located at: https://mail.dcsol.com/login
username "rebel" password "builder"
Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------
List archives located at: https://mail.dcsol.com/login
username "rebel" password "builder"
Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------
List archives located at: https://mail.dcsol.com/login
username "rebel" password "builder"
Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------
List archives located at: https://mail.dcsol.com/login
username "rebel" password "builder"
Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------
List archives located at: https://mail.dcsol.com/login
username "rebel" password "builder"
Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------