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Michel
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 966
Location: Norway
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 Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 12:12 pm Post subject: Glassfiber tanks and ethanol - again |
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Hello Kitfoxers,
From the Jabiru list, I got an email that might interest us. Here it is:
| Quote: | There is a product called PRC, which the airlines and military use to
seal fuel tanks. It lasts for decades. I've mentioned it before.
The thinnest version is PR1422A2. That gives a pot life of 2 hours
and a cure time of 24 hours. The cleaner for this sealant is MEK.
You do this outdoors ONLY, Your back to the wind.
1. Remove the fuel and vents line and cap. If you have a fuel
quantity sender in the tank remove before sealing. 2. Clean the tank
out carefully with MEK, (Wear a mask for organic solvents and rubber
gloves and goggles)
3. Mix the catalyst into the sealant and stir for 5 minutes (Min 70F
or 20C)
4. Then you add MEK to the sealant. Mix for 5 minutes with a power
mixer. Thin until the sealant will run. (depending on the size of my
tank, I might use a quart of the PRC/MEK mixture.
5. Pour the mixed sealant into the tank and seal the refueling
adapter.
6. Then you do whatever you have to (turn, brush, slosh) to get 100%
inner tank coverage. (use a mirror to inspect.
7. You turn the tank upside down to drain the excess sealant out.
8. Leave to cure for 24 hours with the tank cap removed.
9. Clean the mating/sealing surface where the fuel cap goes. Clean
the mating surfaces/connections for the fuel sender.
10. After 24 hours, carefully clean out the adapters for the fuel and
vent lines.
11. Reinstall the fuel quantity sender or connections.
12. Reconnect the fuel and vent lines and test the flow, ie drain
fuel into a can and calculate flow per hour.
13, Test the fuel quantity indication. and check for leaks.
14. After a ground run, replace the fuel filter and clean the
gascolator screen/filter, and check for leaks. .
15. Fly
All the usual caveats apply.
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Cheers,
Michel
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Kitfox 3 - Jabiru 2200 |
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temco(at)telusplanet.net
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| Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 3:58 pm Post subject: Glassfiber tanks and ethanol - again |
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Michel
Just looked up the info on the tank sealant and there is only mention of it
being suitable for jet fuel and aviation gas. Below is the quote from their
site.
...........................................................................
........................
PR-1422 Class A is an aircraft integral fuel tank sealant. It has a service
temperature range from -54C (-65F) to 121C (250F), with intermittent
excursions up to 135C (275F). This material is designed for brush sealing of
fasteners in fuel tanks and other aircraft fuselage sealing applications.
The
cured sealant maintains excellent elastomeric properties after prolonged
exposure to both jet fuel and aviation gas.
...........................................................................
...............................
Looks like we are still looking for a good sloshing compound that will with
stand automotive fuel that contains some ethanol or methanol.
Cheers
Ted
Edmonton, Ab
DO NOT ARCHIVE
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Float Flyr
Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Posts: 2704
Location: Campbellton, Newfoundland
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| Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 4:26 pm Post subject: Glassfiber tanks and ethanol - again |
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Check with the folks that make PRC... I think you will find Ethanol will
make a nice meal of it. Then again there isn't much that is impervious to
Ethanol. I used ethanol to clean PRC off float skins. I was replacing
sister keels and the old PRC was probably applied by Moses when he was a
boy. It too time but the ethanol did the job.
Noel
[quote] --
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Noel Loveys
Kitfox III-A
Aerocet 1100 Floats |
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Bob
Joined: 24 Oct 2006
Posts: 89
Location: Damascus, Maryland, USA
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| Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 5:39 pm Post subject: Re: Glassfiber tanks and ethanol - again |
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Been using PRC for years and Noel's right, ethanol is used to clean it off your skin. Well, the little that you can get off, anyway.
When real thin (as in sloshed) PRC comes loose in the tank it comes off in big thin strips or sheets and has clogged coarse tank screens. Could probably find some SDRs by searching for tank sealant, especially on Mooneys.
Bob
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Michel
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 966
Location: Norway
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| Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 12:31 pm Post subject: Glassfiber tanks and ethanol - again |
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Thanks Bob, Noel and Ted.
I was pretty sure that if PRC was the solution for us, glassfiber tank
owners, someone on this list would have found it first. But I felt I
had to relay the information given by someone (and supported by someone
else) on the Jabiru list. We'll just have to look further to solve our
glassfiber and ethanol problem.
Cheers,
Michel
do not archive
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kitfoxfugit(at)yahoo.com
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| Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 10:33 pm Post subject: Glassfiber tanks and ethanol - again |
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Due to concern about fiberglas tanks and ethanol in CA
car gas, I studied tank sealants last year, from info
on this list, searching the inernet, and contacting
the manufacturers. My conclusion was Kreem was the
one to try to protect fiberglas tanks from ethanol.
As it is not compatible with all fiberglas tanks, they
recommended checking the tank with MEK and acetone
soaking first. I tried that and alcohol on mine and
it seemed impervious. I decided not to slosh it. In
the time since, I have not noticed any problems with
using car gas.
There was rumor, maybe from this list, that the Kitfox
tank composition was changed around 1994, which is
around when the wing tanks on mine were made.
Sacramento Sky Ranch sells Kreem.
John Allen
Kitfox IV Speedster
http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396546091
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dosmythe(at)cox.net
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| Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 4:26 am Post subject: Glassfiber tanks and ethanol - again |
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John,
I've made this comment (opinion) a couple times over the years when the
Kreeme subject comes up and nobody has ever come back and told me I'm stupid
for saying it. Here goes... Lets make a very wild untrue statement and say
that Ethanol will eat a hole in a fiberglass tank like a hot spark through
plastic. Now, this is not the case but let's say that Ethanol over time
will damage fiberglass.
Kreeme was designed (per the Manufacturer) to fill small holes in small
round metal motorcycle tanks. Kreeme was not designed to protect the metal
of the tanks.
Kreeme in our fiberglass tanks has without doubt (several proven cases,
including mine) either spider cracked or come loose in sheets.
Kreeme is very difficult to slosh in it's original consistency.
Therefore, it must be heavily thinned with MEK to do the job. The original
Kreeme installation in my tanks was either sprayed or painted before the
tank tops were epoxied together.
Assuming you were able to get a "good" 100% sloshing and there is
absolutely zero fiberglass exposed then Kreeme might provide a temporary
barrier between the Ethanol and the Fiberglass. However, if later the
Kreeme cracks/peels/or chips (even a spot the size of a pencil) then the
Ethanol is going to find a path to the fiberglass and wick itself as it
softens.
To me, this is very similar to trying to get one more flight out of my
bad starter and hoping the flywheel doesn't come apart Sort of like putting
a band-aid on a broken arm. IMHO, no sloshing material will provide 100%
assurance at protecting the base material of our tanks. All it would take
is one small hairline crack or chip and the whole barrier has been violated.
Last time I used the "example" of making a tank out of Styrofoam and
filling with gas. We all know what happens when gasoline hits Styrofoam.
Then, risking your life by taking the same Styrofoam tanks and coating it
with some gasoline proof barrier and hoping the gasoline never gets past it.
Don Smythe
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