Cheers,
The chat about 'gascolators' intrigues me to question whether
the term may be misinterpretted by some. How many have used them previous to
this aircraft build?
My experience is limitted to Harvards, Yales, Cessnas, Stearmans
and Otters. Each has dual tank sections (or more), a water drain at the
bottom of each tank (or section) on the ground and One gascolator. On the
preflight walkaround, each water drain is selected and the contents
inspected for water and particles. If water is found, another sample taken
a.s.f. until none is found (one presuming that there is no more water
lurking in the bottom corner of the section). If particles are found, (much
like inspecting felt filter* on filling) the mesh is inspected to determine
cause or form. This must be solved before flight - could be paint chips,
rust, rubber hose bits or metal chips. In all cases, the fuel selector must
be ON a tank in order to populate the lines.
In every case (and now a subject of Candn. regs.) the gascolator
is the lowest point in the fuel system (in flight) and the last defense
before the carb.
Acceptance of some found particles depend on needle valve specs in the carb.
The gascolator is sampled for any contamination AFTER the water drains, and
resolved before flight. Thus, the gascolator 'cleans' the fuel in flight and
the water drains 'clean' the fuel after storage. Also the difference in
devices means one checks for stored fuel stock and one checks for delivered
fuel enroute. It never hurts to check both after flight either - because a
long trip into the hinterlands can sometimes be forestalled by seeing what
has crept into the system enroute! I don't mind boiling my own squirrel
meat; I just don't like doing it while waiting for the search 'planes.
Flamers accepted.
Ferg A064
*That felt hat or whatever is wetted with fuel if one wants to catch the
water in delivered petrol. That's why Canuck and Aussie brows smell of 80/87
octane, and of course is what attracts the knowledgeable girls in the
outback.
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