Message text written by Fred Fillinger
>I tested it thoroughly in all attitudes. The tank drains will remove
water, in level attitude, to below where the fuel outlets will pick it
up. This means that water can be detected from tank drain samples
before finding any in the gascolator. Unfortunately there can still be
a residual amt of water, which in nose low attitude, will travel to a
gascolator and once it fills, it goes to the engine.
If only a gascolator is installed, and any water is drained from it,
seems to me that the aircraft is then grounded until all water in the
tank is removed, which will not be easy!<
The Andair gascolator has a screen which allows fuel to pass through it but
not water. Although water normally settles out below the fuel, during
taxying and in flight it will get shaken up so that a proportion of any
water in the tank will find its way to the gascolator where it will be
seperated out. Regular water drain checks at the gascolator before flight
should show if water is building up in the system. Even in the damp
environment of the UK, in one year's operation I have not yet found a
single drop of water whilst doing these checks. I think this is helped by
two things. One - the tank is not metal minimizing condensation. Two - I
normally keep the tank full between flights reducing the amount of
moisture laden air allowed into the tank. Whilst I don't want to put off
builders from careful fuel system design I would point out that I have yet
to hear of any engine stoppages due to water with the Europa and there are
some Europas that have achieved many hundreds of hours.
Nigel Charles
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