cirrusjetpilot
04-14-2017, 01:27 PM
Few of you have requested me to share my smoke system setup. As a disclosure, I was not the one that physically installed but I spent several hours searching online different smoke systems, pumps, nozzles, location of nozzle, valves etc....
The components you will see listed are components that have worked well as I was able to collect the best of every post and combined all into the system.
The setup is composed of:
1) Tank
2) Hose/tubing
3) Pump
4) Flow valve
5) Check valve
6) Custom Hose
7) Nozzle
1) TANK
There's nothing special about the tank. Any tank should work as long as you have a long enough hose to connect to. I didn't have anywhere else to put so I decided on a small size mounted on the firewall.
12862
2) House/Tube
Also there's nothing special about it. All you need to know if the size of the tube.
3) PUMP
The choice of pump came from the RV forms, where several guys mentioned this type. I have read so many stories about the pump leaking and this particular type, seemed like worked well. I have now over 60 hours since installation and all is well. I have used almost a full 5 gallon of smoke paying around, so this one seems good still.
The pump can be found here
http://www.pumpvendor.com/Shurflo_100-009-21.html
12866
12867
4) FLOW VALVE (Oil Regulator)
There's a guy all over the web called smoke system helper. His site has several kit systems for RV's and I reach out to him to talk about it. Apparently, the nozzle and flow rate is the secret on getting the proper amount of smoke, so he recommend this valve to adjust the oil flow.
12868
Scroll down the page and look for Oil Flow Regulator
http://www.smoke-system-helper.com/individual-parts/
5) CHECK VALVE
This prevents the oil to flow into the exhaust by gravity. The oil regulator is always open so since the tank is up high, the oil will always flow down. The check valve is 1psi which prevents the oil from moving into the exhaust. I found out there are several types of check valve and some will be eaten by the smoke oil. I had to replace the first one because it failed due to oil and temperature. So after it failed, I replaced with the one that can handle higher temperatures.
12868
12870
The check valve information can be found here:
https://www.grainger.com/product/GRAINGER-APPROVED-1-8-Piston-Spring-Check-Valve-4DHT1?functionCode=P2IDP2PCP
Please note the seal option here is VITON as it is more resistant to heat.
6) CUSTOM CABLE
This was a flexible custom made cable to attach to the delivery nozzle. I have seen a lot of steel tubes for this final step be used to find it eventually will crack. So the suggestion was to use a flexible option. We cut it to length so there's no excess cable under the cowling. Please note there's also an elbow fitting that connects to this cable. This can be ordered at several supply stores.
12871
6) NOZZLE
According to the Smoke System Helper, he designed this nozzle to spray an even thin coat of oil into the exhaust that has an angle of 170 degree. This creates an even delivery which yells for an even oil burn. If you have a Rotax engine, make sure you ask for the ROTAX NOZZLE. If not, his general nozzle will work for other engines.
12872
You can find the nozzle here. Scroll down as well here to find the SMOKE OIL INJECTOR WITH CLAMP
http://www.smoke-system-helper.com/individual-parts/
The location of the nozzle was also another topic well discussed. Too close to the muffler, you might not burn all the oil. Too close to cylinder, you might have a drop on RPM. So the suggestion was to place the nozzle 1/2 way between the cylinder head and muffler. This seems to work really well as I don't see any oil residual under the belly.
So that's it. I can't seem to find out how to put the images as high resolution. They seem to be crappy looking at the post preview.
Hope this will be helpful for anyone trying to make a smoke system for the Kitfox or any other airplane. It is fun, simple and adds an additional dimension to the fun of flying!
Any questions, please let me know
Cheers
Alex
The components you will see listed are components that have worked well as I was able to collect the best of every post and combined all into the system.
The setup is composed of:
1) Tank
2) Hose/tubing
3) Pump
4) Flow valve
5) Check valve
6) Custom Hose
7) Nozzle
1) TANK
There's nothing special about the tank. Any tank should work as long as you have a long enough hose to connect to. I didn't have anywhere else to put so I decided on a small size mounted on the firewall.
12862
2) House/Tube
Also there's nothing special about it. All you need to know if the size of the tube.
3) PUMP
The choice of pump came from the RV forms, where several guys mentioned this type. I have read so many stories about the pump leaking and this particular type, seemed like worked well. I have now over 60 hours since installation and all is well. I have used almost a full 5 gallon of smoke paying around, so this one seems good still.
The pump can be found here
http://www.pumpvendor.com/Shurflo_100-009-21.html
12866
12867
4) FLOW VALVE (Oil Regulator)
There's a guy all over the web called smoke system helper. His site has several kit systems for RV's and I reach out to him to talk about it. Apparently, the nozzle and flow rate is the secret on getting the proper amount of smoke, so he recommend this valve to adjust the oil flow.
12868
Scroll down the page and look for Oil Flow Regulator
http://www.smoke-system-helper.com/individual-parts/
5) CHECK VALVE
This prevents the oil to flow into the exhaust by gravity. The oil regulator is always open so since the tank is up high, the oil will always flow down. The check valve is 1psi which prevents the oil from moving into the exhaust. I found out there are several types of check valve and some will be eaten by the smoke oil. I had to replace the first one because it failed due to oil and temperature. So after it failed, I replaced with the one that can handle higher temperatures.
12868
12870
The check valve information can be found here:
https://www.grainger.com/product/GRAINGER-APPROVED-1-8-Piston-Spring-Check-Valve-4DHT1?functionCode=P2IDP2PCP
Please note the seal option here is VITON as it is more resistant to heat.
6) CUSTOM CABLE
This was a flexible custom made cable to attach to the delivery nozzle. I have seen a lot of steel tubes for this final step be used to find it eventually will crack. So the suggestion was to use a flexible option. We cut it to length so there's no excess cable under the cowling. Please note there's also an elbow fitting that connects to this cable. This can be ordered at several supply stores.
12871
6) NOZZLE
According to the Smoke System Helper, he designed this nozzle to spray an even thin coat of oil into the exhaust that has an angle of 170 degree. This creates an even delivery which yells for an even oil burn. If you have a Rotax engine, make sure you ask for the ROTAX NOZZLE. If not, his general nozzle will work for other engines.
12872
You can find the nozzle here. Scroll down as well here to find the SMOKE OIL INJECTOR WITH CLAMP
http://www.smoke-system-helper.com/individual-parts/
The location of the nozzle was also another topic well discussed. Too close to the muffler, you might not burn all the oil. Too close to cylinder, you might have a drop on RPM. So the suggestion was to place the nozzle 1/2 way between the cylinder head and muffler. This seems to work really well as I don't see any oil residual under the belly.
So that's it. I can't seem to find out how to put the images as high resolution. They seem to be crappy looking at the post preview.
Hope this will be helpful for anyone trying to make a smoke system for the Kitfox or any other airplane. It is fun, simple and adds an additional dimension to the fun of flying!
Any questions, please let me know
Cheers
Alex