Fueling Options

[TahoeTim]

or, just run 100LL and let the airport fuel you up

(not trying to be a smart a**, I have no other option in California or Nevada)

[Timberwolf]

You can check Northern Tool online. They sell fuel systems for farm/ranch use. Several choices for pumps, hoses and nozzles.

Ralph

None of their pumps I've ever seen are are rated for the volatility of gasoline. You're taking a risk when not using an explosion proof pump made for the fuel you are going to use.

[jtpitkin06]

Our local airport has a strict prohibition on storing fuel in hangars. If fuel is not in aircraft wings or a tug fuel tank, it is not allowed.

Most of the mogas burners drag the aircraft out of the hangar and back the pickup next to the wing. Then stand in the truck bed while transferring fuel.

Hoisting a 5 gal container (30 pounds) can be unwieldy so some of the pilots use a 2-1/2 gal jug (15 pounds) as a transfer vessel. Yeah, it takes a few more steps, but it is fairly easy and you don't have to lift a five gallon jug higher than your hip. A big funnel reduces dribbles and spills.

There's almost always someone around to lend a hand.

[Peteohms]

When I need to use a 5 gallon gas can, I put a cloth over the tank, piece of plywood on the cloth to spread the load, and I set the gas can on the plywood. I use a giggle siphon hose from the can to the tank.

[Dave S]

John Pitkin has a bunch of good ideas....guess I hadn't thought of the 2 1/2 gallon jugs since I have a ton of the 5 s and too cheap to change. I just keep telling myself it is an exercise program.

Also have found a big old tractor funnel handy with a chamois fastened over the top as a final filter. almost always find a few water beads on the chamois in the summer and ice flakes in the winter. Almost never find any water droplets in the plane when sumping. The Chamois also has helped me select which gas stations I want to buy from as a person can easily assess what "additives" come from what stations...we have three 91 corn free auto gas stations by the airport and some others between our house and the 'port - one of them is now my favorite.

Dave S
KF 7 Trigear
912uls Warp drive

St Paul, MN

[HighWing]

Later I added a drag chain and grounding cable.

Steve,
Where do you clip the grounding clip?

[Dave S]

Lowell,

Your comment brings to mind an issue I was considering during our build. With the fuel tank/wing design on a kitfox, the metal fuel filler and contents of the fuel tank is essentially insulated so that if a ground clamp is connected to an electrically conductive part of the airframe, as is usually done in fueling an aircraft, the fuel filler is still not going to be grounded.

Mulled it over a while during my build, thought about soldering a conductor to the fuel filler & running it under the fabric to a ground on the airframe but never did.

Whether it is right or wrong, when I fill at a fuel pump I clamp the ground clip on to the fuel filler ring and keep the filler nozzle in constant contact with the filler ring.

When using a plastic gas can to fill the tank, I empty it into the metal tractor funnel which is screwed into the filler ring without any kind of ground. Also in the habit of filling outside the hangar and having a fire extinguishe right behind me.

What baffles me is with cars and self fueling.......people do not seem to blow themselves up in spite of the fact that all too frequently some idiot is dangling a lit cigarette over the gas hole while filling with the engine running and the kids belted into the back seat.

I try so hard to be careful while fueling either the plane or car (including chasing the people out of the thing); but, I am not 100% on the grounding issue with a Kitfox.

Is there any record of a fueling static discharge/fire incident in a kitfox? Where does theory and practice meet on this one?

Sincerely,

Dave S

[Av8r_Sed]

I don't know of a Kitfox incident specifically, but standing on a ladder pouring fuel from a plastic jug with no static dissipation is a recipe for disaster. That's how the original maintenance shop at my home airport burned down.

I have a long piece of leftover rudder cable with a drag chain on one end that stays on the ground. The other end goes through a hole in my Mr. Funnel and then threads external to the funnel and into the tank. The Mr. Funnel is static dissapative plastic. I then hook the cable on the spout of the plastic jug when I pour. I always fuel away from the hangar so if it goes up it won't take out my neighbors. It's the best I could figure out.

[HighWing]

You both pretty much anticipated my thoughts. When fueling mogas, I also use the Mr. Funnel, but always felt a little disingenuous when fueling with avgas and clicking yes after connecting the ground clamp to the exhaust stack when using the card lock system. I always wondered if that question was suggested by an attorney. As to Dave's thinking about grounding the filler neck, I did that on the 2012 Model IV using the adhesive copper tape leaded glass folks use. I didn't solder it to the filler neck worrying about ruining the tank with the heat necessary to solder to so heavy a piece of metal. Rather, I used some conductive paste under a very tightly fitted soldered loop of the copper tape that was then forced down around the filler neck. The loop was pre-soldered to some copper tape that ran on top of the tank under the fabric to a point where I could solder some regular wire that ran to the frame at the shoulder harness attachment.

Being all opened up for an annual, and with this thread in mind, I checked for continuity between the filler neck and airframe ground. Right wing 0.00 ohms left wing open circuit. I checked the connections and the ground fault was on the bolt running though the #1 rib. A twist of the nut and good to go (One more check list item for the annual). I have no recollection of practical issues with grounding either. I have watched Kitfox guys fuel using Jerry Cans in their hangar, but not me. Just curious what others are doing. Good thread.

The pic- the copper strip is typically covered with a length of white vinyl tape.

[SkySteve]

I clamp my grounding clamp to the open gas tank lip. I don't know if it really does any good at all but it's my understanding that clamping it to the exhaust pipe really doesn't do any good at all.