SMALLFLY-

My Feedback: (19)

What gas fuel tanks do you use. I just had a sullivan with the gas conversion stopper break down and soak the inside of my plane after only a few weeks, 12 flights. The black stopper (gas)was just dissentigrating. I dont want this to happen again so what have you been using reliably for a while?

G.F. Reid

My Feedback: (1)

Du-Bro.... I've never had problems out of any and some are quite a few years old.
I was thinking that the brown stopper was for gas but my memory is not the greatest.

stomper

My Feedback: (20)

Hey Smallfly
Try a Du-Bro with a brown stopper, works great !

Doug

buckeyes1997

My Feedback: (4)

hey what about the flex tanks. they say they are not for gasoline, but i was thinking only because they come setup for glow. with the conversion to gas kit do you think the actual tank will melt with gasoline?

rcoleman-RCU

My Feedback: (13)

I think you've got the wrong stopper. The ones I have are brown or a dull red in color. Du-bro's work fine.

Mike Rojas

My Feedback: (2)

Ditto on the brown stopper thing,I've been using them a while with no issues.
Mike

AJF--2

My Feedback: (119)

If it is a small tank, I like Hayes---no stopper of any kind---I learned my lesson the same way!

justrfb

My Feedback: (2)

Hello All,
AJF--2, I see the Hayes tanks on the Tower site and they look very interesting. I like the idea of "no stopper" but if I am looking at the picture right, isn't there a black stopper that looks like it goes into the big hole on the bottom of the front face? I am looking for a tank for my upcoming "gasser" and these look good. Please let me know what that black piece is and is it safe for gas? Also, I hear people talk about a "felt clunk" when they refer to gas tanks. Whatis it and where do you get them? Thank you All for your answers.

Justrfb (checking all my options)

AJF--2

My Feedback: (119)

The black piece is hard plastic--it fits snug in the hole and then a metal colar slips over it and tightens everything so that it seals. On larger gas engines the size of the tube may not be large enough to supply fuel-(sometimes I just drill it out to be larger)-but then--on those engines you need a larger tank anyway. I am not sure what a felt clunk is--but -- if it is a small tank, use the heaviest clunk you can. The gas fuel tubing is stiffer and in a small tank is not as flexable.

Jemo

My Feedback: (5)

I use hayes whenever I can.
No leaks, no problems.

G.F. Reid

My Feedback: (1)

I'm thinking the felt clunk is probably an in-tank filter. Maybe you could try a lawn mower/chainsaw/weedeater sales and service shop. I bought an inline filter at just such a place.

AndyF

My Feedback: (2)

I ordered a tank from Aircraft international. I came with a felt clunk.

I have been told that it is a filter but Ihave also been told that if the fuel and the clunk separate, there is enough fuel in the felt to keep the engine running. (not sure if that last part is true though.)

Andy

Jim Messer

My Feedback: (2)

O.K. you guys - here's another approach to the problem of fuel tanks. First off - I only build giant scale airplanes powered by gas engines. That explains why I do as I do. I take a common plastic bottle that oil for you car comes in - you all know what they look like (don't you?). I stand the bottle on its side, with the neck on the top side. I drill three holes in the cap, 1/64 smaller than the O.D. of the fuel line. Cut the fuel line on a diagonal, and insert: With the cap tight, use the lowest hole for the fuel line - one solid line - with a felt clunk inside the tank and leading directly to the carburetor. NOTE: NO FITTINGS ARE USED. They simply are not required. Insert two lines so that they protrude inside the tank a couple of inches. Use one for fill, and one for vent. With the engine running, they both become vents. These tanks never leak.

After all this, I drill a 1/16 hole thru the side of the cap on the very top, and screw in a #2 x 3/8 screw to keep the cap from loosening. I never draw fuel from the tank when I am finished flying, but I do plug the two vents with a stopper. I have been doing it this way for many years - for me - there is no other way.

AndyF

My Feedback: (2)

Jim,

Thank you for the information.

This may be a dumb question, but why is it so easy? Why don't these bottle leak? Is the seal on the cap that good? What does the felt clunk really do? Where can you buy them separately?

Thanks,

Andy

branded

My Feedback: (9)

I use B&B Tanks......They have a great clunk filter, come in rectangular or square shapes and have never let me down.....


Now I have to tell you that a few years ago that Dubro had distributed, and sold a number of "Gasoline- BROWN" colored stoppers that were mismarked. They were not GASOLINE resistant, and I lost an airplane due to this.

The Ziroli P40 went dead on takeoff, stalled and was totally destroyed.

The "Accident Investigation Team" discovered that the tank was filled with debris, and that the stooper was "GOOK".....

They, DUBRO attempted tom recall all the mismarked stoppers, but many remained on Hobby Shop shelves.....

I was unlucky enough to get one.....

Dubro told me that they were sorry about my $2k airplane and they stand behind their products......

They would refund me the cost of the defective stopper, or replace it.

Anyway, you get the gist of this, correct?

I've not purchased a Dubro product since...........

Here's a link to B&B...

http://www.bennettbuilt.com/

AndyF

My Feedback: (2)

Branded,

Thanks for the link. I have seen this link before but never paid attention because I was not into gas at the time.

Andy

SMALLFLY-

My Feedback: (19)

I sure like that bennet tank system but over 20 bucks for a 16 oz plastic tank is nuts (tank +fittings+clunk). I think I will go with a hayes long term. hard to imagine that hard plastic stopper could ever leak and the vent is molded in. The only problem would be needing to buy a miracle fueler or such for fueling defueling through the fuel dot

justrfb

My Feedback: (2)

I see that there are 3 fittings on the Hayes tank. I suspect carb hookup, vent and filler??? I see you said the vent is molded in but how is the 3'rd fitting molded in? Thank you for the answer...

Justrfb (checking all my options)

AJF--2

My Feedback: (119)

Not me--I just use 2 fuel dots--I thought this up a few years ago

Line # 1 goes to the drilled out vent line--(you have to drill this one)--use this line for filling--install a fuel dot here
Line #2 is the other vent line--no fuel dot in this line
Line #3 goes to the clunk and carb--add a T fitting to this line and run a fuel dot also. You may not want to use this line for filling--but you can use it for draining.

Jemo

My Feedback: (5)

AJF--2


If you are using a Gas engine, you can use the TEE for both fueling and de fueling, therefore only needing two lines.

I stopped using the TEE because I left the plug off one time.

The engine started fine ran fine, just long enough to get in the air. Then the sudden sound of silence........

Without the tee in the carb line, if you forget to plug your fill line, it is only another vent, ......no problem.

AJF--2

My Feedback: (119)

However, some people have a thing about pumping gas stright to the carb and tank at the same time. I think it comes from years of glow culture. I do it both ways--Don't know why, it just happened that way. I still meet people who do not want to pump gas into a carb, and that is OK--different strokes---I figured making that comment would start a completely different subject--(seems it did anyway) For gas--I use the B&B plugs instead of fuel dots--(notice only 1 plug--for filling and draining)

Jim Messer

My Feedback: (2)

Andy:

The biggest reason why the tanks never leak in my planes, is that the connections are hardly ever covered with fuel. When I mount the tank in the airplane, I set it at a small tilt, so that the neck of the tank sits high. As soon as the fuel runs out the vent, and after starting the engine, this part of the tank very quickly becomes void of fuel, and only sees fuel in a nose down attitude.
When drilling the three holes, you must be careful not to destroy the rubber-like gasket inside the cap that seals it around the perimeter.

I always use a felt clunk filter in every tank. I also use a felt clunk filter inside my two-gallon fill can, so that the gas is really clean before it reaches the carburetor. You don't want to be using the screen in the carburetor to be doing the filtering for you.

Felt clunks can be purchased from Dick Bennett at B&B Specialties, address listed above in another reply.

Jemo

My Feedback: (5)

I think another reason, Jim's tanks don't leak. Is , you have to stretch the tubing through the hole. When it is in place, the tubing goes back (or tries to ) it's normal OD, therefore making a nice seal.

AndyF

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks Jim,

I have ordered a tank and felt klunk for my PW extra 300. I'll try the larger bottle idea on my next big airplane. I will be building a Hostetler 120" Cessna 182.

Thanks,

Andy

cnbhome

My Feedback: (2)

Try this. I use one of the large Dubro quick fuelers (red for gas) in the line from the tank to the carb and a single vent with a loop exiting under the plane. The cost is about the same as fuel dots and is much easier to use and has been bulletproof.