Transparent Fuel Hose

[Friarpuk]

Hi folks

 

I am wondering what others use as transparent fuel hose, needed to visually see how much fuel is in the tank.

 

I have just returned from the hangar now which now smells like fuel due to the silicone hose sheering off the bottom attachment point and letting fuel spill into the bottom of the plane:censored:.

 

At least it didn't happen when I was flying!

 

I have also tried standard clear hose (PVC) from the hardware store but it goes yellow and very brittle very fast.

 

Does anyone have suggestions or a supplier of appropiate 10mm inside diameter transparent fuel hose?

 

 

[Yenn]

I used the pale blue fuel hose sold by Wadeair several years ago. It lasted 18 engine hours, about 3 months and I had a broken fuel line in flight. Put it down and used the gearbox breather hose to repair the break, just to get to an airstrip. When I did the full repair the piece below the fuel tank broke as soon as I touched it.

 

Steer clear of smoky blue plastic.

 

 

[monty]

Hi Friarpuk,

 

I use a clear plastic hose I got from a hydraulic place. I just changed it at my 100 hrs service which was 14 months and it was still fine. A little stiff but not brittle and not yellow just a bit discoloured. not sure what type it is just ask your hydraulic guy and tell him you want it for fuel. That's what I did, works for me. hope it helps

 

Monty

 

 

[KB59]

Hi Friarpuk

 

Depending on your setup you could try ( Steam Boiler water site glass tubes ) they come in different sizes. I have seen them as small as 6mm I think the ones on my boiler are 12mm.

 

They are made of toughened glass and are sold in about 200mm lengths.

 

You fit them with a type of compression O ring fitting. By the way you can cut them.

 

ken

 

 

[Guest bushcaddy pilot]

Hi Ken,

 

Can you get the Steam water glass tube in ayr somwhere(Im in Townsville), As I also am having difficulty with fuel lines as a sight glass.

 

I even purchased the "recognized" poly (I think)fuel line from the states and it has gone hazie within a couple of hours.

 

I am only using 98 Premium fuel.

 

Willing to try anything to see the correct level of fuel.

 

Cheers

 

Dave

 

 

[jetjr]

My original blue hose from Jabiru lasted 5 years, 700hrs, went pale yellow but still flexible, just bought some more from them to replace it as per service directive.

 

New stuff has thicker wall and is translucent blue but looks like same stuff

 

Im told ULP can effect some hoses more than AVGAS although this doenst make much sense

 

 

[Guest DJH]

I have used Briggs and Stratton clear ( yellowish coloured ) fuel line in non aircraft applications. Available from mower shops, I believe its made from a fuel proof material called Tygon. Seems very good, I have used it with both methanol and petrol. May be worth testing for your purpose.

 

http://www.gaspares.com.au/catalogue/mowers-fpl-gra_246-250.pdf

 

 

[KB59]

Hi Dave

 

I will PM you

 

ken

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

I filled a common hardware shop vinyl tube with ethanol/petrol mix and left it in the weather for a few months. Slight discoloration was the only obvious result. I used standard fuel line in the end.

 

 

[Smokey]

I have just returned from the hangar now which now smells like fuel due to the silicone hose sheering off the bottom attachment point and letting fuel spill into the bottom of the plane:censored:.

Hi Friarpuk

 

My understanding is that silicon is not petroleum compatible and should be avoided in any fuel or oil system.

 

When I was replacing fuel lines a couple of years ago I stumbled across a reference to this effect. Just did a quick google but couldn't find it.

 

Personally, I had a mechanic many years ago fix my beetle with silicon and I was pulling lumps of silicon out of the carb for months afterwards until I found what the peanut had done.

 

Mark

 

 

[facthunter]

Plastic fuel line.

 

This "plastic" stuff is dangerous..... On motorbikes/aircraft I only use approved (usually american, and opaque) fuel line. the other stuff goes hard and brittle and cloudy or discoloured at a rate varying from quick to very quick. The boiler glass would be a good fuel indicator and you could put a tie-wire from each clamp so there is no chance of them coming apart. nev

 

 

[Friarpuk]

Thanks for all your input guys! I have been a little occupied in the last couple of months as mum seven year battle with cancer finally ended in death. Cancer's a real bastard! I will follow a few leads some of you have mentioned. Sometimes a wide berth of experience in things other than aviation can help solve a problem. I use to run my radio control planes on Shell A through silicon and I never had a problem, so I bought a metre of very expensive silicon hose, and as I've found it's bloody useless!

 

 

[Powerin]

Hi Friar,

 

Deepest sympathy on the passing of your Mum. May His peace be with you and your family.

 

Off topic....I loved your maiden flight video...I had a smile on my face through the whole thing. One day that'll be me....one day....

 

Cheers,

 

Peter

 

 

[bushcaddy105]

When building my a/c some 4 1/2 years ago, I asked about this topic at an industrial hose specialist supplier. They sold me a pale pink coloured translucent hose they claimed to be 100% petrol (or Avgas) proof. I used it for the sight gauges and to date there is no evidence whatsoever of any degradation. PM me for info about where I bought it in Adelaide.

 

 

[robinsm]

Pale blue hose from Wade air at Orange, 1oo hrs, 2 years so far and still as soft as the day I put it on. Wilkl be replaced next year as a matter or course any way.

 

Cheers

 

Maynard

 

 

[Friarpuk]

Off topic....I loved your maiden flight video...I had a smile on my face through the whole thing. One day that'll be me....one day....

Mate there's nothing like flying your own work into the firmament for the first time. People asked me if I was nervous, but I wasn't. It was all pretty uneventful but then again that's what you want your first flight to be in a new plane! While I was waiting to have an L2 supervise my inspection my taxi tests and power on tests accidently became one foot off the ground tests. And so I knew before I was allowed to climb out the machine was going to run pretty much true off the plans!

 

 

[Guest Dick Gower]

Dead right about keeping silicon well away from fuel systems. It dissolves and forms long strings which get right through the fuel system. It has caused a fatal crash in a Chipmunk and there were probably others.

 

Silicon sealant is also bad news in contact with oil in engines where it has a similar effect and blocks oil-ways. I did read about a big end bearing failing due to silicon blocking a crankshaft oil-way.