arkvet
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- Sep 15, 2014
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I had intended to post about this a few weeks ago and had forgotten until today which is a big ole rainy day here in Arkansas.
On a trip to the beach I had to tie down outside for several days and as usual there were several rainy days during our vaca. I have had small amounts of water in my sump before and it has generally been somewhat predictable (outside for any time with a little rain vs dry hangar). This week had rained several inches total.
Went to the first sump and filled the tester... Looked great! No water. I sniffed the tester and it had a 100LL scent (to what degree idk?) It even looked a little blue.
Despite these very convincing findings I knew my plane and knew without a doubt this couldn't be true. After the 4th "draw" from the sump I began seeing some water... or uh, I mean 100LL! This wasn't surprising to me in the least. It was the first time, however, that 100% of multiple draws were water.
For those that haven't yet experienced this. Do NOT trust your nose. Do NOT trust the color. The tester will very often have a smell from previous draws and the blue dye, well yeah it'll stain a little over time too.
If your plane has been outside and you anticipate some water in the sump do not accept results that don't correlate with your expectations.
There are a handful of ways that people use to determine fuel from water. Use what works best for you. I tend to always fly with a bottle of water handy (to drink of course). If I'm not certain what's in the sump I can always pour in a splash from my water bottle. Separation and I've got 100LL.
Just a reminder, that most probably don't need but it never hurts.
And yes, I've replaced the rubber washers on my recessed gas caps for the Saratoga. Water just sits in the fill cap area with any rain. It won't keep it out.
On a trip to the beach I had to tie down outside for several days and as usual there were several rainy days during our vaca. I have had small amounts of water in my sump before and it has generally been somewhat predictable (outside for any time with a little rain vs dry hangar). This week had rained several inches total.
Went to the first sump and filled the tester... Looked great! No water. I sniffed the tester and it had a 100LL scent (to what degree idk?) It even looked a little blue.
Despite these very convincing findings I knew my plane and knew without a doubt this couldn't be true. After the 4th "draw" from the sump I began seeing some water... or uh, I mean 100LL! This wasn't surprising to me in the least. It was the first time, however, that 100% of multiple draws were water.
For those that haven't yet experienced this. Do NOT trust your nose. Do NOT trust the color. The tester will very often have a smell from previous draws and the blue dye, well yeah it'll stain a little over time too.
If your plane has been outside and you anticipate some water in the sump do not accept results that don't correlate with your expectations.
There are a handful of ways that people use to determine fuel from water. Use what works best for you. I tend to always fly with a bottle of water handy (to drink of course). If I'm not certain what's in the sump I can always pour in a splash from my water bottle. Separation and I've got 100LL.
Just a reminder, that most probably don't need but it never hurts.
And yes, I've replaced the rubber washers on my recessed gas caps for the Saratoga. Water just sits in the fill cap area with any rain. It won't keep it out.
