Leak check

[Bryan Cotton]

I am considering filling my tank with water for a leak check. Any thoughts? On the C140 I was restoring I used air pressure but that is scary.

[Brett]

Petrol is a lot thinner than water. Petrol could leak where as water may not... plus would take quite some time and effort to dry it out...

Just a thought...

[gammaxy]

I left water in my tank for a few days before installing it in the airplane. It proved I had no major leaks, but I still ended up discovering a small leak once I added 100LL (an extra quarter turn on the fitting stopped the leak).

[sonex892]

On the C140 I was restoring I used air pressure but that is scary.

Bryan. I agree, air testing with too much pressure would no doubt be scary.

I would still be checking with air, just at an extremely low pressure. It is in my opinion the best way to test for leaks. Tape a balloon or glove to one of the fittings, you only need enough pressure to inflate the balloon which will also act as a pressure relief valve. Spray soapy water around the fittings to check for leaks.

Steve
Sonex 892

[mike.smith]

I tested with water. It at least gave me a base line. There were a few months between doing my fuel system and flying the plane, so drying out was not an issue. My plane was in the basement, so I did not want to test with fuel. I did another check with just a couple of gallons of fuel once I had the plane at the airport.

[Bryan Cotton]

Thanks for the thoughts guys. Steve, I did just as you described on the 140- balloon and soapy water. Still due to the flow restriction to the balloon it swelled the tank a bit. Scarier in a 65 year old aluminum tank that is made by welding top to bottom as compared to our plastic tanks.

[Gripdana]

If you test with water do not do it with the Princeton fuel probe installed. The probe does not like water even if you wait a year to let it dry out. The first probe I had was destroyed by water when I tested for leaks. The newer directions tell you to "dry" out the probe with low heat. Mine was completely corroded.