Question about Fuel Sight Gauges

[lhendrick]

I went and bought the Atkinson fuel sight gauges as the plans method didn't appeal to me (trying to see gas sloshing around through translucent fuselage side glass).

 

When the sight gauges came I read up on posts here about installing them and read the enclosed directions. Somewhere I thought I read that the sight gauge depressions that are to be sanded into the fuselage sides (like the control stick depressions) could be omitted at the time of building the sides. I cannot find this reference now and I may have misread it anyway.

 

So that's what I did, and that's what I am now concerned with. I have gone on to finish Chap 5 and have assembled the sides in Chap 6 and I want to know if I have screwed up. Just when and how should I proceed to install these gauges?

 

Do I cut out the glass and foam on the inside and mount the gauges over the hole? Can someone clarify just how I could go about this with minimal chopping up of the fuselage sides?

 

On a similar matter, has anyone omitted the gauges completely and just installed an electric fuel level system as the primary fuel level instrument and how did that work out?

 

Hoping someone out there can help alleviate my anxiety

[Lynn Erickson]

I went and bought the Atkinson fuel sight gauges as the plans method didn't appeal to me (trying to see gas sloshing around through translucent fuselage side glass).

 

When the sight gauges came I read up on posts here about installing them and read the enclosed directions. Somewhere I thought I read that the sight gauge depressions that are to be sanded into the fuselage sides (like the control stick depressions) could be omitted at the time of building the sides. I cannot find this reference now and I may have misread it anyway.

 

So that's what I did, and that's what I am now concerned with. I have gone on to finish Chap 5 and have assembled the sides in Chap 6 and I want to know if I have screwed up. Just when and how should I proceed to install these gauges?

 

Do I cut out the glass and foam on the inside and mount the gauges over the hole? Can someone clarify just how I could go about this with minimal chopping up of the fuselage sides?

 

On a similar matter, has anyone omitted the gauges completely and just installed an electric fuel level system as the primary fuel level instrument and how did that work out?

 

Hoping someone out there can help alleviate my anxiety

I started out to install the gauges and as the electronic gauges got better and better over the years I decided to omit the sight glass. the systems we have now work very well and there is no need to install sight glasses. As many builder have found out the sight glasses do not last forever and many have had to replace them after only a few years. I love the electronic gauges and the one I have even maps the shape of the tank. it is always with a 1/4 gallon of being perfect. most of the engine instrument systems include fuel gauges with everything else all in one electronic gauge. with either system there is still the need to look in the tank to verify the gauges are still working properly. even the sight glasses have been known to give false readings

[Edge 513]

Hadn't heard about the fuel gauges needing replacing or clouding, except for when mogas was used. They are fine when only Avgas is used, si?

I think there's benefit to having them installed only if it is on ones checklist to look at them. The mirror and the gooseneck never appealed to me..so I am going to buy the Princeton capacitors I think to go with my future chosen EMS.

 

Just not sure if I will actually ''see'' the fuel sight gauges. I need further convincing to put them in or not. Nice verification of fuel in the tank, I guess. Redundancy is good only if the backup is acurate. If, as you say Lynn, they have given false readings then they are a question mark.

[TMann]

I noticed that on the Berkut they are mounted just inside the strake for easier viewing.

 

I believe that there were many items such as this to provide opportunities to control the cost of a project. Beyond that .....

[Big Steve]

Back to Larry's question about installing his after market site gauges. I have bought mine but I will not install them until I build my strakes I want to make sure they are located properly in the strakes. If you still have foam in-between your glass lay-ups you will have to cut it out and do a glass to glass layup in the proper location no big deal when you go to build your strakes cut through the outside skin where you want your site gauges and make yourself a glass to glass area to install the gauges. Steve build on

[Drew Swenson]

Need to get the baseplate right up against the inside glass next to the fuel. If you have foam inbetween, just cut out the outer layer of glass, dig out the foam, then flox the baseplate against the inner glass. The sight gauge floxes on top of the base plate, and you glass around the edges.

[Lynn Erickson]

Hadn't heard about the fuel gauges needing replacing or clouding, except for when mogas was used. They are fine when only Avgas is used, si?

I think there's benefit to having them installed only if it is on ones checklist to look at them. The mirror and the gooseneck never appealed to me..so I am going to buy the Princeton capacitors I think to go with my future chosen EMS.

 

Just not sure if I will actually ''see'' the fuel sight gauges. I need further convincing to put them in or not. Nice verification of fuel in the tank, I guess. Redundancy is good only if the backup is acurate. If, as you say Lynn, they have given false readings then they are a question mark.

I have replaced some on others plane for many different reasons. one got cracked by putting some thing in the backseat, another was leaking after about 10 years, one had gotten clogged and was stuck full of fuel. and one was softened by the fuel.

I have never had them in my plane and have never missed them. I always check the fuel by looking in the tank and to see if it looks close to what the electronic gauges say. most pilots fly by fuel burn when planing a trip and filling the tanks full or use a dip stick to measure the amount of fuel. I use the gauges all the time but have never relied on them to be the last word.

[Kent Ashton]

If you want to use the sight gauges (I like them), I would cut out the inner fuselage wall exposing the fuselage foam and remove and oval of the foam leaving a tapered depression exposing the fuel tank wall. Glass with a couple of wet BID layers, peel ply. After cure, install the the gauges in the depression.

 

I've found that some of the extra foam under the longeron might need to be removed, too -Kent

[lhendrick]

Thanks all for the anxiety reducing responses. I feel better knowing that I am not alone in wanting an electronic solution integrated into my flight system, and that there is way to post-install them. Now I can go ahead and do all those layups in the landing gear area with no worries. Thanks! Great resource this board.

[Hennie Engelbrecht]

the systems we have now work very well and there is no need to install sight glasses.

Which system do you use now Lynn?

 

Hennie

[Lynn Erickson]

Which system do you use now Lynn?

 

Hennie

I have the VM 1000