----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----
Tim, your understanding of the fuel system is correct. Just a couple
things
to add.
Normally, you won't want to add any fuel to the header tank; however,
let's
say
you're on a long X-country, the two main tanks have emptied and the header
tank float indicator has started its decent (by the way when that happens,
you'd might want to have an airport insight within the next 30 minutes or
so). Now when you refuel, you will first want to fill the header tank
then
the mains. If you don't tell the lineboy to only fill the header to
within
2" of the top, fuel will start running out the tank's overflow tube
because the header tank overflow outlet is above the outlet leading back
to
the main tank.
I couldn't tell from the picture you posted, but if your header tank
float indicator
is the style incased in a glass tube, you can note during flight where the
indicator
normally stays. Then, get some green pinstriping tape and circle the tube
there
to show a full header tank during flight. Now, if you want, drain one
gallon of
fuel out of the header tank and place a yellow tape mark for each gallon
from there
down. I'm assuming that your header tank is a 6 gallon one. If so, when
the float indicator bottoms out, you can find out how much fuel still
resides (3 gallons ?) in the tank.
Taking the time to do this may alleviate the pucker factor you'll have
some day after running into unexpected headwinds or the fuel pump fails.
You're doing good, and your new "baby" looks great...I think some of the
guy's are jealous of her wheel pants though,
Walker
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tim and Martha Briggs" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, January 16, 2004 8:25 PM
Subject: [COUPERS-FLYIN] Fuel system questions
> ----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following
any
advice in this forum.]----
>
>
> Ercoupers;
>
> My new Ercoupe has the O-200 Mod with the electric fuel pump. The pump
comes
> on after start, runs continuously until fuel in the wings is exhausted,
at
> which point a light comes on to tell you your wing tanks are dry and to
> secure the pump. Fine. The sellers told me to never "top off" the
header
> tank when I fueled the plane. They said, just fill the wing tanks and
then
> let the electric pump fill the header tank. They made it sound like the
> header tank would overflow at some later point if I fueled it. That
didn't
> make sense to me. If I understand the system correctly, the fuel pump
> continuously pumps fuel to the header tank. Lines at the top of the
header
> tank return any excess fuel back to the wing tanks. How could the
header
> tank possibly get overfilled??
>
> For example: If you exhausted all your wing tank fuel, and a portion of
> your header tank on a long flight, it seems to me you can refill the
header
> tank to capacity first. Any fuel above the level of the return lines
will
> flow down to the wing tanks. Then you fill the wing tanks. There can
never
> be "too much" fuel in the system, ...right??
>
> One more question. The wing tanks have a crossfeed line between them so
the
> fuel level always stays balanced between the tanks. (Bless Mr. Weick
for
> thinking of this detail) In fact, the fuel flow to the header tank
comes
> out of just one of the wing tanks (left?). How fast can gas transfer
from
> one tank to the other? In theory, I could only fuel one side, wait for
> things to balance out and keep filling that one tank.... right? I know
> from my first few fill-ups, that it doesn't happen that fast - although
I
> think the second wing tank to get fueled always took a little less than
the
> first. Maybe I should let things settle out for a minute and then go
back
> and check the wing tanks when I fill. The crossfeed could result in less
> than maximum fuel in the wing tanks.
>
> In my opinion, the Ercoupe fuel system is the safest in GA. No
switching,
> balanced tanks, obvious indications of pump failure and a healthy
reserve
> even if your pump fails. Each time I fly, I think I've forgotten to do
> something - it is that simple.
>
> Tim
>
>
>
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