Prefabricated fuel tank

Has anyone ordered the prefabricated fuel tank after building. I called and the price is $795.00. On the kit order form it is only $445.00. I was told that it was $445 when you order with a kit and although I already ordered all the kits and built the plane it would be $795. Does this seem right?

Rayh said:

Has anyone ordered the prefabricated fuel tank after building. I called and the price is $795.00. On the kit order form it is only $445.00. I was told that it was $445 when you order with a kit and although I already ordered all the kits and built the plane it would be $795. Does this seem right?

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If you order it pre-made as part of the kit, the cost of parts is included, and the $445 is basically the cost of building and testing by Vans.

When you order it later, you are paying for parts and labor.

Build it yourself - while appearing somewhat intimidating, it is just another doable element of the RV-12's construction. Think ahead, use masking tape and disposable gloves, and follow Van's directions. You can be proud of the result!

I have mine done. It appears I have a small leak in front left corner. I will take it back out and attempt to seal it.

Mine also had a leak, it passed all the leak check steps however once in the airplane and the bolts tightened it developed a very, very small leak, Mogas is has a much worse smell than Avgas so it was obvious. I would find a very small amount of fuel on the tank at the lowest point near the fuel line connection. It would take a couple of hours to show up. After taking it in and out three times and checking for leaks (it passed leak test each time) I finally decided that something was happening when the bolts were installed. I decide to externally pro seal around all the structure that the bolts go into. That did the trick, no more leaks. Just hit five hours and all is good.

Pat that sounds like what is happening with mine. I will reseal again.

I was dreading the build of the tank based on blog comments. I gooped everything very carefully and probably went through a box of nitrile gloves. I ended up with no leaks and have been running almost 4 years without issue. I still cringe at the thought of disturbing the tank. It does not come out at annual.

I bought a flying 12 with a tank that leaks quite a bit. I was going to just build a new one until I found out the cost -- $485 for the tank kit, even deleting some parts I could re-use it would still be over $350 and just as much work. So, out it comes and I'll try to seal it up, get it up to current SBs, install the mechanical gauge and seal up the sight glass. Should be fun. At least I got to learn what not to do with tank sealant while building RV-7 tanks. Maybe this time I can use it and not wear it!

Now all I need to do is figure out how to get that mogas stench out of everything that ever sat in the cockpit.

Rayh said:

Pat that sounds like what is happening with mine. I will reseal again.

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Ray,

To make sure it was the stress from the bolts I did another type leak check. I filled it up with fuel on my bench with the fittings hanging off the edge and let it sit three days, no leaks. That test led me to the conclusion that it was happening when the bolts were installed. Of course it was also verified early on that the leak was not coming from the fuel line b nut connections. Pro sealed all the fittings and structural pieces on the outside again. No leaks. Another builder here on the field had a similar problem, would not leak until installed. He sent his back to Vans to be fixed and never connected the dots to the stress from the bolts until after we verified it with mine.

DaleB said:

I bought a flying 12 with a tank that leaks quite a bit. I was going to just build a new one until I found out the cost -- $485 for the tank kit, even deleting some parts I could re-use it would still be over $350 and just as much work. So, out it comes and I'll try to seal it up, get it up to current SBs, install the mechanical gauge and seal up the sight glass. Should be fun. At least I got to learn what not to do with tank sealant while building RV-7 tanks. Maybe this time I can use it and not wear it!

Now all I need to do is figure out how to get that mogas stench out of everything that ever sat in the cockpit.

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Dale,

Glad to here you are going to fix it. I would consider any 12 with a fuel leak regardless of how small un airworthy and dangerous.

I don't want to derail or hijack the thread, so let me start by saying this. Building an RV-12 fuel tank does look like it would rank among the toughest jobs. I built two RV-7 tanks, which are "fun". Since the 12 uses blind rivets you won't have quite as much mess and hassle. Working with sealant can be messy, but I've seen guys who can keep it under control and do a very neat job. Just remember that ANYTHING that isn't properly prepared, cleaned and sealed can and will leak.

In this case the leak turned out to be worse than we initially thought. During the prebuy the tank was not full and I didn't pull the baggage area carpet out (lesson learned). When we picked it up the tank had just been topped off and it smelled pretty badly. We found a very minor seep around the sender and tightened a couple of screws, and figured that would fix it. It just got worse on the way home. It was only when I pulled everything out of the cabin that I found the extent of the problem. It's obviously been leaking for a while, but only when the tank is fairly full. I won't know the exact location of the leak until I get the tank drained and removed, but I suspect it's near the top of the sight gauge (which is going away).

I don't know that I would consider the plane not airworthy, but I'm not flying it again until the leak is fixed. It's what I would consider severe. I'm still trying to air out my flight bag and the headsets. If there's a good way to get mogas smell out of stuff, I'm all ears. The baggage area will get stripped and painted with epoxy primer. Most of the carpeting is OK after airing out and a good scrub with Woolite foaming cleaner, but I may just have to toss the baggage area carpeting. It's work, but I knew what I was buying and it was priced accordingly.

Getting rid of gasoline smell

There are machines that are referred to as ionizers or ozone generators that will react with and destroy most odors. They use them in to get rid of mildew, formaldehyde and cigarette smells. I have read that they also work for gasoline smells. A small one can be obtained for about a hundred dollars. The only caution is not to leave them longer than necessary in an unventilated space, because ozone can begin to attack rubber. It will certainly make the plane smell fresher.

Hmmm. I love ionizers, used to use them all the time before I quit smoking. That may be worth trying, I hadn't thought of it.

I actually have a little electronic project I built with my kids years ago called an "ion cannon". It's an air ionizer with an attitude... enough to clear an entire house of smoke within an hour or so, I would guess.

Kitty litter spread over the carpet and left for a week sometimes works to get the odor out. I used it in a car once and it did the job.