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Fuel Vent heat?

J

JoeB

Active Member
I am working on finishing up my tanks, and as usual I frequent Tim Olsen's Gotcha section on myrv10.com. He mentioned a potential need for fuel vent heaters for IFR flying. I plan to fly IFR in the -10 but don't recall any fuel vent heaters on the Cessna and pipers I have flown.


Is this something any one has added? How did you do it? do you really need it??

I am trying think of all the options while everything is easy to get to and opened up.


Joe
 
You don't need heaters. You just need to make sure that if your vents do freeze over, you have an alternative way of releasing pressure in the tanks.

I'm going with the same method Tim did, by using a low pressure one way valve tee'd into the vent line, inside the wing root.

http://www.myrv10.com/N104CD/upgrades/20090525/index.html

With this setup, the stock vent under the wing will work normally, and the bypass valve won't let any expanding fuel leak into the wing root. But if the vent ices over, and the tank gets to more than .3 PSI below ambient, the bypass valve will let air into the tanks, and should prevent fuel starvation.

Check out McMasterCarr part # 7775K51 for the check valve.
 
I copied Tim's design too.

Cessnas do not have heaters but they do have secondary vents, usually spring loaded and built into the fuel cap.
 
Caution

The primary reason for fuel tank vents is to let air IN to replace fuel being burned. Failure of the vents to function in flight can lead to engine failure due to fuel starvation.
 
Backwards

I iced up last year and was worried about that too. After we landed, I looked under the wings at the vents...they are backwards! The 45? angle is on the rear so it doesn't get pressurized. If I had had ice on them (the entire leading edges did), they sure worked.

I've been flying the airplane for 7 years now and left the vents alone...although a lot more careful about staying out of ice.

Best,
 
Not right

Pierre, your vents are on backwards. They should be facing forward. I drill a hole in the aft side of the tube to help with icing. I also put a little fairing ahead of the vent (cable fairlead faring). I've only experienced ice a few times and ATC has always been quick to allow us an altitude change.

Vic
 
Ask yourself????..is this a FIKI aeroplane?

I know North America is a bit more weather savage than down here, but the rules of IFR are the same. Think that through. You never have to fly into known ice and if you find unknown?..get out.
 
vic syracuse said:
Pierre, your vents are on backwards. They should be facing forward. I drill a hole in the aft side of the tube to help with icing. I also put a little fairing ahead of the vent (cable fairlead faring). I've only experienced ice a few times and ATC has always been quick to allow us an altitude change.

Vic
Click to expand...

They work well as they are Vic.

Best,
 
Mine have no "heaters". The original poster must not have read what I wrote well. It's just a method as Ed notes that will prevent the tank from having a vacuum if the vent plugs...nothing more.
Tim
 
Whoops

Tim,

you are 100% correct, I mis-read your post on your build site. After looking over the check valve install it looks like a relatively easy solution to the issue.


Thanks for creating such a detailed build site, has come in handy more than once looking for things to compare to my build.


Joe
 
No problem. I haven't had enough time actually getting any ice on the plane that I know if it even has helped. I avoid ice completely if I can.
Tim
 
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