REFLECTOR: Low fuel warning, (was) SERG Fuel Lines

[Tom Falls]

Being a genuine certified coward, I certainly plan on using Kurt's advice to
THINK ahead and measure fuel on the ground and calculate time-in-the-tanks.
Continuing on that thought, I am installing a capacitance fuel gauge in each
tank feeding a Dynon for low fuel alert, plus Atkinson Fuel Sight Gauges on
each as well to give me assurances that nothing has gone wrong during
flight. Based on all your inputs I'm leaning strongly away from installing a
sensor on the sump. I can always add it later, but it doesn't seem to add
much safety while at the same time potentially adding a distraction if false
alarms are an ongoing issue as others have reported.

Tom
 

-----Original Message-----
From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of sbjknox
Sent: Saturday, June 04, 2011 6:45 AM
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
Subject: REFLECTOR: Low fuel warning, (was) SERG Fuel Lines


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Al Gietzen" <ALVentures at cox.net>


> My sump (SE RG) measured at 2.3 ga.  Yes; the fuel warning there is pretty
> much a 'too late!' light; so you need something else.  I have a 
> capacitance
> probe on one side that reads out on the EM, and had the sight-gauge (no
> longer works) on the other.  I like to measure the fuel in the tanks with
> the old-fashioned calibrated stick; then set the totalizer and have it 
> keep
> track of usage.  The readout will begin blinking when it gets to less than

> 6
> gallons (not counting sump) remaining. If I slow to 150 KTAS, that gives 
> me
> an hour total.
> Al


My two sight gages are marked with gallons and are very accurate but are a 
pain to see in flight.  My totalizer is a great, very accurate real-time 
indicator but is worthless in the (rare) event of fuel loss due to leak from

filler caps or other.  My capacitance fuel gage is not as accurate as the 
sight gages but provides me a "sanity check" on the totalizer. However, the 
capacitance gage goes TU if I get a crappy batch of gas with water and/or 
(?) ethanol.

A passenger in the back seat can give me periodic sight-gage readings if 
required.

Sid



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