And that why we preflight, folks

[Dan Thomas]

In 30+ years of aviation I have NEVER, EVER seen anyone catch the fuel from the gascolator on a 150,152 or 172.

We did. We wanted the students aware of what came out of it, and we also didn't want the ramp's pavement eaten up by fuel. In many places it's illegal to just squirt it onto the ground.

The restart ('96 and on) Cessnas didn't have that remote-control strainer drain. You have to get under there and sump it like every other quick-drain.

 

[Magman]

Often overlooked is the tissue test.

After putting some on a tissue and letting it dry the tissue should not be oily.

If it is you have some jet fuel in there .

 

[Sierra_Hotel]

In 30+ years of aviation I have NEVER, EVER seen anyone catch the fuel from the gascolator on a 150,152 or 172. The only explanation I ever got (from 4 CFIs) was not standing to close to get your shoes splashed.

Some Pipers have the press in nipple that makes it easy.

I fall in this camp. Not once have I ever been shown or suggested to catch and check that fuel. It's always been a 3-count onto the ramp.

But now in retrospect, it does make sense to catch it. I need to get one of the actual catch jars. All we have currently are the small pocket ones.

 

[pfarber]

Odd, I’m curious who you’ve been flying around all that time. It’s been a standard part of the preflight for everyone I’ve observed.

BS. You can always count on the internet and these random people who claim they are perfect at everything, everytime.

You all need to find Jesus and stop lying.

 

[pfarber]

I am a “medium size - 5’10”” and I can reach it just fine. I’ll even take a video of it just for you so that you can Un-bunch your underpants. Just give me a day or two.

Sure you do. No CFI is telling students to catch it and look for water.

Now lets see a video of your just ordered gats jar lol

heres your standard preflight. 7 min in is the money shot.

 

[Bell206]

You all need to find Jesus and stop lying.

That include you as well?

 

[IK04]

In 30+ years of aviation I have NEVER, EVER seen anyone catch the fuel from the gascolator on a 150,152 or 172.

Really? How would you know when the water stopped draining?

Just more laziness, like so many other parts of aviation.

Dern kids... Get off my lawn!

 

[nrpetersen]

If I did it right, this is some very old data I got from Standard Oil who apparently created it in the 1930s.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jm1q2d0kbbjqz92/WaterSolubilityInGas.JPG?dl=0

It shows the water solubility in various petroleum compounds vs temperature. 100LL gasoline is a mixture of these compounds, and perhaps a petroleum engineer can fill us in on the likely details. Notice however, that generally water can be expected to come out of solution (precipitate) as the temperature is reduced. Fuel is a combination of hydrocarbons that may sometimes in its preparation life be in contact with water. How cold? Most of it is made in warm states and shipped north where it may be stored in still colder containers. If the storage temperature is reduced below freezing, at some point dissolved water will come out of solution as snow. As an example. a .005% water-fuel mix shift could be about 1 cu inch of water dissolved in 100 gallons.

Now consider how under very cold conditions how few snow crystals from a fractional cubic inch ice could plug a gascolator screen. It happened to me in a 172H on a -20 degF Minnesota morning after someone else had done a 1 hr flight. The engine badly stumbled on liftoff and an immediate 180 was made to a parallel runway. (but successful.)

Taking a large (maybe 1 qt) sample in a glass jar, one could see the ice crystals in the fuel. The fueling FBO was confronted, and they checked their underground tanks for water, which was present. It was their fuel that had just been added to the very cold fuel already in the Cessna.

Granted water in the fuel can originate a number of ways from leaky fuel caps, and vent breathing etc, but I contend that dissolved water and a major temperature reduction can also generate water droplets or crystals. In this case we cleaned the balance of the fuel with a small amount of deicer - which did clear up the rest of the fuel in the Cessna tank.

Q - Does anyone have a similar solubility chart with a 100LL line?
Q - Is there any alcohol based deicer regularly put in fuel at a refinery? It would seem to be more effective if it was added to the aircraft tanks immediately before use.

 

[Matthew Rogers]

Sure you do. No CFI is telling students to catch it and look for water.

Now lets see a video of your just ordered gats jar lol

heres your standard preflight. 7 min in is the money shot.

Here you go. Easy as pie. Takes 10 seconds I do it every time. Don’t call me a liar again.
https://youtube.com/shorts/TEc-Oq8QlJg?feature=share

 

[Brad W]

yeah, as I recall it's reachable on a 150/152...not so reachable on a 172 or larger...I'm with pfarber. 3 count onto the ground and look for water droplets in the puddle. Not the best for sure but it's what you can do. Much better when they have the little push drain valves down there for more proper sumping.

The few times I've rented in recent times it's very much discouraged to pour out the fuel.
Personally I'm no fan of pouring the fuel back into the tank from the sampler. Seems kinda dumb to me.

 

[Dan Thomas]

yeah, as I recall it's reachable on a 150/152...not so reachable on a 172 or larger..

If you're a midget, maybe. I'm not tall and had no problems whatever catching a 172's strainer fuel.

 

[RyanB]

If you're a midget, maybe. I'm not tall and had no problems whatever catching a 172's strainer fuel.

Nor have I.

 

[Lindberg]

Really? How would you know when the water stopped draining?

If you've checked the tank sumps, then the maximum amount of water possible from the gasco is the volume of the gasco plus the lines from the tanks. I think. That's probably only a few seconds worth, would be my WAG.

But I don't have a dog in this fight since all the planes I fly have quick drains on the gasco.

 

[NightSkyReader]

I could make the reach with my right hand on the strainer and the left hand catching gas on a 172 P model I used to fly but I can’t quite get there on the N model I’m currently flying. Not sure what that’s about.

 

[Sierra_Hotel]

Factory original N models have the oil filler door further up on the cowling?

 

[Albany Tom]

From memory, maybe 1 in 200 flights I'll get half a tube or more of water in the fuel. Always after rain. Various PA-28's. I've never had close to the amount as OP, though. Can't imagine not sumping both tanks and strainer as part of pre-flight, unless I lived in some weird place where gasoline was always pure, it never rained, and caps never leaked.

But then again, every year some pilots are proven to not check how much gas they have before a flight, too.

 

[Ghery]

In 30+ years of aviation I have NEVER, EVER seen anyone catch the fuel from the gascolator on a 150,152 or 172. The only explanation I ever got (from 4 CFIs) was not standing to close to get your shoes splashed.

Some Pipers have the press in nipple that makes it easy.

My CFI (a couple decades ago) would drain the gascolator directly on the ground and look for bubbles representing water. Needless to say, this was after the plane had been pulled out of the hangar.

 

[pfarber]

If you've checked the tank sumps, then the maximum amount of water possible from the gasco is the volume of the gasco plus the lines from the tanks. I think. That's probably only a few seconds worth, would be my WAG.

But I don't have a dog in this fight since all the planes I fly have quick drains on the gasco.

Its not a fight.

But go to any airport and simply watch.

It just does not happen. Ask CFIs if they tech it.

Even DPEs don't care if you sample the gascolator.. squirt that gas one ground and go flying.

 

[Matthew Rogers]

Its not a fight.

But go to any airport and simply watch.

It just does not happen. Ask CFIs if they tech it.

Even DPEs don't care if you sample the gascolator.. squirt that gas one ground and go flying.

So let’s see, you have more than one person telling you that they do sample the gascolator every flight, and a video proving that it is entirely possible and easy, and yet you still stand by the fact that it never ever happens, is impossible to do, and we are all liars. Sure.

 

[Lachlan]

BS. You can always count on the internet and these random people who claim they are perfect at everything, everytime.

You all need to find Jesus and stop lying.

I own and fly a 150. I always catch the gascolator sample in my catch jar. Every time. I always visually check fuel before every flight with a calibrated dipstick, and I sump both tanks snd my belly drain. Gascolator is last. Every single time I do my pre-flight. Every time. Since the day I took possession of it. Every time. (Just yesterday, most recently. Great day for flying.) I’ve been consistent about that. I wish I could say that I was nearly as good in every other aspect of flying, but I’m not. But I have always saved my gascolator samples on my 150. If that makes sloppy pilots feel self-conscious and have to hurl insults at those who actually perform a proper pre-flight then I don’t give a ****. I hope everyone has a great day. First beer is my treat. After that you’re on your own flight plan.

 

[Crow]

Wanna sump the tanks on this one?