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Finally used a steam cleaner on the float bottom

It was late at night and I was stuck with being able to buy on-line. Kenmore's web site is not purchaser friendly. So I did the middle of the night Aircraft Spruce gig.
The sun actually showed itself today. The first time in a month. Warmed up to 52 degrees at my house.... A genuine heat wave.
 

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I went to a machine shop and let them make copies of the plastic pulleys out of a round brass bar. They have lasted for at least 20 years and no sign of wear on the pulleys or extra wear on the wire.
 
Anyone have a good idea on how to minimize water entry into flat top float pumpouts? I was thinking about siliconing a rubber washer to the tops around the holes but maybe there is a better way?
Any thoughts?
 
Ed Ruebling said:
Anyone have a good idea on how to minimize water entry into flat top float pumpouts? I was thinking about siliconing a rubber washer to the tops around the holes but maybe there is a better way?
Any thoughts?
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Just use good friction fit plugs, and make sure they fit well. Someone on this forum is working on another potential solution.

But, good tight fitting plugs should minimize leak Eagle from the pump outs.

MTV
 
Make sure your pump-out cups aren't cracked. If they aren't, and with decent plugs? They should hold water just fine.
 
My last plane had flat top PKs. They took on some water during rain storms. It was not the pump-out plugs, it was the hatches that were leaking. I ended up sealing them with bathtub caulking. ( so I could open them if I needed). That cut the rain water to zero.
Also make sure you have good plugs. Old ones or home-made plugs made from chair leg plastic tips might leak.

There used to be a real nice guy on our local lake who installed the one-way ball valves on his Beaver. He did not even have to bend over to pull out any plugs.

I did have some worn out plugs for the PK floats that were very loose. While waiting for the new plugs to arrive in the mail, I smeared a thing coating of silicone caulk around the worn-out plugs and let them dry overnight. They were much tighter and lasted long enough for the new ones to arrive. I then kept them in the little door pocket of my truck as spares.
 
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I had the ball valve ones on my 1320s and they leaked everytime it rained. I'm back to using cane/chairleg plugs

Glenn
 
Thanks guys, I think the problem is in the cups on my PK's. They don't quite fit up to the plugs. I had to replace a tube and cup a few years ago and tried to trim the inside of the cup to fit the plug, but its not a good seal. I think my inspection covers are sealing ok. They have a thick black sealer under them that is raised just a bit. I open each compartment in the fall and shop vac out the water then cover the floats for the winter. The sealer stays in place and reseals fairly well when I close them back up. They were still dry (hatch opening sections are all I checked) this spring but the floats set out in the rain a couple of weeks before they were put on the airplane and the guy I had install them said he vacuumed out about 6-7 gallons of water. Not sure exactly which compartments it came out of or why there was so much water in them. PK-3500C's. Anyway, thank again for your thoughts. I'm ready to get out and do some flying this weekend.

Maybe a new set of plugs. I've got them tethered so I don't loose them.
 
Ed Ruebling said:
Thanks guys, I think the problem is in the cups on my PK's. They don't quite fit up to the plugs. I had to replace a tube and cup a few years ago and tried to trim the inside of the cup to fit the plug, but its not a good seal. I think my inspection covers are sealing ok. They have a thick black sealer under them that is raised just a bit. I open each compartment in the fall and shop vac out the water then cover the floats for the winter. The sealer stays in place and reseals fairly well when I close them back up. They were still dry (hatch opening sections are all I checked) this spring but the floats set out in the rain a couple of weeks before they were put on the airplane and the guy I had install them said he vacuumed out about 6-7 gallons of water. Not sure exactly which compartments it came out of or why there was so much water in them. PK-3500C's. Anyway, thank again for your thoughts. I'm ready to get out and do some flying this weekend.

Maybe a new set of plugs. I've got them tethered so I don't loose them.
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PK floats use a slightly different plug than any other floats. Be sure to order plugs specifically for PK floats

MTV
 
It seems like the side angle pieces on old PKs that are used to rivet the top deck onto the side hulls,,, act like a gutter and keep rain water on the top of the float.
I had water leak under, over and around the old style hatch gaskets and the hatch screws. Your C model 3500s have a different style hatch compared to the older 3500s.
EDOs have the big O-ring and the fast opening hatch. But the size of the EDO hatch is only good for Smurfs and Kiebler Elves, when it comes to working inside a compartment. I have had my arm stuck several times.
Aerocet hatches are very nice... But people selling 8 year old Aerocets think they are worth the new price.
 
It is kinda hard to make straight lines with a paint brush when the sides of the floats are dented.
Just waiting on the 8 new pulleys and the new float plugs. ( the tapered plug type not the balls. )
I have all the old O-rings soaking in mineral spirits. They were covered in glue and old paint. Plus I found a few at the local
hydraulic shop.
 

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Yes, there is an angle piece around the edge that tends to trap water. I think I'm just going to have to pump them out on a regular basis. One other thing I'm going to start doing is use a dip stick to make sure the pump outs are working. I have a tube break a few years ago. It seemed to pump out fine. No water. Finally realized I was hauling around 2-300 lbs of water because the tube was broke. If you ever bank it hard or hit something check the pumpouts carefully. The float may be fine but the tubes can break inside. If you freeze up in the winter that can break them also. Also check that the plane is sitting level in the water. This can be an indication of a compartment with water in it. Always be paying attention.
 
Yes indeed. I had a aluminum pump out tube on my PK-2300s that froze and cracked. I was up around 10,000 feet coming back across over Mount Redoubt and it was pretty cold up there. I had a layer of ice develop in the water inside one of the big compartments. Other guy said he looked,,, no he did not...
 
Ed Ruebling said:
Yes, there is an angle piece around the edge that tends to trap water. I think I'm just going to have to pump them out on a regular basis. One other thing I'm going to start doing is use a dip stick to make sure the pump outs are working. I have a tube break a few years ago. It seemed to pump out fine. No water. Finally realized I was hauling around 2-300 lbs of water because the tube was broke. If you ever bank it hard or hit something check the pumpouts carefully. The float may be fine but the tubes can break inside. If you freeze up in the winter that can break them also. Also check that the plane is sitting level in the water. This can be an indication of a compartment with water in it. Always be paying attention.
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PK used hard plastic tubes for their pump out tubes on many of their floats. Those tubes get brittle and crack/break with almost no force. Also, they’d come un-assed from the pump out cup easily. I got a piece of wooden dowel at Home Depot to use as a dipstick. Made float checks quick. Eventually, I replaced those rotten hard plastic tubes with good quality soft rubber hose, problem solved.

MTV
 
MTV I agree, the ones I have are brittle and they have disconnected from the cups. Luckily when this happens it's easy to see because you can see it when you take the plug out. I like the rubber hose idea but how do you make sure the bottom stays at the low point in the compartment?

Alex, nice looking floats, I like the aluminum ones because they are sturdy and we don't have to worry about running them into the gravel banks. I carry some aluminum putty with me in case I do damage one. Repairs are quick and easy.

I've been lucky so far haven't damaged one too bad yet. The Keel in the PK seems to be pretty darn tough.

Craig Ketchum was at the Float Safety Seminar a couple months and made an interesting comment about the Aerocet's. He said that he didn't notice much difference with them when the airplane was light, but when he put a load in one he thought the Aerocet's really out performed the others. Probably some truth to that especially on a small lake.
 
Ed Ruebling said:
MTV I agree, the ones I have are brittle and they have disconnected from the cups. Luckily when this happens it's easy to see because you can see it when you take the plug out. I like the rubber hose idea but how do you make sure the bottom stays at the low point in the compartment?

Alex, nice looking floats, I like the aluminum ones because they are sturdy and we don't have to worry about running them into the gravel banks. I carry some aluminum putty with me in case I do damage one. Repairs are quick and easy.

I've been lucky so far haven't damaged one too bad yet. The Keel in the PK seems to be pretty darn tough.

Craig Ketchum was at the Float Safety Seminar a couple months and made an interesting comment about the Aerocet's. He said that he didn't notice much difference with them when the airplane was light, but when he put a load in one he thought the Aerocet's really out performed the others. Probably some truth to that especially on a small lake.
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I cut the hose hose to a length that theyd just about touch the bottom skins, the drill a small hole through the pump out cup and hose, and put a pin through the hole. Hose won’t come off with that. The pin works with plastic or aluminum pump out tubes as well.

I still carried a wood dowel and checked with it with it every week or so to be sure.

MTV
 
New plugs showed up. Just waiting on the pulley wheels. Local post office only open for two hrs on Saturdays.
Not like I have a place on the lake anyway...

Found more over-spray on the wife's car. It was 100 ft away in a misty rain. With the wind going the other way. How the heck does that happen?
 

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63872544592__80A2E857-1B38-4412-9246-B4ABE01108E9.jpgyou mean like this,Mike?
 

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