PA-12 Fuel Sight Guage

[MCollins]

Does anyone have experience installing wing root fuel guages, such as Dakota Cub makes, in stock PA-12 fuel tanks? I'd like to eliminate the stock sight guages under the wing in preparation for a sea plane door.

 

[Steve Pierce]

Stock PA12 tanks are tern plate so I guess you would need to braze the nipples in.

 

[dgapilot]

Or solder. Most tern plate tanks I’ve seen are soldered.

 

[MT12]

I did it on a 12 with wagaero tanks. so aluminum. I was always worried about the originals breaking off. I had to put them in at a fairly sloped angle either due to the tank being shallower than an 18's or maybe it was to avoid hitting bracing. so they were a bit steep for good accuracy. Be careful how you set your lower bung and how you run your tubing so that it doesn't create a dip to catch water or to not allow the sight guage to fully drain, I hear that can be an issue, don't ask me how I know.

 

[MCollins]

The tanks are aluminum, but the original 19 gallon size. Inaccuracy seems to be the theme regarding wing root fuel gauges on the shallower tanks. I have not heard good reports on the accuracy and visibility of the stock gauges either, so I'm not sure it would be any worse.

 

[MT12]

i made marks at 5 gallon incriments while filling them and after awhile you can pretty well decipher how much you have in your tank. If you have original 12 tanks in Aluminum they are probably Wagaero tanks which are only 18 gallons. mine were and had 17.4 usable

 

[Paul Heinrich]

Be really careful when installing and calibrating them when there is little to no fuel in the tanks. Some less than professional installations misleadingly show some fuel remaining when there isn't any. You must ensure there is no residual fuel in the bottom of the sight gauge at any attitude after any climb, descent, slip, bank, well before the tank is empty.

In my experience it is better if the gauge shows the tank is dry 20 minutes or so before it's empty.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Be really careful when installing and calibrating them when there is little to no fuel in the tanks. Some less than professional installations misleadingly show some fuel remaining when there isn't any. You must ensure there is no residual fuel in the bottom of the sight gauge at any attitude after any climb, descent, slip, bank, well before the tank is empty.

In my experience it is better if the gauge shows the tank is dry 20 minutes or so before it's empty.

I had an exp pa-12 that way. It ran out of fuel a few times. When I pulled the wing roots the distance between the site gauge outlets on the take was much shorter than the Dakota cub fuel gauges. When the tanks were dry it showed half a tank. The fuel line was routed way down and made a p trap. Took the sight glass off and put some heat shrink so you couldn’t see the unusable fuel in the gauge and marked it. Got to love the experimental world.

 

[Steve Pierce]

The PA16 has the same underwing gauges as the PA12. When the rod hit the bottom of the tube you had 20-30 minutes of fuel. An Electronics International FP5L fuel totalizer is awesome.

 

[buckchop]

I installed pa18 gauges in the wing tanks of my pa12 when i rebuild it at CC place, we used the gauges with the aluminum sheilds, and i used the 18gallon wag aero tanks, CC shop welded in the fittings in my tanks. they work great if u ask me, when im down to where the ball is at bottom i do have fuel left for 30 min or so, but u dont have to worry about gettin the stock pa12 gauge in the MELON!! Hahahahaaa

 

[MCollins]

Thanks for the input. I ordered the Dakota Cub gauges and we are going to install them on the Wag Aero tanks the 12 is currently equipped with.