I'm pretty fond of fuel so when I fill up I try and take on as much as I can but I invariably end up with a modest amount of fuel coming out the vent. My hat ends up smelling of fuel (which is nice) but it seems like a waste.

Typically I fill to the bottom of the fuel cap flange but I always feel it would take a few more gallons if I filled it to the top but that makes no sense if it is going to exhaust out the vent.

How full is full?

Depends on the model, and the amount of dihedral, whether the tanks are metal, fiberglass, or bladders, and where the vents are installed and how many there are. With my P172D, for instance, which doesn't have all that much dihedral and metal tanks and only one vent, I can fill them to the brim without venting any, so long as the airplane is level. If the airplane is parked left wing down, it'll start venting when totally full, and I'll end up with the 100LL smelling hat, too. The first Skylane I owned in partnership would vent easily if the tanks were filled, because it had more dihedral and two vents with bladders, so unless I was about to take off immediately, I never filled it to the brim.

Cary

How does your hat get fuel on it from the vent? Is it leaking in the interior on your head? [emoji2371]

Aryana wrote:How does your hat get fuel on it from the vent? Is it leaking in the interior on your head? [emoji2371]

No, not an interior leak. Once when i bend down to look at the new pool of fluid beside my plane and at least once more during walkaround or when checking that the floats haven't accumulated any water. Managed to get dripped on 4 times the other day. Slow learner. Good thing I like the smell of gas.

I'm curious if your vent tubes are bent up like the newer style ir just straight out. Im guessing straight out. The newer ones come out of the tank, then curve up to the top of the wing and then back down and outboard to where they drop through the wing. The raised ones dont leak fuel as easy.

Heres a picture of what I was trying to say. McFarlane makes them.

albravo wrote:

Aryana wrote:How does your hat get fuel on it from the vent? Is it leaking in the interior on your head? [emoji2371]

No, not an interior leak. Once when i bend down to look at the new pool of fluid beside my plane and at least once more during walkaround or when checking that the floats haven't accumulated any water. Managed to get dripped on 4 times the other day. Slow learner. Good thing I like the smell of gas.

Ah ok [emoji1360]

Wow David. As we hillbillies say, "What luck!"

A1Skinner wrote:Heres a picture of what I was trying to say. McFarlane makes them.

David, thanks, that looks like the solution.