Hi Tom,

There used to be an automatic fuel transfer system offered as a complete kit for the Lancairs.  It was based on optical sensors (no moving parts) and worked specifically with the Facet pumps, but later changes by Facet to the electronics of their pumps rendered the system inoperative.  They then offered a fuel transfer system which would blink when each wing was dry.  The site was www.ppavionics.com, and it is no longer active.  The optical sensors used were like these:  http://www.omega.com/ppt/pptsc.asp?ref=LV170&Nav=grek13 - they have limitations in that they will only control a small amount of current.  However, it would certainly be possible to install one in the feed line from each wing and, when the feed line runs dry, have it illuminate a red LED to let you know the wing was dry.

There are various methods I explored for automatically transferring fuel.  The simplest method would be to use a programmable relay, and set it to pump for 5 minutes when the low-level switch activates.  In such a scenario, I would undoubtedly replace the simple on/off transfer switches with on/off/auto, so that if the relay failed I could "force" the pump to run.  In the end, decided to just put in Hi/Med/Low float switches and a capacitance gage. 

I can add an alarm based on the float switches to my EFIS that will get my attention, as well as LEDs to indicate rough tank level (green, yellow, red anyone?).  Down the road I do intend to install the "tank empty" sensors - a very nice feature - but for now I use a simple timer to determine when wing tanks are empty (the Facet pumps are very predictable, and I replaced every inch of plastic fuel tubing with aluminum).

Cheers,

Bill




Tom Anderson wrote:

My 360 is getting ready for some repairs that includes fixing defective fuel gauges and recalibrating my totalizer. While I’m at it, I’d like to add a switching device that would read the header tank level and automatically activate the fuel transfer pumps when the header tank level drops below, say, 4 gallons and then shuts it off at a header tank reading of about 9 gallons. I saw a 2 ¼” display for such a unit on a friend’s Lancair, but he couldn’t recall where he got if from and doubted they were still available. Does anyone know if they are or what other options might be available? Thanks for any thoughts on this.

 

Tom, N360DB