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Permalink Reply by Richard Rost on August 10, 2013 at 10:30am

Patrick,

I've seen syphon kits at farm & home stores in the past. You could take most of it out through the top and finish up with the drain plug.

Rich

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Permalink Reply by John Austin on August 10, 2013 at 10:53am

If you've got a fuel tank selector or independent tank shut-off valves for each tank, it "seems" that it drains pretty quickly through the gascolator drain (if you have one). I've never timed it against the tank drain, however, so I don't know for sure if it's any quicker!  Also, the gascolator drain is usually a lot lower to the ground and you can just catch the fuel in a container rather than having to rig some sort of hose or elevate the container to near the fuel tank drain.

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Permalink Reply by Darryl Legg on August 11, 2013 at 1:30am

I have installed these curtis drain valves instead of the push up versions, not sure if faster but just twist open and stays open, sit a large drum with funnel underneath and do something else for a while.....

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/appages/curtisquickdv7.php?cl...

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Permalink Reply by Patrick Hoyt on August 11, 2013 at 7:47am

That's what I'm looking for! I didn't know what they were called.

I had my original (and never used) gascolator in a box. It has one of those Curtis valves on it. Don't know yet if it's the right thread/size, but from eyeballing it, it's close...

Thanks Darryl.

- Pat

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Permalink Reply by Bob Pustell on August 11, 2013 at 5:34pm

Be sure the threads are compatible. The Curtis valve in the Aircraft Spruce link has a pipe thread. I think (but am not sure) that the 601/650 fuel tank drains have a straight thread, not a pipe thread. There are drain valves with numerous types and sizes of thread available and many of them look darn near the same as the other. Missmatched threads can be a source of recurring leaks no matter how many times you seal them or tighten them. The factory should be able to tell you the thread type. (Even the factory messes up sometimes, my friend's now complete 601 kit came with fuel tank drain valves that had the wrong thread, he had constant minor drippage problems. Once he figured out the thread difference and put different drain valves in, his problems went away.)

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Permalink Reply by Patrick Hoyt on August 11, 2013 at 7:08pm

Threads matched the Curtis valve that came out of the original gascolator. Have already run an hours worth of auto fuel through it. Working well with no leaks.

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Permalink Reply by Jim and Amelia Isaacs on July 16, 2024 at 7:18pm

Reviving this thread to share how I de-fueled my 701. Buy one of These and remove the metal valve from the end, it just pulls off. Pull the aircraft outside. Place one end of the siphon hose in an empty fuel can sitting on the ground under your wing tank, ground your aircraft (clip one end of the ground cable to your exhaust, the other end to a ground rod) and loosen the wing tank drain valve so you can unscrew it by hand. Put on some fuel resistant gloves. Hold the end of the siphon hose close by the loosened quick drain valve and unscrew the valve- when it comes out in your hand just push the siphon hose over the welded bund the quick drain valve screws into. Fits perfectly, won’t leak or fall off. Walk away and let the fuel drain down the plastic fuel siphon hose and into the gas can sitting on the ground. The siphon hose is clear so it’s easy to see when the tank is empty. Very little spillage, and greatly reduced risk of a static spark causing a fire as can happen when you let gasoline free fall into a container. 

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