Installing a standby Electric Fuel Pump

[Morph]

I have installed mine this weekend.Starts after one pull.Useing it now for take-offs.Any guidelines to this Morph.Thanks for your input on this.

In formal GA aircraft you use the standby pump for takeoff and landing and for low flying. It's your choice to do the same. But the moment you hear that motor start to cough, or loosing revs etc, switch it on immediately, and then pray that this is a fuel related issue and not something else. Let look for a place to do a precautionary, or follow safe landing spots all the way home

[RV Sometime]

Very interesting topic & I have had plenty of experience with Facet pumps & I appreciate the input given here.

Firstly, my blik had a mechanical pump & an electric pump, the electric pump is a Facet type in that it has a ferrous core which moves backwards & forwards, hence the clunking sound. I am not sure whether it is mounted in series or parallel & the sound decreasing in volume & the fuel pressure guage reading increasing slightly upon startup is very reassuring. That big 9 litre Lycoming fired up on the second blade & was that easy to start, I have hand propped it a few times when I have had a dicky battery & bendix problems. That is scary, that engine is huge, 250 ponies.

I had the displeasure of needing to replace the fuel pump a few years back at the cost of R3800.00, a facet pump costs less than 10% of that. Viva ntca, thank you.

I have had facet pumps in a willys jeep & a beach buggy & they work fine. I also use a facet pump to pump diesel into the reservoir at my home for the oil heater & it works like a charm.

The most interesting application was recent where, in an industrial environment, I needed to pump ethyl alcohol. I bought a facet pump, but this was one of the newer black plastic bodied pumps. It does not like to suck fuel at all & is rated to pump pure alcohol. The pump was initially located about 300mm above the drum & I had to relocate it to close to floor level to eliminate this problem. The pump would simply cavitate. The metal bodied facet pump I use to transfer the diesel with is quite happy to self prime by comparison.

Be carefull out there & only use the pump that has been recommended.

To add, the poh states that fuel pump should be on initially to prime the carb, then turned off for starting & after start the fuel pressure guage is monitored to ensure positive pressure is maintained by the mechanical pump. The pump is off for taxi & run ups. Pump is turned on for take off & once the aerie is 1000 feet agl, the pump is turned off for the flight, only turned on during tank changes & for the landing. It has assisted in saving my bacon more than once because my old aerie had 2 mains & 2 tip tanks with a total capacity of 84 gallons. It was too easy to, when in the cruise, chatting away, autopilot flying the aerie, run a tank dry. The edrill is to immediately go mix full rick, pitch full fine, select another tank & fuel pump on. The seconds it takes when you hear that pump being noisy to going quiet & the engine go from windmilling to surging with full power make me want a facet pump in the Explorer.

Thanks for an interesting thread & solid advice.

[Bacardi]

To add, the poh states that fuel pump should be on initially to prime the carb, then turned off for starting & after start the fuel pressure guage is monitored to ensure positive pressure is maintained by the mechanical pump. The pump is off for taxi & run ups. Pump is turned on for take off & once the aerie is 1000 feet agl, the pump is turned off for the flight, only turned on during tank changes & for the landing.

Thanks for the heads-up here, RV Sometime! I, for one, turn on the facet on the Aquilla, start, taxi, and take off before switching it off. Only getting to appreciate now that a faulty mechanical pump will only become evident when you switch off the facet after take-off for a nice self-induced engine out. Real logical in principle, but easily overlooked.

[RV Sometime]

Glad you picked up the point boet, it is all about redundancy & checks. If the mechanical pump was failing, you can pick it up during the run up checks & the taxi, before you get airborne. As iterated by other guys on the forum, the electric fuel pump is there if you get yourself into a scenario where you need it & wish you had it if you did not.

I am very much pro to having the auxiliary fuel pump on any aerie I fly, what I have enjoyed the most is the lack of gung ho on this topic. We want to learn & I am sure many guys out there have piped in both Facet's & the fuel filters as mentioned. There was a further note to self with the one post of a filter installed the wrong way round. In ntca aeries , we are allowed to do a certain amount of the maintenance ourselves, this to me, is the beauty of ntca, but the filter was installed in the reverse flow dircection, so contamination was invisible, mistake that is easy by installer.

Thanks for that heads up too.

I enjoy the learning curve & it is only starting again after 30 years

[Tracer]

Hi Guys,

I bought my facet pump today and am ready to fit to my trike. I have gone through this thread many times and find merit in all installation types discussed.

I am going to fit a second fuel supply line, to the bottom of my tank, hook the Facet and a filter up on this line and add a Y-fitting, just before the maechanical pump. That way I am sure that should I have a failure, due to the outlet from the top of the tank being blocked or the primary filter being blocked, fuel will get to the carbs.

You mention that the Facet is a one-way flow pump, does this mean that I won't need a a non-return valve on the line from the facet, but I will need to fit one to the other supply line? (obviously preventing the facet from taking the easy way out and pumping the fuel back into the tank).

I know this is more plumbing and stuff, but I wll feel more comfortable with this setup! any advice on non-return valves to concider using?

Thanks

[RV Sometime]

The outlet side of the metal facet pump has a non return valve, I do not recommend the black plastic bodied pump.

[Morph]

The fuel pickup taken from the top has a tube extending down into the tank into a well at the bottom. The idea is the well acts as a water and dirt trap. The tube does not touch the bottom of the tank thus preventing water and dirt from being sucked up. Having a pickup on the bottom surface of the tank is risky wrt picking up water and dirt.
Either have the pickup off the side or better still t-piece off the top of the first one. The less holes you put in your tank the less chance of leaks.

Speak to Hyflo for valves and pickups and taps etc.

[Tracer]

Excellent, thanks for the advise. I was planning on adding the additional pick-up on the side.

[Z-MRP]

Just following the fitting of the electric fuel pump. I have used the facet pump for many years in varies applications and they definetly work best fitted nearest the tank and if possible lower than the outlet there by eliminating airlock and having to suck.One thing to be aware of is some models have a very small sieve fitted on the inlet side which can block quickly, so have a filter with a desent surface area to protect the pump. I run one on my plane and no complaints.
Z-MRP

[Duck Rogers]

The outlet side of the metal facet pump has a non return valve, I do not recommend the black plastic bodied pump.

Yes, you're right, it has a non-return valve but it doesn't work so lekker if the pump is fitted horisontally. It took me some time to figure out that the outlet side has to either point up or upwards at a 45 deg. angle. That way gravity helps with the non-return mechanism pushing it backwards. I initially had it installed horisontally and it (the non-return)didn't work. Now it's at a 45 deg. upwards angle and it works ok.

[Duck Rogers]

Having a pickup on the bottom surface of the tank is risky wrt picking up water and dirt.

Ask me, I know
I've just installed a complete, seperate line with an electric pump and I took the second outlet out the side, slightly higher than the original bottom outlet.

[Leprachaun]

I think an electric pump is a great idea , as it minimises the risk of an engine out .
Those of you who read the book of Rici and partners may remeber the near engine out over the forest due to dust clogged filters , first the one , and soon afterwards the second trike - Thank goodness they had them , its like dual vs single ignition engines ?? why take the chance . Leprachaun

[Sad-Ham]

I fitted one over the weekend but for some or other reason it does not pump the fuel. When switched on it makes the same 'vibrating' sound as the one on my previous trike but no fuel comes through. Is there a type of bleeding process one needs to do or should it immediately pump the fuel through? The fuel flows freely through when it is not switched on.

[Z-MRP]

Sounds like a faulty pump as fuel shouldnt FREE flow thru when switched off as there is slight pressure from the non return valve that stops this, fuel will how ever be drawn thru by the pulse pump when electric pump is off. Remove and bench test, remember if there is fuel in the pump connect the positive terminal first to avoid a spark which could cause a braai in your worshop area. I assume the pump is mounted horizontal ,below and nearest the tank.
Z-MRP

[Sad-Ham]

The pump is mounted level with the bottom of the tank but in a VERTICAL position..... does it need to be positioned horizontally?