My experience from using one for about a decade (same one!) is that they work just fine. What Brett describes as a "giant car fuel filter" is, in my case, an R/C car filter, followed by a normal Crap Trap. Paul Walker and Howard Rush used these pumps quite satisfactorily, but removed them from the jug every day and stored them in a ziploc bag. I have never bothered with that. Mine stays in the jug all year, for the decade, with whatever fuel is left over, and doesn't cause me any problems at all. It's my belief that it's a cleaner fuel source than a syringe, but of course, there is always a chance of pouring some contaminations into the jug, or getting some fuel with floating wads of castor oil flakes in it.
The pumps are all nylon, no seals to degrade. If you think nylon is good stuff, jump onboard. I got my pumps from "Tap Plastics". They're intended for epoxy resin and catalyst, and one stroke pumps exactly 1 oz of fuel. If you want to pump 1/4 or 1/2 oz, it would be easy enough to make a spacer that you could slip under the head, for 1/4 stroke or 1/2 stroke. My current setup is usually on the ground at 7 minutes with 6 oz of fuel. There are 1/2 oz pumps out there, and yes, they'll also work, but the head is a lot smaller and the fittings I use wouldn't work. But you can do that, if you want. Scott Riese uses them and probably has some for sale.
Attached are two pictures of "ketchup" pumps. The ones laying on the teak table (don't tell my Mrs.!) are a Dirty Dan pump and a stock pump. The fueler rig you see next to my Eagle is one I built from scratch, with some different techniques and pumbing ideas. You can zoom in on the fueler and see that the outflow line hooks to a fitting (Sullivan) on the top side of the jug. This seals the 'system' but also lets you prime the pump, which is a good idea for officials, but at least for the first flying session of the season. Depending on my airplane's fuel system, I have an alternate way to rig this, but it's a simple and easy switch, with no extra parts. The tank overflow can be pumped back into the jug, a nice idea for the frugal and also to preserve the grass, if you fly on grass. Once the tank has been topped off, the 1 oz. syringe hanging there is to suck out a predetermined amount of excess fuel. Brett says this is the most accurate way of getting your fuel load exact and consistent, and I believe that.
What I cannot fathom is sucking fuel into a syringe and then laying the syringe on the ground...but I see it happen at every contest. Also see guys taking the lid off their gallon jug on a rainy day and sucking fuel into the syringe...very bad! Oh, well, they'll have much better luck with electron power, I'm sure.
Steve
Topic: KETCHUP PUMP FUELER (Read 1096 times)