The pitot and static tubing that was supplied with my Waiex kit which has been installed in my right wing and just sitting in my garage, looks like it is oozing a gooey/slimy substance, at least on the outer surface, along it’s entire length as far as I can reach. I believe it was some sort of tygon tubing.
Anyone else experience that, or know what that might be? And should it be replaced? And if so, ugh - how to do that and get new tubing through the tubing brackets in ribs that cannot be reached (like ribs 4-7)?
Mine was the same way. I want to say when I looked it up it was plasticizer leeching out. I can’t recall if it was an issue but since I hadn’t installed it yet I bought B-44-3 Tygon tubing to replace it which looks better suited for air. McMaster had it for way less than Spruce. I haven’t put it in yet but I had good luck taping wires to a hinge pin when I had to rerun some wiring.
The problem with replacing it is that I used the routing brackets that are riveted to the ribs (the tubing is routed through the lightening hole, and through the holes in the brackets) and are snug enough of a fit such that pulling a piece of tubing that is the same O.D. Could be problematic. I suppose I could fold in/collapse the end of a replacement tube and sinch it down with a wrap of safety wire so that end is a smaller diameter. Or, find an acceptable replacement with slightly smaller O.D.
I think I’ll ask Sonex since they supplied what I have now.
IMHO, plastizer leaching on outside, may well be doing the same on the inside too. I suggest replacing it. I think you have a reasonable idea about pulling new thru. maybe a smaller dia too"?
I don’t know what I was thinking, but the pitot/static lines only go out to just outboard of rib #4. I can reach rib 1-3 from the root end, and can reach rib 4 from the hole in the skin for the pitot/static ports. So replacing the tubing should be easy enough.
I heard back from Sonex and they stated that only one other person had reported what I am finding with the tubing. They had two options to consider - one is a pitot/static tubing “kit” with adapters and such that Dynon uses. I bit to pricey for me. The other option ( Pitot Kit Hose / Clamp / Tube | Aircraft Spruce ® ) has vinyl tubing and a length of aluminum tubing.
I think I’ll verify the sizing and take a look at what McMaster-Carr has.
I used poly tubing from Menards. Menards is a Midwestern Lowe’s Depot sort of place.
Edit: I used the poly tubing both for pitot static and wire runs. It’s at least 10 years old with no signs of degradation. Aliens will probably find it thousands of years from now in the ruins of our civilization.
I Also used a pitot static kit but from Stein Air i think that being said i am running a garmin Pitot with AOA so i wanted the color coding, i made custom brackets in place of the single bracket option.
