Of course I have done all of this finishing work and installation of the rear bulkhead before I checked the tanks for leaks. Not very smart! If I have a leak in the rear bulkhead I will have a lot of re-do in that area and that was tough to do in the first place.

So I finally decided to do the leak test and I got lucky. No leaks!! Whew!

This is a picture of the leak test rig. I know you can't see a lot of detail, but that will follow in subsequent shots. I have set up two water columns. One is on the sump and the other moves between strake tanks for the test. The key feature is a loop in the tube that drops from the tank to the floor and then goes up at least 3 feet above the tank. The tube has enough water to show a pressure difference of at least 30 inches and not run out of the top; and it is configured so the water will not run back down the tube into the tank.

I have two sets of everything - water level and connections. After the sump was confirmed as sealed, it is used as the comparison. As barometric pressure and temperature change, they are reflected as changes in the sump water level.

If you open the large picture, you can see that I have blown up the top and bottom water levels. I was able to fiddle with the pressure in the sump and the strake to get them to match. What I am attempting to show is that they are match both on top and bottom. So each side has the same pressure and any ambient changes will be reflected in both. If the strale goes down more that the sump, it's leaking!

It is very important to make sure the fittings are put in with sealant and the fuel caps are well lubed.

After 24 hours I went out to check the levels and my heart sank. I first looked at the strake line and it was down about 3". I freaked. Then I remembered to check the other line (which was not co-located at that time) and (whew) it was the same. The temp had gone from 84 to 72. They both showed the right change. I was relieved. I left them for 48 hours and they stayed together.

7/16/2011   Picture 146