Fuel trailer grounding diagram?

[Roverguyjoe]

Would somebody be willing to sketch me a little diagram of grounding for a Fuel trailer? I have a DOT approved aluminum fuel tank that I’m going to put on a small utility trailer so that I can easily get ethanol free fuel in bulk for my plane.

Do I just need to ground the fuel tank to the plane like I do when I’m filling up at the pump? Or should I also ground the trailer to the hanger?

 

[Torque&Recoil]

Good question. Normally when you fill up at the airport, you connect ground wire to the A/C because static charge builds up on the A/C from airflow. That ground wire goes to the pump, or tank, or basically to ground since the tank itself is grounded. If you are fueling between your trailer and your A/C, you should connect a wire between metal of trailer and the A/C so they are at the same electrical potential. It doesn't really matter if the A/C and trailer aren't grounded, because if they are connected, there won't be any spark.

I also have an E-AB (RV9A). Where are you getting ethanol free fuel in bulk?

 

[LXCam]

I would also suggest a static strap as well.

Robot or human?

 

[Roverguyjoe]

Good question. Normally when you fill up at the airport, you connect ground wire to the A/C because static charge builds up on the A/C from airflow. That ground wire goes to the pump, or tank, or basically to ground since the tank itself is grounded. If you are fueling between your trailer and your A/C, you should connect a wire between metal of trailer and the A/C so they are at the same electrical potential. It doesn't really matter if the A/C and trailer aren't grounded, because if they are connected, there won't be any spark.

I also have an E-AB (RV9A). Where are you getting ethanol free fuel in bulk?

Okay that’s pretty straight forward thanks! There’s local fuel/oil company in town that delivers to the marinas and you ca go to their physical location to fill up as well.

 

[gtae07]

If I can remember tomorrow I'll take pics of the trailer I made for doing the same thing (it's dark or I'd do it now). I haven't yet used it to pump mogas into the plane yet (I'm still early in my test period but I'll get to it soon) but I did use it to get a load of avgas to do my initial testing since I was at a private field with no fuel on site.

 

[kbeefy]

My fuel trailer just had a reel bolted to it that you could connect to an aircraft and also a grounding lead on the nozzle as well.

 

[cvairwerks]

You need two grounding lines. One from the trailer to the airfield ground and one from the trailer to the aircraft. Trailer to the field ground first, then to the aircraft. Aircraft should already have a ground cable to the airfield ground. Essentially you form a triangle with the airfield ground, the aircraft and the fuel trailer.

Do it quite often, but with a tanker rather than a trailer, and several thousands of gallons of JP-5 at a time.....

 

[mikegt4]

Would somebody be willing to sketch me a little diagram of grounding for a Fuel trailer? I have a DOT approved aluminum fuel tank that I’m going to put on a small utility trailer so that I can easily get ethanol free fuel in bulk for my plane.

Do I just need to ground the fuel tank to the plane like I do when I’m filling up at the pump? Or should I also ground the trailer to the hanger?

Kudos for your attention to safety but do your research first. IIRC there are regulations for the maximum amount of bulk fuel that can be transported without a HAZMAT endorsement. Storage at the hanger or your home would be another red flag for the authorities. My neighbor had a raised gasoline storage tank (was there for a tractor when he bought the house) and his insurance company had an issue with it.

 

[gtae07]

Here's my trailer. Holds 60 gallons. Works well, just haven't started mogas testing yet. Got a couple hours to burn off first.

 

[Steve from Socal]

There is a carve out for up to 630 gallons of diesel without hazmat, that is only diesel. Gasoline is going to be an issue in any large quanity.

 

[cvairwerks]

DOT limits are under 119 gallons, in a single DOT approved container, but also require appropriate hazmat labels on the vehicle. You can go with smaller containers, but again, DOT approved, vehicle labeling required depending on the containers. Cross the 119 gallon threshold for container size and all DOT hazmat rules apply, even if you put less than 119 gallons in it.