ORIGINAL: Villa
Hi nk3t
I'm one of those who believes that the Hayes tanks is the best thing since sliced bread. The O-ring seal is what sold it for me. When I was working as a Mechanical Engineer I designed hundreds of applications for O-rings and was always impressed with the simplicity and reliability. On the Hayes tank nothing is machined so there could be a quality problem. Did you always use the Vaseline on the O-ring that is recommended in the installation instructions? I used the Sullivan tanks for over 10 years. One day I was having engine run problems and noticed the large white Sullivan rubber plug was shredding and coming apart. Little bits of white rubber were all over the place, including the carburetor. Apparently age and fuel had attacked the white rubber. I immediately threw out every Sullivan tank I had and replaced it with the Hayes tank. I think some of my Hayes tanks have been in use for over 5 years. I have taken the time to give you a detailed report on my experience. I would like to read your story. Thanks for reading mine.
I am in the habit of checking tanks for leaks before installing them into planes. I assemble the tank according to the directions, and blow into them while submerged in a bowl of water. The Hayes tanks have a visible seam that indicates where the mold comes together. This seam area is where I have had problems. The other leaks I have seem from a fellow flyer were in the corner of the tank, where the material thinned out to a small pin hole. I do not have any complaints with the engineering of the tank, it appears to be a good design. I have however run into manufacturing defects. Having personally seen 4 such failures, prevents me from purchasing Hayes tanks, or recommending the purchase of Hayes tanks.