Smoke system question
 

I use a (tamjet) smoke pump, and get good smoke. So far so good:)

What I do not like is the "leaking" of smoke oil when the pump is off. Intermittently I get small trails of smoke during taxi and after shutdown.

So my question is; is my setup/plumbing sub-optimal, or is this something I have to live with? It seems the heat/airflow from the turbine forces small amounts of smoke oil out of the tube ends/nozzles.



One other thing, I believe I red somewhere that turning on smoke while the engine is at idle is a bad idea (for the turbine). If so, does that apply for both on ground and airborne?



Thanks for any reply:)



Kim

RE: Smoke system question
 

put a one way festo valve near the nozzle.. just that little bit of restriction stops the dribble..

smoke at idle doesn't vaporize well and could cause a fireball if you accel the engine.. If you do it airborne, it could ignite when you power up.. or pop and sputter.. sounds scary when it happens like the motor is stagging.. If you have smoke on, keep a little power in minimum in the air.. I always test it on the ground before for a quick burst..

RE: Smoke system question
 

Thanks!

Do you mean the Festo Check valve? (can´t find Festo one way valve, only SMC)

Will a pinching of the tube also (if I understand you correctly) work, for example locking wire wrapped and tightened just a tiny bit?


I have not dared to try the smoke system at idle yet, so I guess I will continue to work it at around 1/2 throttle and up;)




Kim

RE: Smoke system question
 

Your smoke tank could be mounted just a little too high to prevent oil 'siphoning' down the line.

Fire?.... It's not a problem for the engine, but could be for the airframe. Turning on the smoke oil during a low throttle setting could ignite the oil to a fireball....

This 'fire' event happens to me once in a while, for my airframe, it's not a problem. The loud sound of the fire does turn a few heads. :)

RE: Smoke system question
 

The JetCat smoker tube comes with the one way festo valve and it works great.
If you mix the smoke rate to throttle its not a problem.

Dave

RE: Smoke system question
 

Thanks for all the replies guys:) Helps me alot!

I have the smoke system installed in my Carf Mig-15, and there is really no optimum place to put the smoke oil tank(s). I mounted one 400ml tank on each side of the turbine, so I have a total of 800ml. Not a lot, but enough for some "smokin´" flybys[8D] The pump should probably been mounted underneath the intake ducting, but it is hard to get down there without lots of work... The pump is therefor mounted on top of the intake duct, which after inputs here, and some high level thinking(....) from this guy, is an unfavorable position.

I have ordered both check valves and one way valves (2 of each), and will fit them and see if the 'siphoning' stops. If not, I might change the pump´s location.


Kim

RE: Smoke system question
 

yes

RE: Smoke system question
 

smoke on when idling on the ground can ignite...sometimes..not always...depends on the installation and conditions. One fire was enough, so I don't do it anymore....(no damage )

Smoke on at idle in the air has never been a problem with any of my installations as the airflow keeps everything moving away from the engine / airframe you get lots of billowing smoke under these conditions....

RE: Smoke system question
 

Hi guys, I'm new on this subject, so please help:

1. I have my smoke hooked up to AUX7 of a 1221 but before I plug in the battery pack to the smoke pump, I realized that the pump was able to be powered up by the rx, is this OK? 

2. Wouldn't my 8.4V smoke pump battery be powering my entire rx and servos, since it's got a higher voltage than my rx at 6.6V?

3. Please provide a quick overview to inactivate AUX7 during bottom half of throttle.

4. Has anyone installed a second solenoid Y'ed off, or paralleled to the fuel for the smoke, provided that the ECU could handle it?

Thanks in advance