Air system maintenance

[Steve Dalton]

Every annual for the last 7 years Cliff Coy has added a gylcerin/
alcohol mixture to my main tank.

I just sent my air bottle and gear actuators to Jill at M-14P for
hydro testing and overhaul.

She reports back that the bottle looks like new inside and my
actuators are in GREAT shape...little to nothing required on the
overhaul. NO rust and the rubber seals are like new. My uplocks
looked the same.

I HIGHLY recommend this mixture of 10cc's each to the air bottle
(5cc's to emergency bottle) during each annual.

I also recommend Jill for bottle/actuator overhaul/testing.

-Steve Dalton

[A. Dennis Savarese]

Excellent point Steve. But I would like to mention that you started out
with a brand new airplane with brand new tanks and everything new in the
pneumatic system. If the pneumatic systems on even the TW's or W's have not
been properly maintained each year since they were delivered, the potential
deterioration of the pneumatic system components has already begun and can
not be reversed by beginning the addition of the Glycerin and Alcohol
mixture. This is exactly the same problem many of the older (80's models)
Yak 52's have as well. The only solution is to rebuild the components,
completely clean and test the air bottles, then begin adding the glycerin
and alcohol mixture at that time and for all future annual maintenance.

The only point I am trying to make is a pneumatic system that already shows
evidence of rust, corrosion or seal deterioration will not be corrected by
the addition of the glycerin and alcohol mixture. It must be done when the
components are new or just rebuilt. Glycerin and Alcohol is preventive
"medicine", but not a cure for the "infection".
Dennis

[Steve Dalton]

Good point Dennis. If you start out with a "clean" system it will keep
the system clean a long time.