Can you Drain/Sump TKS Fluid

robottwo · Post by **robottwo** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 1:28 am

Hi,

I need to drain my TKS fluid for weight and balance for a flight later this week. I know I can just pump it out during flight, but I'm trying to save the fluid if I can.

Does anyone know how to sump the TKS fluid? I tried to use a syphon pump from the top port, but there's a metal filter blocking a hose from going in there. I saw that there is some sort of drain-looking thing under the plane where the TKS is, but it's not in the manual and I don't know if that's what it's for (or how to use it).

Thanks,
-Dan

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 1:58 am

As far as I know, there's no easy way to drain the TKS fluid, but I'd love to be proven wrong. Is there no way to remove the metal screen on the fill tube? I've never tried it, but that's where I'd look first.

Regarding the "drain-looking thing", you might be referring to the battery vent, which is next to the outside air temperature sensor on my DA42. Does it look like this?

ememic99 · Post by **ememic99** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 8:47 am

robottwo wrote: ↑Thu Jul 21, 2022 1:28 am I need to drain my TKS fluid for weight and balance for a flight later this week.

Are you sure that you need do drain TKS for weight and balance? Do you think that few kilograms of TKS fluid change W&B so dramatically that you have to drain it?

robottwo · Post by **robottwo** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 11:09 am

Thanks, yes that was the thing I was looking at.

TKS fluid is quite heavy. I’ve got about 40 lbs of it sitting in the tank in 100 degree weather where it’s quite useless.

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ememic99 · Post by **ememic99** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 11:27 am

I understand that you don’t like unnecessary weight but do you really have to drain 18 kg of TKS from 2300 kg MTOW aircraft and you expect noticeable performance difference?

robottwo · Post by **robottwo** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 11:28 am

If you want to carry an extra 40 lbs of cargo or passengers, then yes. All planes have a maximum weight limit you are not allowed to exceed.

Soareyes · Post by **Soareyes** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:19 pm

In the DA42 there is a stopcock located in the nose wheel well specifically for draining the TKS tank. Don't know about the DA62 but perhaps you have something similar.

robottwo · Post by **robottwo** » Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:54 pm

Do you have a photo of what that looks like? I’m not seeing anything obvious.

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Soareyes · Post by **Soareyes** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 12:41 am

I was just looking all this up a few days ago, learning how to access the main battery, which in the DA42 is located inconveniently behind the TKS tank. The tank drain is low in the forward part of the wheel well next to the external power socket. This is how it looks in the maintenance manual and in my plane:

While I can see it, it is not obvious to me how the drain works. Cut wires or not, insert a tube how, turn what to open the drain?

Probably different in the DA62.

Soareyes · Post by **Soareyes** » Fri Jul 22, 2022 4:17 pm

I looked in the DA62 maintenance manual. They refer to a TKS drain located under the metering pumps found in the left hand side of the nose compartment.

Removing the strainer in the filler neck and siphoning out fluid may be easier.