RotoFlow Fuel Systems — No Maintenance Required

RotoFlow Fuel Systems — No Maintenance Required

RC Fuel Tanks haven’t changed in decades and we all deal with the same old problems of leaks and misplaced clunks after a hard landing! On the market now for a couple of years, the RotoFlow Fuel system from JL power Products is truly revolutionary with its internal “clunkless” design. I have have one installed in my 1/4-scale Sopwith Camel, and it has worked flawlessly from the start.

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | RotoFlow Fuel Systems — No Maintenance Required

Inside each tank is a fully engineered fuel pickup system that has a large easy moving fuel pickup that’s always going to be in position for proper fuel flow regardless of the attitude and position your plane. The new RotoFlow clunkless fuel tank has a brass rotary fuel pick-up that works on the principle of centrifugal force to ensure constant and reliable contact with fuel.

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | RotoFlow Fuel Systems — No Maintenance Required

RotoFlow tanks and hardware are compatible with Glow fuel, Gasoline, Kerosene, and smoke oil materials.

plansI liked the Roto-Flow tank so much I actually drew it into my plans for the Sopwith Camel sold in the AirAgeStore.com website. To make it easy to install and keep it accessible, I made a pair of  lite ply brackets that hold the tank with padded cushion strips and screwed them into place under a removable hatch cover.

tank5

Also, if you would like to see how I installed it you can see the Build-along I posted while building the Camel, just click HERE.

If you really want a trouble free fuel system, this is the place to get it!

J&L Power Products, Inc.
388 Belvedere East
Colgate, WI 53017

 

16 Comments

  1. Hi Gerry. These tanks are really nice, especially for larger planes. And they work with gas and glow. I only see two downsides. One is that you have to put a “T” in the clunk line in order to empty the tank which in essence creates three more ‘connections’ to the line to the carb — unless you can take the line off the carb to fill and empty. I can’t think of one of my planes that works that way, however. Second, the clunk can’t go forward in a prolonged dive and there is a slight risk of not enough fuel getting to the carb for a consistent run. I recently had a flameout coming out of a high stall turn but in fairness running out of fuel to the clunk probably wasn’t the reason the engine quit. It might not be a worry in most installations but that is something different from the normal plumbing.

    1. My thoughts exactly, High Nitro. It appears that at a quater tank or less, the clunk is out of the fuel depending on the planes attidude .

  2. What about a pressure feed from the muffler? Don’t see any way to pressurize the tank.

    1. Oh – sorry, I missed the first picture that shows additional hose nipples on the plastic fuel tank itself. Never mind.

  3. Yeah Phil, the tanks have the two nipples and the top one makes a good vent connection. BUT, what good is the second one if you can’t put a second line inside for fueling and de-fueling.

    Hey wait, I just had a thought! If you invert the plane you can de-fuel through the vent line. Using a “T” on that wouldn’t be as critical as creating three extra connections to the carb.

    When the article comes out in M.A.N. maybe these issues will be addressed.

  4. William, you are incorrect. The tank plumbing is custom made to fit each size of tank offered. In each case, the free rotating pickup weight is positioned to about 3/16-inch of the inner aft corner of the tank. it should do a great job getting all the fuel out of the tank. In an extended dive, I doubt you’d have any fuel flow issues, running out of altitude before you run out of fuel flow… Test flights will be flown and we’ll see. Beside, I think if there were such issue with this product, I think the web would be full of complaints. The tanks are designed and manufacturered by a modeler with over 30 years flying and hobby experience!

  5. Does anyone know if the lower vent is open or do you have to open it up with a drill bit or pin, it looks like its closed on the end, do I need to cap it off if not used??

    1. u need to drill it out with a very small drill

  6. hi
    how can i connect to 3 fuel tank to each other any one now about what system is use for this connection please send your advice to my email
    and sorry because of my english is not good

  7. I connected two lines at top of the tank & ran the lines to bottom of the plane. one of the lines is used for air vent & the other is to fill tank. then when done flying I invert plane to drain tank completely, this works very well . ps I plug one of the lines after fueling up.

    1. Thats a bit tough with a 50 lb war bird

  8. I’ve been using two different ones in two different airplanes, a 12 oz and a 16.
    They have both been flawless over 2 + years, with no hint of any fuel starvation whatsoever at any speed or any attitude.
    Their VERY sturdy construction is a natural for YS engines, no chance of any leak regardless of the YS pressure.
    These products rate a “10” with me. Doug

    1. Thanks Doug. I use YS engines also and was interested in this tank. The DZ is non pressurized so not an issue but some of my YS engines are.

  9. Thanks for the info … I use YS engines also.

  10. Can you use the vent line as a fill line and remain with 2-line setup?

  11. The plane will run out of fuel in a slow dive. The only fool proof gas tank is any tank with a y fitting in the center and a clumk on both the back and the front of the tank it is the only way to be sure it will always have a supply of fuel until the tank is empty. pilots have run out of fuel with still plenty of fuel still in the tank. But not me I can run my 50cc to less than a ounce left in the tank.

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