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Water in the belly?

J

joelaff

Private Pilot
Joined
Apr 8, 2011
Messages
628
Location
Missouri, USA
Today I found some water draining out of the belly drain holes when I climbed up to check the fuel and shook the plane around. We had some storms last night, but I keep her in a shade port. But there was enough wind that some water could have blown onto the aircraft.

My question is... is it normal/OK to find some water coming out of those holes on the bottom (by the transponder antenna)??

Thanks.
 
Mine is outside all the time and I never see water? Don't know if it is "normal" or not.
 
Those holes are drain holes. All airplanes have them. Keep the holes clean so that water doesn't pool in the belly.
Bad for corrosion and in the winter it could freeze and cause CG issues in some aircraft.
 
The holes are clean. Just wondering why I had water in there in the first place. I definitely did not come from inside the cabin )there was only one water bottle in there and it was intact). But we did have some strong gusting wind with rain last night. So perhaps it just came form there.

Nevertheless it concerns me to see fluids come out of my plane...
 
Its normal if it has been rained on. Mine is outside all the time and it does that every time it rains. The holes do plug from time to time, so they need to be checked occasionally.
 
Yeah, the real danger is if the holes get plugged, and you don't notice the fact that water has accumulated in the belly. That could create a severe out of balance situation. I used to have an IA who always checked those holes to make sure they were clear.
 
Holy necropost, Batman -- 15 years! Almost old enough to solo!

FWIW, I've never thought enough water could accumulate in the belly of a 172 to create a W&B problem. I thought it was only a corrosion issue.
 
I’ve used those bamboo skewers for shishkabob you’ll find at the grocery store zto clear the drainage holes after my plane had sat outside during rainstorms. There’s grease/whatever accumulation in the tailcone & elsewhere in the fuselage that will block those holes, and a lot of water can accumulate & be retained. If for nothing else, when I wash my plane, I have the chance to go over the airframe with a fine-toothed comb (and shishkabob skewer).
 
After leaving a rented 172 or 172 RG parked for several days in the Portland, OR area, it took about half an hour of rocking and sumping to get the water out of the fuel tanks and fuselage. This was something like 30 years ago, so I suppose this is appropriate for a necrothread.
 
When I had a similar situation and I asked the same question, I was told "That's what those holes are there for. You need to worry if you have water in the belly and it doesn't drain out through the holes".
 
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