Guys please stop using zip ties on fuel line clamps

Watched a guy in the hangar last Thursday secure a fuel return hose with a zip tie because he was out of proper clamps. Said it was fine for a quick fix. That hose sees 50-60 psi and constant vibration. Ive seen those things snap after a few cycles in the engine bay. How hard is it to just walk to the supply room and grab the right clamp? Has anyone else had to undo someone else's zip tie job on a critical line?

2 comments

2 Comments

roberts.jordan14h ago

Actually saw a Cessna 172 come through last month that had zip ties on all four fuel hoses from the factory like 15 years ago and they were still holding fine. Zip ties are rated for like 50-100 pounds of tensile strength depending on the size, that's way more than a fuel line needs. Heat and vibration will crack a brittle nylon clamp faster than a flexible zip tie will snap. The real issue is people using those cheap white ones instead of the black UV stabilized ones. If it was good enough for that Cessna to fly 2000 hours without a leak, seems like a few bucks saved is worth something.

cole_davis4713h ago

Had a buddy who worked at a small flight school in Texas tell me about a Piper they bought used that had zip ties holding the oil cooler lines together. Someone had used the cheap white ones from a hardware store and they were brittle as heck, one of them snapped during a preflight check. He said the black ones from Aircraft Spruce were still holding up on the other lines though, no cracks after like five years. So yeah, color makes a difference I guess, but I'd still rather spend the extra few bucks on a proper clamp for my own plane lol.