Bench setting float / fuel level

I live in an apartment, so have to watch what I do to keep from breaking the rules / burning the place down...LOL

Is it acceptable to set the float / fuel level in the carbs with water ?? I have them in my apartment, after cleaning and rebuilding them, and would prefer to set the fuel level here, with water, if it will give me accurate results.

Is this a bone-headed idea, or will it work ??

NO and YES.

No it will not the specific gravity of water and gasoline are not the same
water being heavier than gasoline the float will not sink the same.

YES a bone headed idea

Yeah, you'd be better off having a table out side. I was evicted from my apartment because I rebuilt my 350 Honda in my living room. I was 18 When the owner saw I had plastic down and it was sitting on a peice of ply wood, he smiled, let me finish it without the tank outside and gave me 30 days to move. "My wife would never let me get away with this and you have to move. The neighbors are complaining." He said. If you have a lot of work to do, I suggest a storage unit for a month. Cheap shop.
Steve

Is there anything else, not as flammable, less odor, that would work ??

Possibly Denatured Alcohol ??

Alcohol is just as flammable. Why not rest them on the case and do it there?
Steve

I do have a storage unit, but it's 20 miles away. I was hoping to get the fuel levels set on them this eve, then take them to the bike tomorrow and install them.

My storage unit is packed with to much crap, which makes it difficult to work in.

Don't you have a patio or balcony to work in?
Steve

Here's a table that shows the specific gravity of numerous things. It may help. Ed

www.engineeringtoolbox.com/specific-gravity-liquids-d_336.html

It looks like vehicle gas has a specific gravity of .74, and my alcohol is approximately .80. Close........

Grain alcohol is closer at .77 - .78. No idea where to buy grain alcohol though ??

I think I'm going to set all carbs with the denatured alcohol. Then test at least two of the carbs tomorrow with gasoline. If the two carbs check out OK, I'm going to call it good, and put things together, with crossed fingers...

Thanks for the link 650ed !!

skooterbum4real wrote: Is there anything else, not as flammable, less odor, that would work ??

Possibly Denatured Alcohol ??

Maybe solvent like mineral spirits (generic paint thinner) you can buy at Home Depot. I thought it was like naptha?

Odorless mineral spirits works well.

Can also use common household rubbing alcohol, after first determining the level it produces in a carb known to have a correct float height.

Good Fortune!

After a weeping/leaky set of new bowl gaskets, and a rather rich condition with the 20 pilot/120 mains....I decided to do this carb tune up all over again.

Since I already had the throttle and choke shafts out, plus all four carb bodies off the mounting plate, I tried something a little different.
Down in my basement, I screwed a 4" or 5" long piece of a 2x4 to a square wood box (actually the front of an old kitchen cabinet drawer with no drawer handle on it!) LOL
I screwed an old rubber carb manifold onto the flat of the 2x4 so when a carb was straight and plumb, I could easily get at the 2 bowl screws used.
I just put one carb body at time onto this "jig" and filled the bowl with mineral spirits.
With a few minor adjustments here and there on the float tabs, I got the fluid levels to about a 1/8" below the gasket line on each carb with the clear tube method.
Later, when checking them with real gasoline on the bike I found there wasn't much of any difference with the fuel level in each and every bowl....so, I left them as is.
Although pretty red neck goofy sounding, I'll never do it any other way from now on.
The only thing I'd do different would be to use a longer piece of 2x4 with two old boots (outboard carbs) or all four old boots and, of course, leave all four carbs on the mounting plate.
What a difference in hassle and time with the carbs at 36"-40" bench level and under my bench's lights... etc.