Data point for gascolators:

Legacy IO550, unheated hangar in Dallas (variable humidity, but on the dry side), fuel from municipal self-serve pump, and from self-serves whenever possible on cross-country.

1.  Have never seen water or sediment in the wings.  Dunno why not.  Other planes at same airport -- pretty much same deal.  

2.  Never seen water in the gascolator.  I check it at every oil filter change.

3.  After build, the gascolator trapped on the screen some grayish fuzz and in the bowl small soft gray bits of ... proseal? ... in diminishing amounts over the first 150 hours / 1 year.  After that -- nothing.  

4.  In spite of having a gascolator and taking all the same precautions that people mention -- wing sloshing etc -- an injector plugged at about 18 hours during Phase 1 testing.  Was there debris in the fuel lines *downstream* of the gascolator?

I don't trust fuel supplies, and I don't *ever* want an engine failure (especially in a Lancair), so I'm keepin the gascolator.

Charley Brown
Legacy #299   400 hr