How far off the bottom should my fuel pickup tube be?

[cfcstl]

Is there are rule if thumb for distance from the tank bottom to the pickup tube. I am cleaning out my fuel tank and its 10 1/2" tall. My old pickup tube was only 8" long and that seems a little short to me but my old sending unit was also only eight inches long when reading empty. With a 52 gallon tank that would be almost a quarter tank of wasted gas correct? I realized up on plane it will slosh back and settle when idling so is there a good rule of thumb so I don't have to learn the hard way? I was thinking about a 9" pickup tube with an 8" sending unit.

 

[alldodge]

1 inch is good

 

[Chris1956]

Does it have a screen at the end? Sometimes the metal pickup tubes have a piece of rubber tubing with a screen on its end. Maybe your's fell off?

 

[cfcstl]

Chris1956 it does have a screen over the end of my old tube but its not a metal tube, it plastic. I plan on removing the screen and putting it on my new pickup tube.

 

[Ned L]

I would want it “as close” as reasonably possible.