Cutting hole in top of fuel tank

[All_at_Sea]

I need to put in a 3/16 pick up pipe for the Webasto, the kit requires an 1" hole in the top. Should l use a strong hoover to get the bits or tape or something else to catch the bits. There is no inspection plate so l will have to work from the top on a stainless tank so magnets won't work. Also how easy will it be to drill out a 1" hole!

In the tank at the is a 5/16 pick up pipe so l wonder of this can be modified in some way? At the moment the pump can not pull the diesel up the 5/16th pipe to a 3/16 pump. I have put a vacuum on the pipe run to the heater, bypassing the pump and it pulls the diesel up ok so it is just the pump which can not cope with the larger bore pipe to begin with. What to do?

 

[sailorman]

I need to put in a 3/16 pick up pipe for the Webasto, the kit requires an 1" hole in the top. Should l use a strong hoover to get the bits or tape or something else to catch the bits. There is no inspection plate so l will have to work from the top on a stainless tank so magnets won't work. Also how easy will it be to drill out a 1" hole!

In the tank at the is a 5/16 pick up pipe so l wonder of this can be modified in some way? At the moment the pump can not pull the diesel up the 5/16th pipe to a 3/16 pump. I have put a vacuum on the pipe run to the heater, bypassing the pump and it pulls the diesel up ok so it is just the pump which can not cope with the larger bore pipe to begin with. What to do?

my pick-up is tee`d into the fuel line 5/16" compression tee with reducers ( Pirtrec) so saving fitting the heater stack

 

[All_at_Sea]

Yes possible but l want to keep clear of the engine fuel system just in case a fault(air) occurs. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[David2452]

Plenty of goopy grease on the holesaw to retain the swarf, easy with a decent holesaw.

 

[PCUK]

3/16 inside 5/16?

 

[lw395]

I made my own pickup, using a 'bulkhead fitting', this reduced the size of hole to be drilled.
I sold the eber standpipe on ebay.

 

[coopec]

I'd fill the tank with water to avoid the possibility of the tank exploding.

 

[sailorman]

I'd fill the tank with water to avoid the possibility of the tank exploding.

carbon monoxide works better than water as oil floats on water & any void will have vapours within it ( dont ask how i know )

 

[David2452]

I'd fill the tank with water to avoid the possibility of the tank exploding.

Not required on a diesel tank, just go slowly and use grease, I do it for a living as do my many colleagues and we're all still here (for the moment)

 

[cliveshelton]

Make sure that the tank's not full and that you choose the highest place on the tank for the hole! I didn't! Took me a while to get out of that pickle!.

 

[Heckler]

I'd fill the tank with water to avoid the possibility of the tank exploding.

Why?
S

 

[coopec]

David

"Not required on a diesel tank, just go slowly and use grease,"

I guess there is no heat build-up and that is why you are still here! (I bet you wouldn't do it on a petrol tank!)

BUT our Worksafe laws in Australia err on the side of safety. "Angle grinders, oxy torches or any other heat-producing equipment should not be used to cut metal drums that have contained flammable or combustible liquids or gases, or when there is any doubt about the previous contents of the drum."

 

[David2452]

My insurance says much the same, grease, especially cutting compound and taking it easy with pauses means there is very little heat, only gets warm in fact. Obviously I wouldn't use a grinder or similar. Petrol tanks don't figure as I would not fit a heater on a petrol boat.

 

[coopec]

Skipper_stu

The theory is that you want to eliminate any diesel vapor from the tank. As a previous poster suggested a better way is to fill the tank with Co2 which displaces the diesel vapor.

Maybe you could read the following article for a full explanation.

"LCO-47: Diesel Fuel Vapor Hazards

Most off-road machinery is diesel-powered. Diesel fuel is widely regarded as safe to handle and store. In its liquid form, that is true for the most part. In its vapor form, diesel is very dangerous and can catch fire (or explode) easily in the presence of an accelerant such as fan air or oxygen. Diesel is a stable liquid at normal outdoor temperatures. At temperatures above 100 degrees, the diesel liquid can begin to vaporize. The vaporization rate increases as the temperature increases.

Diesel vapors can ignite and explode when mixed with air. The vapors are explosive over a wide vapor-to-air mixture range. The lower explosive limit is less than 1%, and the upper explosive limit is about 10%. That means that diesel fuel vapors from a storage tank can explode with as little as 1% of the air being diesel fuel vapors.

FULL ARTICLE
http://www.forestoperationsreview.org/index.php/news-issues/item/329-diesel-fuel-vapor-hazards

 

[nimbusgb]

Before you write it off ...... try a strong magnet on your tank. You'd be surprised just how magnetic some stainless steel is. Ferritic and martensitic stainless steels are magnetic. Austenitic stainless steels are non-magnetic. Useful for picking up swarf

 

[coopec]

nimbusgb

Agree with you regarding the properties of stainless steels but even Austenitic can become magnetized with cold working (or welding).

 

[salar]

Surely you have a fuel gauge sender hole? I fitted a Webasto pickup this year. I took the sender out then made a cranked tongue of aluminium that went through the sender hole and went under the place I wanted to drill. I coated the tongue in thick grease and wedged it in place. I then drilled from the top and the swarf stuck to the grease below. I carefully extracted the tongue and hey presto, hole and no gunge in the tank. Details on my Harley 25 refit blog if interested.

 

[lw395]

Surely you have a fuel gauge sender hole? .....

An awful lot of boat tanks don't.

Fitting an eberbasto is a good time to empty and clean your tank IMHO.
The other thing I did was to fit an inline fuel filter to the heater, arranged so it trapped any air. These heaters don't like sucking air in their fuel.
Being able to prime the line helps prevent the issues of 'moody' heaters locking up in software, needing resetting etc.

 

[Heckler]

Skipper_stu

The theory is that you want to eliminate any diesel vapor from the tank. As a previous poster suggested a better way is to fill the tank with Co2 which displaces the diesel vapor.

Maybe you could read the following article for a full explanation.

"LCO-47: Diesel Fuel Vapor Hazards

Most off-road machinery is diesel-powered. Diesel fuel is widely regarded as safe to handle and store. In its liquid form, that is true for the most part. In its vapor form, diesel is very dangerous and can catch fire (or explode) easily in the presence of an accelerant such as fan air or oxygen. Diesel is a stable liquid at normal outdoor temperatures. At temperatures above 100 degrees, the diesel liquid can begin to vaporize. The vaporization rate increases as the temperature increases.

Diesel vapors can ignite and explode when mixed with air. The vapors are explosive over a wide vapor-to-air mixture range. The lower explosive limit is less than 1%, and the upper explosive limit is about 10%. That means that diesel fuel vapors from a storage tank can explode with as little as 1% of the air being diesel fuel vapors.

FULL ARTICLE
http://www.forestoperationsreview.org/index.php/news-issues/item/329-diesel-fuel-vapor-hazards

Matey
Have been a maintenance all my life, I know all about explosive levels and what diesel does and doesnt do! The previous poster said carbon MONOXIDE not CO2 by the way!
I also know, as David has pointed out, that if there is not enough heat to vapourise the diesel, it wont go bang! There are enough toothsuckers on here propogating urban myths without another one coming along!
So, drill slowly, put grease on the tool and all will be well.
S

 

[wully1]

Replace your primary filter with one that has two outlets and take the supply from there?