Day tank & shopping

Conachair

Conachair

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New engine soon, so when that's going in it seems sensible to put a day tank in for diesel at the same time. Main tank is built into the hull so cleaning it properly isn't really going to happen & getting clean gfuel cruising isn't always an option either. So i seems sensible, unless there are big downsides I don't know about....?

But where to get one and the bits?

Not sure what size either, thinking 60L or 80L plastic. Suggestions for where?


For filters these seems as good a place as any..
http://www.thornycroftparts.co.uk/C...__Sedimenter_Marine__Boat/p207754_422918.aspx

So that leaves pipe and a pump. - any favorite suppliers/ pump model?

------------

As for design, thinking fuel goes into main tank, from main tank through a pump/filter into day tank using original fitting which fed the engine. Engine feed/return to day tank. Might fit an overflow from day tank to the old engine return into main tank, and maybe a float switch or something to turn the pump off when you forget about it.

As ever, all suggestions welcome.

Ta
 
There would be an advantage in having a Day Tank, if you could have it high enough to give you a guaranteed gravity feed at all reasonable angles of heel. The capacity depends on your pattern of use.
Certainly have engine return to day tank. That way you are "polishing" fuel all the time. When I did it, I had a small vane pump, and one thing I did was to incorporate a "Run-down" switch, in case I forgot to switch off.
 
Conachair said:
As for design, thinking fuel goes into main tank, from main tank through a pump/filter into day tank using original fitting which fed the engine. Engine feed/return to day tank. Might fit an overflow from day tank to the old engine return into main tank, and maybe a float switch or something to turn the pump off when you forget about it.
Click to expand...

It all seems an unnecessary complication to me. You're still going to be using fuel from the main tank, why not just let it go straight to the engine via the filter?
 
pvb said:
why not just let it go straight to the engine via the filter?
Click to expand...

So when the filter clogs it's the filter between the bunker and the day tank - which contains at least some squeaky clean fuel. That way your engine doesn't stop at an inopportune moment as it is likely to do if the diesel bug sludge or crud from the bottom of the tank gets stirred up by the violent motion as you motor over the bar in breaking seas - or you just get out of the marina and into the tide and the donk stops...

Good plan imho.
 
pvb said:
It all seems an unnecessary complication to me. You're still going to be using fuel from the main tank, why not just let it go straight to the engine via the filter?
Click to expand...

Main tank is inaccessible to clean properly & I want to keep an eye on the state of the diesel going into the engine, at least a day tank will be able to be kept clean & water free. Cruising boat so some of the diesel going in there will be dodgy, the more filters the better :cool:
 
NormanS said:
There would be an advantage in having a Day Tank, if you could have it high enough to give you a guaranteed gravity feed at all reasonable angles of heel. The capacity depends on your pattern of use.
Certainly have engine return to day tank. That way you are "polishing" fuel all the time. When I did it, I had a small vane pump, and one thing I did was to incorporate a "Run-down" switch, in case I forgot to switch off.
Click to expand...

Couple things, I thought the tank should be below the injectors in case some fuel seeped through into the cylindars, and what's a "run-down" switch?

Ta
 
Conachair said:
Couple things, I thought the tank should be below the injectors in case some fuel seeped through into the cylindars, and what's a "run-down" switch?

Ta
Click to expand...
I'm no expert, but I reckon there would have to be something pretty seriously wrong with the injectors, for fuel to seep through with a head of a couple of feet.
The run-down switch that I had was a bit like an old fashioned egg-timer, where you rotated a disc to set the length of time that you wanted the pump to run. It was a form of clockwork. I suspect there are more modern methods.
 
NormanS said:
I'm no expert, but I reckon there would have to be something pretty seriously wrong with the injectors, for fuel to seep through with a head of a couple of feet.
The run-down switch that I had was a bit like an old fashioned egg-timer, where you rotated a disc to set the length of time that you wanted the pump to run. It was a form of clockwork. I suspect there are more modern methods.
Click to expand...

Ah, I have rundown switch for the pump to fill up the diesel heater tank, almost, it's an eggtimer next to the switch :) Doesn't half make a mess if you forget it.
The tank under the injectors came from a Nigel Calder book, sounded a bit odd to me as well but I usually do what he says. Should be easy enough to do anyway, and the engine fuel pump would have been sucking the fuel from further down.
But where to get a cheapish plastic tank... ?
 
Conachair said:
Main tank is inaccessible to clean properly & I want to keep an eye on the state of the diesel going into the engine, at least a day tank will be able to be kept clean & water free. Cruising boat so some of the diesel going in there will be dodgy, the more filters the better :cool:
Click to expand...

Why not spend the money on a decent filter system? I have a couple of primary filters plumbed in parallel with isolating taps so I can use one and keep the other in reserve. Installed after a diesel bug incident. Works well.
 
Conachair said:
Main tank is inaccessible to clean properly & I want to keep an eye on the state of the diesel going into the engine, at least a day tank will be able to be kept clean & water free. Cruising boat so some of the diesel going in there will be dodgy, the more filters the better :cool:
Click to expand...


I think it's a fantastic idea. We had an old lister 20 kva generator on the home farm, it had a day tank which had one days fuel in it, so you knew exactly how much you were spending on diesel.

Worked a treat.
 
pvb said:
Do you realise that the dual filter you've linked to is permanently plumbed for parallel operation? So you can't use the filters individually.
Click to expand...

Yep, notice that, you'd need taps above & below. Not sure a dual would be needed, though, if there's a day tank with clean fuel then it might be a bit overkill.

Not getting far with sourcing a pump, would be nice to keep 296 filters throughout but the flow rate seems very low to be filling up a day tank, back to google..
 
I have a day tank, two main tanks and via a set of valves, I can supply the engine from any or all tanks. To fill the header tank I have a manual semi rotary pump to pump fuel from either of the main tanks. Each tank has a filter on it's outlet, but none on the inlet.
I would like to fit a filter on the pump outlet to filter fuel into the header tank, but have always run into filter capacity/through put problems. The header tank is app 50lts and the hand pump will fill it in a few minutes, which means I need a filter that can handle 50lt per 5 mins = 600lt per hour, which is a very big expensive filter.
The main benefit of the header tank is when the main tank(s) are get low and bumpy/rolly conditions threaten to allow air into the fuel system.

Would be nice to find a good filter to put on the supply side though.
 
Conachair said:
New engine soon, so when that's going in it seems sensible to put a day tank in for diesel at the same time. Main tank is built into the hull so cleaning it properly isn't really going to happen & getting clean gfuel cruising isn't always an option either. So i seems sensible, unless there are big downsides I don't know about....?

But where to get one and the bits?

Not sure what size either, thinking 60L or 80L plastic. Suggestions for where?


For filters these seems as good a place as any..
http://www.thornycroftparts.co.uk/C...__Sedimenter_Marine__Boat/p207754_422918.aspx

So that leaves pipe and a pump. - any favorite suppliers/ pump model?

------------

As for design, thinking fuel goes into main tank, from main tank through a pump/filter into day tank using original fitting which fed the engine. Engine feed/return to day tank. Might fit an overflow from day tank to the old engine return into main tank, and maybe a float switch or something to turn the pump off when you forget about it.

As ever, all suggestions welcome.

Ta
Click to expand...

I use this company for all things diesel, great service and good advice if needed and economical, no connection other than a satisfied customer.

http://www.ssldieselparts.co.uk/index.php
 
Jassira said:
I have a day tank, two main tanks and via a set of valves, I can supply the engine from any or all tanks. To fill the header tank I have a manual semi rotary pump to pump fuel from either of the main tanks. Each tank has a filter on it's outlet, but none on the inlet.
I would like to fit a filter on the pump outlet to filter fuel into the header tank, but have always run into filter capacity/through put problems. The header tank is app 50lts and the hand pump will fill it in a few minutes, which means I need a filter that can handle 50lt per 5 mins = 600lt per hour, which is a very big expensive filter.
The main benefit of the header tank is when the main tank(s) are get low and bumpy/rolly conditions threaten to allow air into the fuel system.

Would be nice to find a good filter to put on the supply side though.
Click to expand...

Ta, as fuel sometimes further afield can be bought from a guy who will also sell you a donkey and throw in a sheeps head it can get easy to be a bit more obsessed than is usual around here :)

Looking at something like this as a pump.... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-UNIVE...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3f20923a1a

flow rate higher than a 296 filter but would that matter? Would it just suck a bit slower?
 
IMHO, there's two separate issues, water in the fuel and the dreaded bug ( I know one leads to the other).

With light aircraft they Check everyday for water in the fuel before take off, by taking a sample from each tank by pressing a bleed valve situated on the bottom of each wing. So why not put a bleed valve in the bottom of your day tank?

Then put a separate fuel pump to circulate the fuel in the day tank through a filter to get rid of the algae.

The American rotating hand pumps for emptying 55 gal drums are simply incredible, but don't get the side to side or back and forth ones as they are very slow......
 
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