Fuel disposal - South coast

Sea-Fever

Sea-Fever

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 Jun 2017
Messages
691
Location
Port Solent
Visit site
Afternoon everyone.....

I want to empty my diesel tank as my (new to me) boat has allegedly been sitting doing nothing for 5 years. No inspection hatch in the original tank (steel). I dread to think what muck is gathered at the bottom waiting to ruin my maiden voyage. So....I'd like to empty the tank, dispose of the fuel, cut an inspection hatch, clean tank.

Have emailed the yard (Hamble) who never reply to anything and haven't done so on this occasion....

Does anyone have suggestions for solent diesel disposal??

Thanks
 
Any idea how much is in there? Do you have a pump for getting it out.
I am local and willing if you get stuck. Depending on the volume we could get rid of it too. Will cost you an ale ;-)
 
Probably worth having the fuel polished and add Marine 16 and a little fuel set while having the tanks cleaned, rather than just binning it?

Just a thought....
 
There is a lot to be said for removing as much crud as possbile by circulating the old fuel, i.e. polishing, before cutting holes in the tank.
Depends of course on the nature of what is in there, but often much of it can be washed off the floor and walls of the tank and caught in a filter. Much less unpleasant than scraping it out.
Depending how much is in there, and how bad it is, I would either filter it and mix with fresh, dispose as waste oil, keep it for the pressure washer, generator etc.
 
Mandarin331 said:
most yards / marina's have an oil disposal tank - which take diesel
Click to expand...

Just got a reply from the brokers who sold me the boat... They have an office at the yard....clearly they are able to get a response where I am not.

They state the yard don't have any facilities for fuel disposal. Weird.

I don't know how much is in the tank yet...and clearly if it is a thimble full then I don't really have a problem...

I will check at the weekend. I assumed there's a fair amount as who keeps a yacht tank empty?

As for the state of the content, well I suppose that's my issue....without inspection hatch who's to tell? The draw off is at the bottom of the tank but I suspect that there is a tube fitted inside to avoid the crud. I would like to be sure that the tank is clean before I start using it.


Anyone have any experience of 1980's Westerlies care to hazard a guess as to the fuel draw-off arrangements?

I have a pic...will try to find and post.
 
Sandy said:
There is a really good Owners Group

https://www.westerly-owners.co.uk/
Click to expand...

Yes...on my list of things to do...thanks

I'm under a bit of time pressure as I'm paying for storage on the Hamble and also a mooring elsewhere. Yikes.

Plus the usual burdens of pesky home/work life....I just need to launch and get out of there but I still want to be sure of the engine....hence the concern re fuelling.

I replaced the fuel and pre-filter with bits from Westfield 4x4...Manfred (exceptionally helpful fellow) suggested that a temp tank might do the trick but I don't see the portable tanks catering for fuel returns.
 
I am in Hamble and have a portable polishing unit that can decant it if you have a 12v dc supply. I would need to know approximately how many drums are needed. Once it has been through my polishing rig a few time it will go in my own tanks if you really don't want it.

Any cruddy residue I can dispose of in my factory's bonded waste oil tank where it will be properly disposed off as controlled waste.
 
What Westerly is it? Generally they maintain the same size of tank from the original (if a replacement has been fitted) so we may be able to identify the maximum quantity of fuel by the boat model?
 
Sea-Fever said:
who keeps a yacht tank empty?
Click to expand...

Someone who knows they're selling it soon? :p

Sea-Fever said:
As for the state of the content, well I suppose that's my issue....without inspection hatch who's to tell? The draw off is at the bottom of the tank but I suspect that there is a tube fitted inside to avoid the crud. I would like to be sure that the tank is clean before I start using it.
Click to expand...

Certainly a wise thing to consider. Ariam when we bought her had a seriously contaminated tank, which was not solved by any amount of sucking fuel out of the normal supply tube. After about two years of intermittent stoppages and many, many filter changes, I finally bit the bullet and cut a hatch in the top of the tank. As well as the stringy slime floating about in the diesel, getting the stuff off the tank walls involved a fair bit of scrubbing with a scotchbrite pad. No way it would have been removed by any kind of simple flushing.

Cutting a hatch gives good assurance that the tank is clean, but it is a bit of a hassle. Since you seemingly don't know if there's even a problem, perhaps you could take the fill hose off its barb and insert one of those inspection cameras to have a look?

Pete
 
mickywillis said:
What Westerly is it? Generally they maintain the same size of tank from the original (if a replacement has been fitted) so we may be able to identify the maximum quantity of fuel by the boat model?
Click to expand...

Ah well I can tell you max capacity because I measured the tank and carried out some GCSE maths.....(that I have now checked so as not to embrass myself),...... 160 litres

It's a Westerly 33.....Mercedes 42 HP OM636 engine.
 
chrishscorp said:
My Westerly draws straight from the bottom of the tank, no sump, never had a problem with crud in the fuel lines but did repeatedly flush the tank before we went cross channel and was very glad i did.
Click to expand...

Cripes,......that makes me want to fit an access hatch even more .....or even a new plastic tank.
 
superheat6k said:
I am in Hamble and have a portable polishing unit that can decant it if you have a 12v dc supply. I would need to know approximately how many drums are needed. Once it has been through my polishing rig a few time it will go in my own tanks if you really don't want it.

Any cruddy residue I can dispose of in my factory's bonded waste oil tank where it will be properly disposed off as controlled waste.
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong...I don't want to throw away good fuel (or fuel that can be saved) but I don't think there's much mileage (maybe literally) in taking fuel out, cleaning it and then putting it straight back into a dirty tank. Perhaps I'm being too cautious but I would like to see inside. Thanks for the offer and I'll see how full the tank is on Sat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

Halo
The Inside of my fuel tank after 20 years
Replies
1
Views
318
Refueler
Refueler

Share this page

Top