Appleyard
Well-known member
If it ain\'t broke ?
Apologies for bringing up a subject which has been dealt with before. We are about to start our third year since buying the boat. I am aware of the problems which dirty diesel causes,so I wonder whether I should drain the tank,clean and refill. However up till now there has not been any sign of contamination of any sort,the glass in the primary filter shows no water,the filters look reasonably clean when I replace them,and the engine starts and runs perfectly. The fuel tank is situated above the engine,and the take-off point is about 50 mm above the bottom of the tank which is formed into a sump with a drain plug fitted,so any gunge etc would seem to be below the outlet.I fill the tank to the brim over the winter layup ,with an additive which will hopefully help to keep the system ok.
Should I leave well alone,or risk stirring up loose contaminants by draining and cleaning? There is no access to the tank apart from the filler pipe,and removing the tank would be a major op. Last year we had some rough weather which I would have expected to stir the contents of the tank a bit,but it did not seem to have any effect. The boat is a 14 year old Westerly 35,kept in the Ionian. I am tempted to leave things as they are,change the filters at the beginning of the season and keep an eye on the glass bowl.Any opinions?
Apologies for bringing up a subject which has been dealt with before. We are about to start our third year since buying the boat. I am aware of the problems which dirty diesel causes,so I wonder whether I should drain the tank,clean and refill. However up till now there has not been any sign of contamination of any sort,the glass in the primary filter shows no water,the filters look reasonably clean when I replace them,and the engine starts and runs perfectly. The fuel tank is situated above the engine,and the take-off point is about 50 mm above the bottom of the tank which is formed into a sump with a drain plug fitted,so any gunge etc would seem to be below the outlet.I fill the tank to the brim over the winter layup ,with an additive which will hopefully help to keep the system ok.
Should I leave well alone,or risk stirring up loose contaminants by draining and cleaning? There is no access to the tank apart from the filler pipe,and removing the tank would be a major op. Last year we had some rough weather which I would have expected to stir the contents of the tank a bit,but it did not seem to have any effect. The boat is a 14 year old Westerly 35,kept in the Ionian. I am tempted to leave things as they are,change the filters at the beginning of the season and keep an eye on the glass bowl.Any opinions?