Water, bug and even some diesel in my tanks. Got to do something soon

Bertramdriver

Bertramdriver

Well-Known Member
Joined
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Messages
1,491
Location
Oxford
www.williamsandsmithells.com
Twice this last month I ve been caught out on long fast runs with water flooding the fuel filters. The filters have been changed twice already but I'm sure that on a bouncy ride with half empty tanks it will happen again.
I know there are companies that do fuel polishing and bug treatment but not in the area of Greece where I'm based so I'm looking for a self administered fix.
An owner with the boat up from mine spent £2k building and installing an inline polishing system on board but his is a 55' palace. I don't have £2k or the space (or technical skills) in my apartment.

I'm thinking that the cost of losing 10-15% of what's in my tanks (2x600 litres) is going to be cheaper than any other option. The plan is to simply insert a 3/8 ID pipeline into each tank through the fill pipes in turn, and syphon out as much of the water and bug as possible into a suitable container for disposal, watching what's coming out through a plastic sight tube. I have totally around 600 litres across two tanks so 600 x 15% x €1.5 per litre = €135
The big question is will syphoning make enough impact to justify the exercise.
Any thoughts appreciated.
 
Can you get access to the interior of the tanks? Just siphoning won't get rid of the gunge on the bottom. I'm assuming you don't have low level drain points below the fuel take offs?).

Possible use the two isolated tanks to your advantage, polish between them? Or move all fuel to one and insert HP water/steam lance into the other then when dry and clean filter all fuel back in and do the second, if practicable? No waste, no need for waste containers.

More expert people than me will be along soon-
 
Mine cost me less than £200 - take a look at my blogsite - improvements page.

The filter is a Baldwin £45 from Ebay. Biodiesel / Bio Diesel water separator and filter
( 110489697848 )

The pump is a Holley, also from Ebay secondhand. Been using it for sixe years now.

www.turbo36.wordpress.com/improvements

I got the dripless connectors from a bearing supplier Bearing Traders in High Wycombe.
 
SOLTRON............Dissolves the pile of dead bodies that biocides produce and burns them in the engine.........but first, perhaps, in your case ....find and stop the water ingress points in your system. For example....Put another valve in your fuel filler line under your deck fuel filler cap......It also stops tea-leafs from syphoning out your fuel..

http://www.asap-supplies.com/green/...ua-socks/soltron-fuel-treatment-enzyme-314101
 
Bertramdriver said:
Twice this last month I ve been caught out on long fast runs with water flooding the fuel filters. The filters have been changed twice already but I'm sure that on a bouncy ride with half empty tanks it will happen again.
I know there are companies that do fuel polishing and bug treatment but not in the area of Greece where I'm based so I'm looking for a self administered fix.
An owner with the boat up from mine spent £2k building and installing an inline polishing system on board but his is a 55' palace. I don't have £2k or the space (or technical skills) in my apartment.

I'm thinking that the cost of losing 10-15% of what's in my tanks (2x600 litres) is going to be cheaper than any other option. The plan is to simply insert a 3/8 ID pipeline into each tank through the fill pipes in turn, and syphon out as much of the water and bug as possible into a suitable container for disposal, watching what's coming out through a plastic sight tube. I have totally around 600 litres across two tanks so 600 x 15% x €1.5 per litre = €135
The big question is will syphoning make enough impact to justify the exercise.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Click to expand...
On my Bene 381, I took out the tank level transmitter and was able to see inside the tank and use a Pela pump to chase some water and suck it out. Marine 16 is what I use every fill and it, over the last 4 years, has cleaned a mild infection. There was a black coating over a lot of the interior.
S
 
The best solution would be to cut an access hatch in the tank, to get your arm in and clean it out manually. I did that on Ariam a couple of months ago for about £50 in total - and it would have been less than that if I'd been organised and bought the steel via eBay instead of the convenient-but-pricey Metal Supermarkets.

Pete
 
prv said:
The best solution would be to cut an access hatch in the tank, to get your arm in and clean it out manually. I did that on Ariam a couple of months ago for about £50 in total - and it would have been less than that if I'd been organised and bought the steel via eBay instead of the convenient-but-pricey Metal Supermarkets.

Pete
Click to expand...

A big powerboat which is what the OP has may well have baffled tanks, and unless you know where any baffles are cutting access hatches is tricky. Investigate with bent wire (low tech) or cheap video endoscope (high tech) through an existing tank fitting - eg - sender - before cutting holes.

If siphoning out do so from closer to the tank than the deck filler - you stand a much better chance of directing the pipe to the water and crud at the bottom.
 
A simple polishing system, just a fairly fast pump and a series of filters will often get rid of 98% of the crud, reducing the problem to 2% that the filters can cope with.
If you are looking to spend proper money, some sort of 'day tank' system, cleaning the diesel before it goes into a small tank for immediate use, might be worth considering?
The 'day' tank might only hold an hour's fuel for a powerboat?

I feel there is limited point in getting tanks surgically clean, only to fill them up again with suspect diesel next week.
The key IMHO is keeping water out of the tanks, or removing it regularly.

If you can get the fuel out and let it settle and filter it, the vast majority of it can be saved.
 
I'd be tempted to use a Pela-type pump to remove water from the bottom of the tanks, with a smallish diameter rigid pipe. Then rig up a simple fuel polishing system and circulate the fuel ad nauseam. I built a fuel polishing system with a CAV filter/separator and a 12v Facet-type pump and this successfully got rid of a lot of crud.

As an ongoing precaution, I'd double-dose with Marine 16 every time fuel is added. I used to use Soltron, but was surprised to find I got diesel bug again, so changed to Marine 16.
 
Bertramdriver said:
Twice this last month I ve been caught out on long fast runs with water flooding the fuel filters. The filters have been changed twice already but I'm sure that on a bouncy ride with half empty tanks it will happen again.
I know there are companies that do fuel polishing and bug treatment but not in the area of Greece where I'm based so I'm looking for a self administered fix.
An owner with the boat up from mine spent £2k building and installing an inline polishing system on board but his is a 55' palace. I don't have £2k or the space (or technical skills) in my apartment.

I'm thinking that the cost of losing 10-15% of what's in my tanks (2x600 litres) is going to be cheaper than any other option. The plan is to simply insert a 3/8 ID pipeline into each tank through the fill pipes in turn, and syphon out as much of the water and bug as possible into a suitable container for disposal, watching what's coming out through a plastic sight tube. I have totally around 600 litres across two tanks so 600 x 15% x €1.5 per litre = €135
The big question is will syphoning make enough impact to justify the exercise.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Click to expand...

Lots great advice here, my personal solution was to build a fuel polishing system, sucks fuel from the tank, 'polishes' it through two different filters, a sedimenter followed by a finer filter, and then returns it to the tank. A constant cycle of polishing the fuel, manualy operated or when engine starts.
If you wish I can send the diagram to you.
 
skipper_stu said:
On my Bene 381, I took out the tank level transmitter and was able to see inside the tank and use a Pela pump to chase some water and suck it out. Marine 16 is what I use every fill and it, over the last 4 years, has cleaned a mild infection. There was a black coating over a lot of the interior.
S
Click to expand...

Likewise - I had issues with water in the diesel tank and removed the sender and vacuumed the bottom of the diesel tank using the Pela Oli extractor. When the diesel has stood still for a few days the black residue sank to the bottom and you can see through the clear diesel as you vacuum around bottom of the tank.

I removed about 25 litres in all and left to settle over a week recovered 20 litres which were sparkling clear, left the other 5 litres for another month and recovered 4 litres out of that. Last 1 litre was mainly water and the bug.

I thought about making a polishing set, but you need to resolve the water ingress first ( mine was due to a crew member putting water into the diesel inlet and the previous owner had experienced the same problem )
 
At this time of the year watch out for leaves if you are near any!
I live in a part of the world where there are a lot flying round and in the case of two cars but not the boat yet I have had leaves enter my tank where they pickle to a very sticky rubber like state and block pick up filters!I even found a daddy long legs in one!
 
sailaboutvic said:
ASAP.

http://www.asap-supplies.com/file_uploads/pdf/ASAP_Supplies_Basic_fuel_polishing_system.pdf

bluewatersailorcroatia.webs.com
Click to expand...

Great for those who have a tank with a drain plug. My tank, being only 12 gallons was easy enough to get out, of the contents the bottom 2 litres were mixed diesel, water and crud. If you can find someone to do it steam cleaning is effective, quick and clean.
In BD's case I would have thought a mechanical polishing system to be his most likely cure - I doubt he'll be able to siphon the fuel very effectively. Just standing will usually separate a lot of usable diesel. Working one tank at a time is the most feasible system.
 
pvb said:
I'd be tempted to use a Pela-type pump to remove water from the bottom of the tanks, with a smallish diameter rigid pipe. Then rig up a simple fuel polishing system and circulate the fuel ad nauseam. I built a fuel polishing system with a CAV filter/separator and a 12v Facet-type pump and this successfully got rid of a lot of crud.

As an ongoing precaution, I'd double-dose with Marine 16 every time fuel is added. I used to use Soltron, but was surprised to find I got diesel bug again, so changed to Marine 16.
Click to expand...

Pela certainly works, but you need a bigger hose on it than comes with it for going down dipstick tubes.
About 6 or 8mm bore IMHO.
Anything smaller may block with black goo.
Also consider putting a 1/4 turn ball valve inline, then you can pump up a vacuum, before trying to aim the hose.

I don't use a biocide.
 
View attachment 46059
Bertramdriver said:
Twice this last month I ve been caught out on long fast runs with water flooding the fuel filters. The filters have been changed twice already but I'm sure that on a bouncy ride with half empty tanks it will happen again.
I know there are companies that do fuel polishing and bug treatment but not in the area of Greece where I'm based so I'm looking for a self administered fix.
An owner with the boat up from mine spent £2k building and installing an inline polishing system on board but his is a 55' palace. I don't have £2k or the space (or technical skills) in my apartment.

I'm thinking that the cost of losing 10-15% of what's in my tanks (2x600 litres) is going to be cheaper than any other option. The plan is to simply insert a 3/8 ID pipeline into each tank through the fill pipes in turn, and syphon out as much of the water and bug as possible into a suitable container for disposal, watching what's coming out through a plastic sight tube. I have totally around 600 litres across two tanks so 600 x 15% x €1.5 per litre = €135
The big question is will syphoning make enough impact to justify the exercise.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Click to expand...


I did exactly this on mine on Saturday, needed to empty the tank to remove it (replacing the floor, not related to bug)
Popped to chandlery, got 3m of clear 1/2" pipe, syphoned it out (using wet and dry vac to start it!) and with the pipe pushed till you could feel it hit the bottom...

the amount of cr*p that came out was unbelievable!

Ran it through my racor funnel a couple of times and poured it into my tractor :-)

So I think you will see a large amount of stuff coming out, and its easy to do, so go for it, not much to lose!
 
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