HOW TO ELIMINATE WATER IN THE GAS TANK Pt 2

 

HOW TO ELIMINATE WATER IN THE GAS TANK  Pt 2

Any work on a fuel system requires the upmost of care and concern for safety. Do not tackle this job if you have the least bit of question. Hire a pro, however an understanding of the process is necessary so you can check the boat over after the first fueling . The boat owner will also want to check the tank are over the first few weeks for possible leaks.

There is more than one way to clean up a contaminated fuel tank, however the best way to really remove debris and water out of the fuel tank, is to hire the services of a fuel scrubber. Have you ever seen a portable fuel scrubber machine? What the scrubber does is it pulls the contaminated fuel from the tank though one line, runs the contaminated fuel thru multiple filters, and returns clean fuel to the tank through a second line. By doing this it moves the fuel completely around the tank and cleans the tank and the fuel at the same time. This is a service that works on diesel or gas. Bad diesel will become a burnable fuel again and gas will clean up and by adding octane booster you burn off the cleaned gas.

If you know of, or can find the services of a fuel scrubber it is a good idea to have them service your vessel at least every two or three years (depending on the running hours) to clean the tank(s). Beware: Full scrubber services, if you have an older boat with a aluminium fuel tank (as the machine cycles the fuel) will remove corrosion and occasionally open small leaks in the  fuel tank. Be sure to have the company who sets up the scrubber, and provides the scrubbing service complete the removal of the sender unit at the fuel tank. The service technician should follow all the safety precautions I outline below and be the only person on the boat while the scrubber is hooked up.

The scrubber machine is portable and can be transported to the dock next to your boat. The machine will run for hours (the time that it needs to run is dictated by the volume and condition of the fuel) to complete the tank and fuel cleaning job.

 

So what if there is no scrubber available?

You will have to work with a manual vacuum pump and draw all the contaminated fuel out of the fuel tank to be disposed of in a responsible way (follow the local disposal laws). The way to do this is to remove the fuel sender from the fuel tank in question, and use this opening for your vacuum access. NOTE: ALL BOAT MANUFACTURERS ARE TO ALLOW AN ACCESS POINT FOR THE FUEL TANK SENDER Before you just undo the sender and remove it there are several steps you must take.

Make sure that there is no one on the boat before you start and keep the boat free of others until you are finished and tested.

1- Disconnect all the batteries on the boat

2- Make sure the shore power is disconnected at the dock

3- Make sure the area you are working in is well ventilated

4- Be sure you have the correct tool to undo the sender screws, the sender screws may require a clean up with a wire brush first as corrosion is not uncommon

5-Do not loose any of the sender screws and if you do or there are screws that are to corroded to reuse you must replace with the correct hardware. do not attempt to replace with any old screw as this is an area were you do not want leaks.

6-Have a correct replacement gasket for the sender on hand to reinstall.

7-When you remove the sender make a note on the direction the float arm faces

8-You must replace the sender facing exactly the same direction otherwise the fuel gauge will receive an unreliable signal.

9-If your are replacing the sender the measurements of the old sender are necessary for the gauge to work properly.

10-Once the sender is replaced and you add fuel be sure to make sure you have no leaks in the tank or the sender seat.

11- verify that you fuel gauge is working correctly

12- Anytime you open up the fuel tank you should mark your initials in the rub rail on the transom, this is a warning that the fuel system has been tampered with after the original install.

 Use only a manual vacuum pump do not use any power pumps or pumps that require a power source . The spark or heat created by any power source can ignite! The fumes from even bad gas are explosive! I recommend that you hire a professional to do this work as the risk of an accident is high.
 

When using the manual vacuum to remove all the fuel (you will need): To transport the fuel to a recycle location in certified gas cans for correct disposal at an authorized fuel recycle location. Once the fuel is removed you can take your time with the manual vacuum and remove as much debris from the tank as you can reach. Quite often there are two lengths of hose with the manual vacuum kit so you can reach along way into the tank. Once you have cleared out the fuel tank as much as possible you will need to reinstall the fuel sender. It is a must that the gasket on the sender be replaced. Boaters can buy these gaskets at your local marine parts store. (If the sender is corroded go ahead and replace it.)

Boaters will want to keep at least two spare filters on board after the cleaning fuel tank, as loose debris that you did not clean out will now be floating in the fuel. The filter will catch this debris and protect the motor. If you do not have an in line canister filter you will need to install one before you start to feed the motor with gas from the recently cleaned fuel tank.

After a self service fuel tank clean out you will also want to add fuel conditioner, not fuel stabilizer. The conditioner helps the motor burn raggedy fuel and suspends particles so the new fuel filter will collect it up without the debris getting to the motor
.

Please remember to keep an eye on the tank for the first few weeks after a cleaning to be sure that no weak spots in the fuel tank have opened up.

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