A Rich H tank

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Roger Long

Roger Long

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Nov 22, 2008
3,562
Endeavour 32 Portland, Maine
By the end of the day, I should have installed one of the better ideas I've run across to increase reliability under power, Rich H's emergency fuel tank.

A small tank, sized for about an hour's running, is inserted in a line with a constantly running (whenever the engine is on) fuel supply such as the return line (check with engine manufacturer if you do this) or the polishing system discharge line as on my boat. The fuel goes in the bottom of the tank and out at the top so it keeps itself constantly filled with just filtered fuel. If the main fuel supply is compromised, a valve is opened and it becomes a gravity feed to the engine independent of filters and fuel pump.



On my boat, this tank will do double duty as the gravity supply tank for the diesel cabin heater. My polishing system also doubles as an emergency fuel supply and, when switched to that mode, the heater/emergency tank will continue supplying fuel to the engine with no further action on my part even if the polishing system filter and pump stop delivering fuel. Further, if I should suck my main fuel tanks dry, I will still have an hour or two of emergency fuel available as a reserve.

Full details here:

http://www.rogerlongboats.com/StriderFuelSystem.htm#FOschematic
 
sailingdog

sailingdog

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Oct 22, 2008
3,502
- Telstar 28 Buzzards Bay
Having an emergency reserve fuel tank is a good idea for all sailboat owners...
 
Roger Long

Roger Long

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Nov 22, 2008
3,562
Endeavour 32 Portland, Maine
Installed today and system tested:






I connected a plastic tube to the connection for the heater and ran it back to my bilge fuel tank. Turned on the polishing system and fuel shortly began to run through the tube after the heater tank filled. I ran it a while to flush out anything that got in the line downstream of the Dickenson filter and then turned off the polishing system. The 1.5 gallon tank drained down in 10 minutes so the tank will supply fuel far faster than the heater or even the engine need.
 
RichH

RichH

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Feb 14, 2005
4,773
Tayana 37 cutter; I20/M20 SCOWS Worton Creek, MD
Hi Roger ....
I dont see it in your pics .... but to run such a day tank 'independently from the main fuel system' after fuel system failure - you must provide an 'atmospheric vent + cock valve at the top of the tank. Without venting to the atmosphere, a vacuum will develop IN the day-tank and no fuel will flow.

Nice tank!
 
sailingdog

sailingdog

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Oct 22, 2008
3,502
- Telstar 28 Buzzards Bay
Rich—

If you looked at his website, that is linked to in the OP, you would have seen this drawing:



which clearly shows a vacuum break for the 1.5 gallon heater/reserve tank.

RichH said:
Hi Roger ....
I dont see it in your pics .... but to run such a day tank 'independently from the main fuel system' after fuel system failure - you must provide an 'atmospheric vent + cock valve at the top of the tank. Without venting to the atmosphere, a vacuum will develop IN the day-tank and no fuel will flow.

Nice tank!
Click to expand
 
Roger Long

Roger Long

.
Nov 22, 2008
3,562
Endeavour 32 Portland, Maine
RichH said:
I dont see it in your pics ....
Click to expand
It's there. The small copper tube runs up about a foot to this:




A Forespar Marlon MF 841 Vent/Duck bill replacement kit for their anti-siphon vent loops fits a 1/4" compression fitting like it was made for it.

I tested it yesterday and it works great. I ran the polishing system a while with the heater supply line connected back to the main tank with a clear plastic tube to flush anything out of the lines downstream of the Dickenson filter. When I turned off the polishing system, the tank drained in about 10 minutes which is about 6 GPH.
 
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