Always Fun - Fuel Tank Leaking

[Maine Sail]

How about going with a tank half the size so you rotate your fuel more frequently and gain some storage space. then you just bring a few 5 gallon jerry jugs with you to keep the capacity. The jerry jugs are sealed so should keep fresh fuel clean?

The new tank will be 3" less tall so it can go in and out of the engine bay easier and will tip over enough to get the dip tubes out without needing to bend them. I really dislike jerry jugs and prefer the built in tank capacity. I would gain no real storage space wher the tank is located even if I went considerable smaller but used the same spot. I've never had a fuel problem so fuel turnover is not a concern. I will be installing a dedicated polishing system, with its own supply and return, and sequential filtering. The polishing system will filter down to 2 microns and will be turning the tank over twice per hour. This system will be totally isolated from the engine filtration. If I need to pull the engine again in 31 years that's fine with me..

 

[MrBee]

Re: Always fun.....

Always a pleasure and an education reading your post Mainsail.

Bee

 

[jibes138]

Re: Always fun.....

A few questions
Why is your transmission on the front of your engine? If you are pulling it out into your galley and didn't rotate it 180 degrees how is your shaft connected? I don't see a shaft in the photo of the empty engine compartment??
I'm not too sure about these recirculating polishing systems. Since you are mixing clean fuel with contaminated fuel it would have to run for quite a while and never be totally clean. Seems like to polish fuel you want to pull it all out of the tank then run it through the filtration and water separation while putting it back in? the system adds weight and complxity to the boat, like you said you never had a problem. I did once in 15 years in a big storm about 200 miles off delmarva but a filter change and she was good for another couple hundred miles. If you have a portable polishing system and a portable tank like maybe six 5 gallon jugs you could polish your fuel a few times a year and not have all the claptrap on the boat, instead it would fill up your garage so you don't have room for your car :>)
I saw on Defender they have a multitude of new polishing systems in their new catalog that just came in the mail. Also I looked at making my own from stuff at tractor supply but never made the investment. They have a nice hand crank pump for tranfering fuel that would be nice.

 

[jibes138]

Re: Always fun.....

Going back to the metallurgy discussion. Another source of surface contamination could be the process or making the sheet stock. in the mill where it was made it was likely cold rolled (versus hot rolled) as aluminum is pretty ductile (ref. aluminum foil). Now these big mills are most likely using large steel rollers to roll out the stock into the desired thickness. The roller could have a defect or pick up a piece of contamination and roll it right into the metal. Nothing is totally "clean" and for an example I tell people to look at the stuff that rains down on you all day, a beam of sunlight through a window will show all kinds of stuff floating in the air, the need to dust tables in your house is another good example, the air filter in your house, if you have a hot air system, well in a metal working shop add this to all the other potential contaminants and you have a recipe for disaster. Once a tiny perticle is imbedded, as the material is rolled out and stretched, the tiny particle also gets elongated. It might only bea micron or two, invisible to the naked eye, but cause galvanic problems. You might want to just lock yourself in a class 100 clean room to protect yourself, and only drink distilled water :>).

 

[Scott T-Bird]

MS, you make an engine extraction ...

look downright casual! I'm surprised that you could fit your tank out through that opening. I had my engine out last winter and I wish I thought about removing my tank that way. But I'm not sure the opening is wide enough and it is far enough back that I could never unfasten everything without going through the lazerette anyway.

When I was having fuel line problems last summer, I made a half-hearted attempt at getting the bulkhead out between the tank and the lazerette, but it seems like they glassed around it after they screwed it in place. I removed all the screws but couldn't do much more than wiggle it around a few inches. I figured on cutting it in half to get it out but I didn't have access to electricity for a power tool and I had more pressing land-based problems so I gave up. Last year was a very short and unproductive sailing season :cry:.

But my tank is 26 years old and I'd bet it is half filled with sludge so I want to replace it for sure. My next attempt will be soon, I hope. We had hurricane force winds around here yesterday (75 mph at JFK airport) and many inches of rain. I now have a 2' diameter tree about 60' high looming over my backyard fence. The base is about 2' inside my neighbors property and the top is hung up in a tree that is on my property. It's a widow-maker for sure. We still have a fair amount of snow in many areas of the yard and it is all slush. What a mess! :cussing: