hey SBO, I have a sort of confusing question. I have a six gallon portable fuel tank that is stored within my port settee. tha area is also storage for my extra sails and tools. also the area open totally under the cockpit and over to the starboard quarter berth. I want to install a blower on the the area for safety. the problem is ,should I set it up to draw fresh air in, or to suck it out the vents?
blow in or out
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I agree with you Ron, but when I bought the boat, that is where it was. it goes through the seat to the underside of the cockpit. I can set it on the floor behind the wheel whenever we are on board.
You better be completely sure that your 'blower' is rated as EXPLOSION PROOF and no matter if the blower is 'pushing or pulling'.
The hands down best place for any portable gasoline tank on a boat is lashed to the side deck or in a separate locker with an overboard 'air drain' at the bottom of the locker so that vapor can freely 'drain' overboard... and with no way for vapor to ingress to the boat.
The hands down best place for any portable gasoline tank on a boat is lashed to the side deck or in a separate locker with an overboard 'air drain' at the bottom of the locker so that vapor can freely 'drain' overboard... and with no way for vapor to ingress to the boat.
I surely will not be leaving it stored on board but I just wanted to make sure there were no fumes in the bilges when I did go sailing. safety first. even bought a new extinguisher to comply with all regs.
yea, gas in a locker, bad idea no matter how short a period of time it is there or how much you keep an eye on it. If your area down below is as open as I'm reading then a blower is not going to do much good in that locker. Better to suck it from the bilges and exhaust it overboard. just blowing it around the cabin or sucking from the locker is not going to do any good once the fumes are in the cabin.
The PO was lucky IMHO
The PO was lucky IMHO
its not a locker, its the area beneath the cockpit. the port side is behing the dinette settee and the starboard side is connected with the quarter berth. its all open. the seats in the cockpit open up to this area.
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Your under-cockpit area looks rather like my O' 25. My portable tank has always been strapped down there, too.
To answer your question directly, it seems to me that blowing air IN would force fumes into the cabin.
That said, I need to build a restraining system for the gas tank into the cockpit floor to avoid those bilge-fume problems. I may have been lucky or not, but my problem was the Saltines tasting like gasoline. Yech. The vapours drained along the bilge, and through the cabin lockers on the way to the keel sump. Stored foodstuffs soaked up those delicious petro-flavours.
To answer your question directly, it seems to me that blowing air IN would force fumes into the cabin.
That said, I need to build a restraining system for the gas tank into the cockpit floor to avoid those bilge-fume problems. I may have been lucky or not, but my problem was the Saltines tasting like gasoline. Yech. The vapours drained along the bilge, and through the cabin lockers on the way to the keel sump. Stored foodstuffs soaked up those delicious petro-flavours.
This is one of those that is the way they use to build ALL the small boats right up through J80s and many others
As a matter of fact they still build the J24/J80 THAT WAY and the official place to store the motor during a race is in fact INSIDE the cabin
And i am pretty dam sure when we test sailed the New J70 THIS SPRING there was no fuel locker
Myself and the 5000 other J24 owners kept the fuel tank in the lazaret and put it on deck to run the motor and then stowed everything during a race
The lazaret keeps a stable temperature VS a plastic fuel tank on deck in the sun with the vent closed for storage which will in fact expand to the point of almost failure
I can't emphasize enough to get the gasoline out of any interior location of the boat, especially if it vents through a screw cap. I saw a cabin cruiser on Lake Sunapee blow up once when I was a kid. It ended up burning right to the water line and all on board had to dive in to save themselves. Very spectacular. There was no fire boat so all they could do was let it burn then tow the hulk to shore.
I had a Catalina 25 and they (Catalina) had the gas tank in a locker and the fuel line went through a stern opening, it just had a small cowl vent on the side with no fan. In hindsight it is a terrible design. That locker had no connection to the cabin but it did not have a vent at the low point to drain fumes overboard. Any spark in there might have been a disaster. Hard to believe the boat regulations allowed that kind of construction. Why not consider installing a built in tank with deck fill and vent to a hull fitting? You can get a 6 gallon tank and all you'd need is a deck fill fitting, a vent fitting and some hose and clamps. You will still need a blower in case of leaks though. That way you won't have a loose tank sliding all over the cockpit or sitting on the seats where you're supposed to sit. You can get good tank straps to hold it down and have a nice secure well installed system. Check out the small tanks from moeller or look at Ocean Link's website for tanks. I found a 6 gallon diesel tank on their site.
I had a Catalina 25 and they (Catalina) had the gas tank in a locker and the fuel line went through a stern opening, it just had a small cowl vent on the side with no fan. In hindsight it is a terrible design. That locker had no connection to the cabin but it did not have a vent at the low point to drain fumes overboard. Any spark in there might have been a disaster. Hard to believe the boat regulations allowed that kind of construction. Why not consider installing a built in tank with deck fill and vent to a hull fitting? You can get a 6 gallon tank and all you'd need is a deck fill fitting, a vent fitting and some hose and clamps. You will still need a blower in case of leaks though. That way you won't have a loose tank sliding all over the cockpit or sitting on the seats where you're supposed to sit. You can get good tank straps to hold it down and have a nice secure well installed system. Check out the small tanks from moeller or look at Ocean Link's website for tanks. I found a 6 gallon diesel tank on their site.
portable fuel tank in the 'same' locker as the Battery? what could possibly go wrong!
-on the SBO macgregor board, there are some folks that modified the plastic portable fuel tanks to vent thru the caps, and outside.
thus 'temporary /permanent tanks' they drilled the caps and added a schrader valve (IIRC). (so you can disconnect the vent and take to the pump for filling).
I would really think about adding some vents to the outside directly from the tank. still portable, but with outside venting... or just make a permanent tank install.
-on the SBO macgregor board, there are some folks that modified the plastic portable fuel tanks to vent thru the caps, and outside.
thus 'temporary /permanent tanks' they drilled the caps and added a schrader valve (IIRC). (so you can disconnect the vent and take to the pump for filling).
I would really think about adding some vents to the outside directly from the tank. still portable, but with outside venting... or just make a permanent tank install.
I keep my fuel for my dingy motor in the anchor locker. It vents from a bottom vent and it isn't attached to any other part of the boat. It is stored a a secured manor so that it doesn't spill.
Dude, get that thing out of there.
It's not going to be "Blow in" or "Blow out", it's going to be "Blow up".
A gasoline fuel tank inside a well-ventilated cuddy or storage cabin is not much concern, if there are no stoves or smokers in there. Small power and sail boats of many types can store fuel in this manner safely.
However, that is a cabin, enclosed. The tank vents per design. All you need is a little forgetfullness re ventilation, and a spark.
It's not going to be "Blow in" or "Blow out", it's going to be "Blow up".
A gasoline fuel tank inside a well-ventilated cuddy or storage cabin is not much concern, if there are no stoves or smokers in there. Small power and sail boats of many types can store fuel in this manner safely.
However, that is a cabin, enclosed. The tank vents per design. All you need is a little forgetfullness re ventilation, and a spark.
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