Call me stupid because I was

[higgs]

I plan on pulling Trav'ler tomorrow so I went down to run the water tanks dry. I needed a couple of empty gallon jugs for used oil so I figured I would put a couple gal of anti freeze into the water tanks. All my deck fittings are together and look the same with small indented lettering. I don't know where my head was today as I have always been so careful about this - and you see this coming - but I poured the anti freeze into the diesel tank. Almost a gallon before I realized my idiocy. The engine was not running so none got that far, but I will need to remove all the fuel and clean the tank. It has an inspection cover, so I will be able to access it and at least clean out the 20 years of crud that has built up in there.

I figure to get an electric fuel pump from NAPA - they cost less than $20 and pump out the 15 gallons into cans.

Any suggestions where to take the fuel. Can I get it scrubbed and re use it or is it it trash? How do I repair my shattered ego?

 

[Ron20324]

Just maybe it will separate on it's own and make the process easier? Like skimming off the cream.

 

[Don Crowther]

the water will settle to the bottom but the glycol i'm not to sure of. If you have some clear containers you could watch and see if the anti-freeze seperates from the fuel.
Good luck
Don

 

[alexco38]

Time to relocate the deck fills

My boat came from the factory with the deck fills at 3 different corners of the boat. The designer did his home work.

 

[Ross]

Drill a couple of extra dimples in your fuel cap.

 

[dserrell]

1

 

[Maine Sail]

Don't feel bad..

Don't feel bad we watched a 70+ year old guy in a Hinckley fill his water tank with diesel at Port Clyde, ME this past August. He then flipped on the faucet as if to correct it. Yup the entire harbor had a sheen before he even realized what he'd done..

Rule #1 is don't put antifreeze into your water tanks as it makes spring dilution very time consuming. Drain them and then pull the hose of the H2o pump and stick it into a bucket of antifreeze and suck the antifreeze only through the hoses. Don't forget to by-pass the water heater too..

That hose is directly connected to the intake side of my water pump. No antifreeze in the tanks is a good thing.

Oh well just think you'll have a very clean fuel tank.. Hey I once forgot to add 2 cycle oil, thought I had, and seized my outboard....

 

[Dan Johnson]

This spring...

one of the boat owners I've crewed for had sold his sailboat and boat a brand new walk-around cabin fish boat. After it's launch we took it to the fuel dock where he showed me how he had to open the tank fills on both sides of boat's gunnels to allow the fuel to balance out across the boat without the back pressure. I turned my back on him as the dock attendant handed him the fuel hose. When I turned back a second later, he had stuck it into the fish rod holder next to the fuel fill (which also had a black rim like the fuel fill) and had just squeezed the handle. I screamed "STOP!", which scared the crap out of him. We had about a gallon of gasoline to remove from the bilge that quickly.

He now stuffs a rag in all the fish rod holder openings before opening the fuel tank fills--seems to work!

 

[Ron20324]

Reminds me of a letter to an editor. Skipper comes into a marina late, so just ties up at the pumpout/fuel dock. Early next morning the attendant bangs on the hull, telling the skipper he'd have to move the boat. Skipper says he was just waiting for the gas dock to open up. A full tank later, skipper fires up the DIESEL and it runs terribly. He asks how much water is in their diesel? Attendant says none, but you said you were waiting on the GAS PUMP to open

 

[RAD]

I'm for letting it settle and pump the water/crud into a waste can you can probably fill a 5 gal. container then take the remaining 10 gal. and put it in an oil burner fuel tank

 

[Deadline2]

Could be worse

Up in Oxford Md a fellow called ahead to have the dock boy ready the boat for the weekend. When the couple got there they went out for the evening. As she was preparing dinner she ran the water faucet only to find the boy had filled the water tanks with... gasoline. Fortunately she wasn't smoking and the stove wasn't on, but all the water lines had to be replaced.

 

[catsailor]

No big deal, really.

the AF will separate just like water. However, it makes Excellent bug food, far better than diesel alone. I would add some kill-em (FPPF) or other biocide when you are done, and keep the treatment up for at least a few fills. Don't wait until you have a problem, because by then the bugs will have left sludge int he tank. You won't be safe until ALL of the AF is out of there. Used AF is what we use to jump-start our waste water plant when the bugs get a little sluggish. (I did not recommend Bio-bor, which is a good product, because with glycol the kill-em is generally more effective, based on our lab tests. But depending on the bugs, if kill-em does not work, go to bio-bor).

The off-spec junk from the bottom should go in the used oil tank at the marina. That small amount of AF won't matter (I work for a rerefiner) or be noticed.

If you do not have a fuel-water separator, now would be a good time!

 

[Steve Dion]

If you get a Baja filter (the sell them on this site), you can probably clean the fuel just as good as anyone is going to do it for you for a hell of a lot less.

 

[shorty]

Take it to a garage

that has a waste oil burner for heat.

 

[Steve Dion]

http://shop.hunterowners.com/detail.htm?group=812

So you need to decide if you want to just through away $60 worth of fuel or clean it for about $35 (Baja Filter).

Normally your local fire department will use it for their training fires.

 

[higgs]

Baja filter

This will scrub my fuel w/o me having to empty my tanks?