Temporary Fuel Tank ?

Ross · Feb 5, 2010

It shouldn't take but a couple of days to make the complete change from old to new tank. Pick a couple of warm days before you go back in the water and do it. You will spend that much time jury rigging a temporary tank.

sailingdog · Feb 5, 2010

I'd second what Ross said... It really is probably a waste of time to try and jury rig a temporary tank, given that a few more hours of work would allow you to have the replacement tank in place permanently.

Hermit Scott · Feb 5, 2010

I hooked up a temporary tank while I cleaned and welded a port in my permanent aluminum tank. Somehow I never got around to installing the aluminum tank again.
Until I start travelling further, the removable 6 gal. is perfect because I don't have to worry about sludge build up.
I think permanent tanks should be made with a nice big window and a light so you don't have to guess what is going on in there.

Ross · Feb 5, 2010

My built in tank is just ten gallons but I don't use that much in four days of slow motoring. (4-4.5 knots)

Ed Schenck · Feb 5, 2010

It surprises me, all this concern about what is in the fuel tank. And expensive double filters and fuel polishing systems. My H37C was twenty years old when I bought her. All the consternation on this site caused me to cut two large cleanout ports in my 50 gal. tank, one on each side of the baffle. Then pumping out all the diesel into a drum. The marina yard tractor ran on that for months. There wasn't anything in the tank, clean as a new drum. Now I do get bad fuel and the Racor does clog up, about three times between Lake Erie and Tampa Bay. Takes me all of thirty seconds to change it. So to the question. What am I missing?

COOL · Feb 5, 2010

Hermit Scott said:
I hooked up a temporary tank

Same here , I hooked up a 'temporary' tank while dealing with a
tank full of bad diesel. It worked well and I never went back.
It is nice to know that you have clean fuel, and you can
fill your tank at a gas station.

tommays · Feb 5, 2010

The temp is all good and well as long as nothing ever happens with the boat

If something does happen and your temp install was the cause good luck with your insurance company cause it would sure not pass a survey

A small legal tank cost next to nothing ?

Stu Jackson · Feb 5, 2010

Fuel Return Impact on Small Tanks

The ONLY downside of using a SMALL (note the emphasis) is that the fuel return is HOT. On a larger tank this is not an issue since the hot return fuel gets mixed with a larger volume of cooler fuel.

In the real world this has become an issue with, for instance, incorrectly plumbed fuel systems for diesel emergency power generators that have day tanks. If the fuel return on low load ONLY goes back to the smaller day tank (instead of to the main tank - OK, I've seen it happen this way), the resultant fuel supply "overheats" and can (not always, but CAN) cause operational issues for the engine.

So if you're gonna use a small temporary tank, just know this and be aware of the potential.

I know, some of you use your diesel engines in the Carribean, where the air temp is way high, but the water temp is usually much lower.

Ross · Feb 5, 2010

Stu, I have observed that my tank gets warm but not hot(less than uncomfortable to hold a hand on for a long period)after running for several hours. But then too my engine doesn't run very hot.

RAD · Feb 6, 2010

My 2 cents......I bought a plastic fuel tank at West Marine in the morning, by 4 pm I had my old tank out and the new and larger one back in place and the only reason for a new tank was the cost to put an access plate in the old tank verses the cost of a new tank....I understand that construction to repair the cockpit floor is an issue so maybe you can locate a small plastic tank with all the necessary ports (supply,return,vent,fill)someplace as a temp maybe in the same spot but with little amount of fuel to remove for construction

Hermit Scott · Feb 6, 2010

MrBee said:
I had hoped this would be easy for those of you that have a problem giving a simple answer to a simple question......
I'M NOT worried about insurance, it is TEMPORARY, a day or so, a week at the most. also, so long as the temp tank is approved for diesel and secured my insurance don't care.

Hermit, thank you, but how did you hook it up ? Did you do it as i suggested I would need to ? Fuel Supply lined moved to the temp tank and should draw fine . Return hooked in....and the vent. All I need ??

Ed, I agree, There is nothing wrong with the tank i have now, except like Ross said about a smaller tank. My tank is Over 20 Gallons and in the way of emergency access to the stuffing box area. Also the weight of it over the past 30 years has caused the cockpit floor to sag. Those 2 reasons are the reason for removing it and relocating it. And since it will be out i will repair the sag in the floor and install the new Smaller tank in a different location. Chances are I will not need the use of a temp tank but thought i would ask now just in case.

I really do love this site and do THANK all of you that have excellent info, but some times all a person wants is exactly what they ask for. Some of you folks must be engineers, just like the ones where I work....anything that is simple, direct, and to the point is to easy and must be wrong.

Thanks for all the responses
Brian

My engine is set up so the bypass/return line in ran directly to the on-engine filter. So I only have one line that runs from the tank. I seem to recall someone doing the same thing and they put a T in the line. If someone could verufly that I would appriciate it.
I never really thought about the vent. I guess it's built in to the cap somehow.
It has a little fuel gauge on it too. I got it at Discount Boaters World or whatever that place was called that went out of buisness.

Hermit Scott · Feb 6, 2010

Stu Jackson said:
The ONLY downside of using a SMALL (note the emphasis) is that the fuel return is HOT. On a larger tank this is not an issue since the hot return fuel gets mixed with a larger volume of cooler fuel.

In the real world this has become an issue with, for instance, incorrectly plumbed fuel systems for diesel emergency power generators that have day tanks. If the fuel return on low load ONLY goes back to the smaller day tank (instead of to the main tank - OK, I've seen it happen this way), the resultant fuel supply "overheats" and can (not always, but CAN) cause operational issues for the engine.

So if you're gonna use a small temporary tank, just know this and be aware of the potential.

I know, some of you use your diesel engines in the Carribean, where the air temp is way high, but the water temp is usually much lower.

Do diesel engines run bad when they are low on fuel as well? The "hot" fuel on my engine is dumped right back into the onboard filter to be immediately sent back to the engine, maybe I don't have problems because of the type of engine I have.

damauney · Feb 7, 2010

Definition of Small?

To quantify what small can mean. The Kubota D950 engine (M25XP) is in a B7200 tractor. The fuel tank size on this Kubota tractor is 4 gal.

Good Wiinds
DaveM

Stu Jackson · Feb 7, 2010

Hermit Scott said:
Do diesel engines run bad when they are low on fuel as well?

Gotta define "low" on fuel. Diesel need only two things to run properly: air (to the engine and NOT in the fuel lines!

) & fuel.

Low fuel means it still HAS fuel, so will continue to run until fuel to the engine is ZERO. That's why bleeding is so important.

kendall · Feb 10, 2010

Don't see any problem with a temporary fuel tank.
As long as it -is- a fuel tank, not a milk jug or soda bottle, I don't see any insurance company having issues either.

Return lines do not have to run all the way back to the tank, many are set up so the bypassed fuel is simply reintroduced to the fuel flow between tank and pump, using a T. All it needs to do is allow the excess fuel a way out, and for that purpose, back to the line is as good as running to the tank.

Ken.