Water in Fuel

[Sahara53]

Folks lets all keep it civil, Mantaray please I have read all the opinions but I go back to the original question - where the hell do you suspect that my boat has picked up sooooo much water if not condensation? I'm open to all suggestions and have now tasked my daughter to ask her Chem/Physics teacher.

You all have provided some very interesting (and amusing) reading. I am but a novice at all of this and am very surprised that so many craft could be fitted with inboard tanks that then maybe subject to water from some source.

My problem is simple I am getting water and large amounts of it into my underfloor fuel tank and even though it might be unlikely, I'm not getting the opportunity to catch a feed of King George!

Over to you, I'm off to dreamland.

Peter A

[Mr__Bean]

I know it isn't getting in at the Bowser, I use a water separating fuel filler.

G'Day Skipsta,

Can you give us some more info on the fuel filler, never heard of them and might be interested in one.

- Darren

[impulse492f]

I read in another post from here (can't find it again) that had a problem with the carpet around the filler. It was cut to close to the filler and the cap was bitting down on the carpet instead of the o-ring on the cap and leaving 1-2mm.

Thats if your filler is on thw floor?

[Mantaray]

sahara; if you are getting that much water large amounts that can not be explained based on condensation which by the way has to have exactly the right type of conditions to produce then you do have to look elsewhere.

so do boats only have this problem?

[Mr__Bean]

Hmmmm,

Not only boats, aircraft have to constantly monitor and drain water from their tanks, fuel distributors constantly filter it out. Next time you are at an airport waiting for your flight look out and have a closer look at that fuel truck filling up the plane, it is basically a filtering plant on wheels.

Below is a link to an article from the University of Utah, it is written around fuel contamination in farm machinery (prolly not much difference to a boat stored in a farm shed) that has an interesting opening to the section titled Water Contamination:

"Water contamination is primarily a result of condensation within the tank, be it bulk storage
or vehicular. Inability to keep tanks full at all times tends to create condensation when
temperature changes occur."

Here is the complete document: http://extension.usu.edu/files/agpubs/fm16.pdf

But hey, what would they know..........

- Darren

[Skipsta]

Impulse, it was an earlier post of mine you wer referring to re the marine carpet. Read it here.
http://www.ausfish.com.au/cgi-ausfis...m=1129418595/0

Mr Bean, the funnel is a Mr Funnel. Quicksilver stock it, I bought it from Karee Marine at Rocklea, about $25 from memory. I don't put a drop into my tank without it. (Pic attached)


Regards

Skipsta

[Skipsta]

Here are a few pics re how water WAS getting into my fuel. The probelm has since been rectified by AMM.

1st photo - As floor filler looked. (I thought things were aok for quite a while.) One can see the fuel stains around the cap where fuel has been splashing out during travel when the tank was full.

[Skipsta]

2nd photo, shows the tank cap off and the carpet lifted up from where it was installed flush around the filler.

[Skipsta]

3rd and final pic, shows the fuel cap back in, showing how the carpet is riding up the sides. I obviously didn't have it like this when I was wondering how fuel got in. Just a pictorial representation of what the problem was . This caused a HEAP of water to get, both when water came in through the scuppers and when I washed the boat down. Keep an eye out for this sort of thing fellas with water probs, always a chance

[billfisher]

Skipsta,

Thanks for confirming what we already know (Mantaray excepted).

[Mantaray]

Skipsta,

Thanks for confirming what we already know (Mantaray excepted).

(Mantaray excepted) totally uncalled for and what is starting to make some of you fools appear you can't keep your mouth shut for the want of trying. it is stupid iditoic irrelevant comments like that from the likes of people like you that ask the question just how stupid are you?

[Mr__Bean]

- Darren

[Grand_Marlin]

G'day Skipsta,

Just looking at the pics.... the way that filler is sitting, it looks like they never had anything under it to seal it??
We use 2 or 3 mm cork gasket to seal fuel fittings and dont get any leaks.

Jut one thing I will mention that people may or may not know... dont ever use silicone to seal fuel fittings. Most silicones "melt" in fuel, creating a sticky mess that invariably ends up in the fuel lines.
Other silicones (One Selleys Product that Selleys recommended for fuel) do not melt in fuel, however they do absorb fuel.
I used it to seal in a fuel filler (on their recommendations)
When you seal something with a bed of silicone, you always end up with a bead of silicone that pushes out when you fasten down any fitting. This bead on the inside of the tank absorbed fuel until it was heavy enough to break away under its own weight.
It ended up blocking the fuel pickup in the tank when we were 20 miles from shore and the weather had turned to crap.
After a lot of trying, I managed to dislodge it by back blowing down the fuel line. It took several goes as it was stuck in hard.
I rang Selleys about it ... their answer? .... didnt want to know about it in the slightest..... typical.

Sahara, maybe it will be a process of elimination as well.
It is a known fact about tanks "sweating" and causing condensation.
Tanks obviously create the perfect conditions for condensation.
Eliminate this first, and hopefully the problem wil go away.
If there are no other leaks in the tank and the filler caps are sealing correctly then I honestly think condensation is your answer.

Service stations all have water filtration as well, so it shouldnt be that.

I assume you are filling at a service station? or are you using a portable filling system such as 20 litre drums or a tank mounted on the back of a ute?
Using these is a sure fire way of introducing water to your tank.

Cheers

Pete

[seatime]

It doesn't get that humid in Ardrossan does it?
It may not be a simple task but you may be able to extend your breathers and filler cap. Inbuilt tanks where the filler and breathers are close to the tank seem to suck up more moisture laden air.
Or even try insulating and lagging the filler pipe and fuel tank, this will even up the temp differences and reduce sweating. Just a thought, Steve

[billfisher]

(Mantaray excepted) totally uncalled for and what is starting to make some of you fools appear you can't keep your mouth shut for the want of trying. it is stupid iditoic irrelevant comments like that from the likes of people like you that ask the question just how stupid are you?

Mantaray your the one who has continually said that condensation in fuel tanks is an urban myth, without offering anything to back up the assertion. You have done nothing to refute the evidence Skipsta , myself and others have quoted.
Now who is the one making stupid idiotic irrelevant comments?