|
|
|
|
|||||
|
||||||
From: Norm of Bandersnatch (no email)
Date: Tue Jul 17 2007 - 16:34:21 EDT
To deal with your water problem, and prevent future problems I would do the
following.
Connect the fuel suctions to the fittings at the bottom of the tanks, not
the one an inch above the bottom. Sucking fuel an inch above the bottom
will, in time, insure that you will have an inch of trash in your tank just
itching to get stirred up in bad weather and overwhelm your filters,
stopping your engine just when you need it the most. Believe me, this is a
common disaster. Sucking the fuel from the very bottom of the tank will
insure that you will NOT have any crap in your tank.
Install a bypass valve to connect the discharge of your Racors to the fuel
return line (that returns the fuel to the tank from the engines). I like
Apollo ball valves, available at West.
Next install an electric fuel pump between the tank suction line and the
Racors. I use a NAPA fuel pump BALKAMP BK.610-1016, about $120. Note the
removable cover on one end of the pump to remove and service the built-in
screen put there to protect the pump. Mount the pump with this end down
and accessible for easy servicing. Put a swing type check valve or a
manual ball valve in parallel with the pump to bypass it when the engine is
running and the pump is not needed.
Now with this setup in place you simply connect a piece of clear tubing
leading to waste gallon or five gallon tub (I save old lube oil containers
for this) to the drain at the bottom of the Racor, open the valve there and
turn on the pump with the bypass and return valves closed at first to get
most of the water out of the tank. The Racors being under pressure, 7 psi
max, the crap that separates out in the bowl at the bottom of the Racors is
easily pushed out. (You should have valves on the suction and the return
lines to your tanks for best control.) When you have pumped most of the
water out then open they bypass and the return valves. This will pump
your fuel through the Racor, separating the water and other nasties in the
bottom bowl of the Racor, where you can drain it into the waste jug. After
a while you will get no more crap out of the tank and you are through.
Turn off the pump, close the drain and bypass valves.
Drawing your fuel from the very bottom of the tank all the time will insure
that anything that sinks to the bottom of the tank will end up in the
Racors where you can easily deal with it. You are very fortunate to have
those fittings at the bottom of your tanks. I built my tanks with wells in
them to collect the crap that sinks to the bottom. I draw the fuel from
the very bottom of these wells and I never have a fuel problem. I check
the Racor bowls from time to time for water/glop and drain them with the
pump on.
While you are at it put gauges on your Racors to measure the suction, an
indication of how fouled they are so you know when it is time to change
them. There is a T-handle for the lids with gauge available. A gauge on
the secondary filter is called for too. Be sure to use a good,
fluid-filled, quality gauge for this. A dry, cheap, gauge will be quickly
destroyed by the vibration of the engine. Mine is on the input side
between the lift pump and the filter - the pressure gets higher as the
filter is gradually fouled. I marked the danger area with a felt pen.
I use the finest micron filters in the Racor, the brown one, because the
Racor is easier to change that the secondary. Then the secondary is mostly
to catch anything that gets by the Racor when changing the filters.
Norm
S/V Bandersnatch
Lying Gloucester Mass
> [Original Message]
> From: John Esch01 <>
> To: <>; <>; A
LiveAboardList <>
> Date: 7/17/2007 11:59:16 AM
> Subject: lv-ab: Water in Diesel Tank
>
> HELP!!. I had the unthinkable happen this weekend. I put about 5 liters
> (less than 2 gallons) into one of my diesel fuel tanks. The tank is 150
> gallons capacity and has about 100 gallons of diesel on hand. I have a
tank
> drain near the bottom of the tank. I've been told the fuel pickup is an
inch
> or so off the tank bottom but I would like to remove the water. I have
dual
> Racor 1000 filters on the tank that should, hopefully, remove the water
over
> time.
>
> Is something that I can add to the tank to remove or neutralize the water?
>
> John Esch
>
> Fet-Esch,a 48' Chung Hwa Seamaster
> Currently lying Winthrop Harbor, IL
> www.Fet-Esch.com
>
>
___________________________________________________________________________
> || The Live-Aboard List : send a "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" request
||
> || in body of message to:
||
___________________________________________________________________________
|| The Live-Aboard List : send a "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" request ||
|| in body of message to: ||
|