bilge full of fuel help!!

[lawson]

hi guys hope someone can help me...i am new to boating and this is my first boat...of late i have been smelling fuel gas "petrol" in my cabin ...very strong smells..today i got on my boat and was even scared to start it....i decided to take up the decking the last owner had put down as the floor...underneth i found the...i guess marine ply flooring with some holes in it for inspection like ie sender unit accses and a hole where the the fuel hose joins the the what looks like aluminium full tank...though these holes was what looked like and smelt like pure fuel loads of it full up...ithink its all under the entire floor of the boat...i was able to fully submerge my hand in it...i was so scared i just got off of it as the fumes where making me dizzy...right now it is on a swinging mooring but i have to get it out the water tommorow...it is a 19 footcuddy with 3.0l merc......can anyone help me with what is the best and safest way to remove the fuel from the bilge...and weather its a hard job to remove the and replace tank if it needs be...the fuel tank does not apeer to be foamed in..right now i just dont know where to start and to be honest am very scared about getting back on it....any help would be great thx

 

[Stachi]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

first thing I would do is drain the tank......siphon it dry if you can...

 

[lawson]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

yes thx staci...well ill have to get it out the water tomorrow and try to bilge it all out and the tank...and i guess rip up the old flooring and try to find out where its leaking from...dont even no whats under the flooring or if it will right the boat off trying to remove the flooring and refit a new tank...i would of thought that it would of all ran to the engine bilge but i guess not...i have spent a lot of money on this boats engine and outdrive just hope this is not the end of her

 

[seabob4]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

You have a very large problem here, and full caution needs to be observed!! Disconnect the ground from the battery. Do not try to move the boat under it's own power! Get a tow to a ramp, load the boat, get it on an incline with the stern down , pull the plug, and start draining the fuel into gas cans. Get as much as you can out. Then open up all hatches/access pies/whatever to get as much air flow into the bilge area as possible to get rid of the remainder. She's going to need quite some time to dry out. Then it will be time to get in there and deal with that tank, as well getting that bilge cleaned out.

Good luck, sir...

 

[Stachi]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

yes thx staci...well ill have to get it out the water tomorrow and try to bilge it all out and the tank...and i guess rip up the old flooring and try to find out where its leaking from...dont even no whats under the flooring or if it will right the boat off trying to remove the flooring and refit a new tank...i would of thought that it would of all ran to the engine bilge but i guess not...i have spent a lot of money on this boats engine and outdrive just hope this is not the end of her

I would not run any electricals.....least of all the bilge pump.....sparks brother...ignition...on the up side here.... if you had any water logged flotation foam...some of it has dissolved....lol

 

[pinellas50]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

I'm not sure I would even go as far as disconnecting the battery right now. That's a potential spark when the cable comes off the battery. Just my .02.

Hopefully you can get it drained simply by pulling the plug with the boat tilted so the bow is in the air. Then try to find the source.

Good luck with it.

 

[lawson]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

thx guys for all your help i will get a tow out of the water tomorrow and drain it all out into cans and go from there i guess...

 

[foodfisher]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

How long have you had the boat? There was a post about a guy filling the rod holder while looking at some bikinis. Hope that's your only prob.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

get it drained and dry.... give it a couple weeks of good forced ventilation outdoors..... THEN before you go ripping out the tank check some systems to find out where it is leaking.... you can run your engine on a 6 gallon portable tank and look to see if you have a leak there. You can pressure test or just replace your fuel hose. Then there's the fill annd vent hoses etc.... Don't just assume that the tank is the problem

 

[musicexperience]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

I'm not sure I would even go as far as disconnecting the battery right now. That's a potential spark when the cable comes off the battery. Just my .02.

Hopefully you can get it drained simply by pulling the plug with the boat tilted so the bow is in the air. Then try to find the source.

Good luck with it.

I was thinking that same thing! Glad I am not the only paranoid one on here.

 

[seabob4]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

I thought about the ground cable myself, but you don't want that bilge pump turning on. Cutting the constant hot to the float can create a spark, cutting the lead from the pump will stop the pump from coming on via the float, yet the float can still turn on and now you have an open circuit, pulling the in-line fuse off the float constant hot lead can create a spark...

Just not a good situation to be in...

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

I LOVE the dish soap idea.... def do that.... as for disconnecting the batt I would make sure the immediate area was fume free and then unhook it..... If you want to be VERY safe about it then get a set of jumper cables, on one end connect red to engine block and black to negative terminal on battery (or vice versa) then outside of boat away from any fumes connect red and black on other end together, Next cut all wires connected to negative side of battery, last break circuit by disconnecting clamps from each other outside boat........ If you have dual terminals on the batt you can do this without cutting anything...... if wires are connected to terminals on dual terminal batt then break circuit outside of boat before moving clamp to next terminal and then repeat steps

 

[lawson]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

wow thx guys for all your replys....i am still alive and did not blow up....ok i towed the boat out the harbour....to the waiting fork lift for a lift out..we put it on the tralier and tilted it bow up and removed plug and drained..over a few hours...then leveled it out...it was full of fuel plus water..then i removed the sender unit to see what if any petrol was in the tank...it was full right up..now i was thinking how can it be leaking when i filled it up 2 days ago..surly it would not be full right up?...but it was...so next i did what i normally do which is was fill it up till it comes out the cap..i know this is not good practise but it is what i used to do as i have a lazy fuel gauge....anyhow i was watching the fuel in the clear pipe which goes down to tank it was 3/4 full to the cap as was breather pipe..i squeezed in the breather pipe and fuel shot out of breather so i thought well ok thats not blocked..then i started to see very very slowly the level in the pipe droping from my permanent marker pen line i put on clear fill pipe...then i was all over the tank/pipes looking for leak...however it was all very slowly coming though the sender unit on top of tank...runing over the top into the builge...so i guess whats been happening is i have been over filling and the pressure on the fuel tank with the pipes full upto the cap was enough to force the petrol though the seal on sender unit ...leak found...now i am leaving with the mariner mechanic to reseal the sender uinit as i could not stop it from just tightening it up..plus i am a long distance truck driver and i am away for a week at a time and i am off tomoz morning so not enough time to mess with it...anyhow i am just glad the leak is found and the boat can air dry out for a few days before i return from work...nothing like a boat to de-stess a truck driver hauling 100,000 lbs thoughout europe...then to be able at the end of hard week away from home in that bloody truck to relax bobbing around on the water...thats why i bought her....thx u guys very much for all your advice

 

[Willyclay]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

I also went through the experience of a bilge full of gasoline. We are both very fortunate to live and tell about it. Be safe on the road this week and be sure to post a follow-on report when you get back to the boat. Good luck!

 

[Mark42]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

.........anyhow i was watching the fuel in the clear pipe which goes down to tank it was 3/4 full to the cap as was breather pipe..i squeezed in the breather pipe and fuel shot out of breather so i thought well ok thats not blocked..then i started to see very very slowly the level in the pipe droping from my permanent marker pen line i put on clear fill pipe...

OK, this is a problem. I have installed two tanks in boats, and both times searched long and hard for the lowest price marine grad fill hose. It is heavy black hose, wire core, and has a red stripe on the side, signifying USCG approved hose. NEVER have I come across "clear fill pipe". This needs to be removed and replaced with genuine marine grade fill hose. Probably the same for the vent. And don't forget to double clamp each end of the hose, and bond (ground) the fill deck plate if it is made with ANY metal parts.

I could be wrong, but this sounds like a prior owner cheap-o fix. Marine grade hose start at $5.54 per foot for 1.5" id hose and goes up to about $8.00 ft. Which is probably why the PO used the clear hose.

.....
then i was all over the tank/pipes looking for leak...however it was all very slowly coming though the sender unit on top of tank........now i am leaving with the mariner mechanic to reseal the sender uinit as i could not stop it from just tightening it up..

The mechanic should point out the clear tubing is not approved and should replace it. If he thinks its fine, look for another mechanic.

Glad you found the leak!!

Good Luck

 

[rebars1]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

If the sender toward the back of the tank? Part of what might have happened is that maybe you filled it up on a trailer (level), but in the water, the stern sits lower, putting more fuel toward to back.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

red stripe on the side, signifying USCG approved hose. NEVER have I come across "clear fill pipe"

There is a chance that they do it different on the other side of the pond... I doubt they worry too much about what the uscg thinks in europe.... still though I think it's at least worth looking into.... The only clear fuel hoses I have ever come across were on dirt bikes and weed whackers... generally they were always hard as a rock and in need of replacement too.

 

[Mark42]

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

Re: bigle full of fuel help!!

There is a chance that they do it different on the other side of the pond... I doubt they worry too much about what the uscg thinks in europe.... still though I think it's at least worth looking into.... The only clear fuel hoses I have ever come across were on dirt bikes and weed whackers... generally they were always hard as a rock and in need of replacement too.

Yes, even in the UK, they sell the same products by Moeller Marine that we buy here, as well as other brands. This Vetus brand hose is a common UK fill hose:

Vetus Fuel filling hose is made of NBR rubber with spiralled steel inlay. Suitable for both petrol and diesel fuels. Meets the requirements of SAE J 1527 and ISO 7840-MARINE FUEL A2. Extremely flexible. Available in coils of 20 m

FIY...SAE J 1527 and ISO 7840-MARINE FUEL A2 are the same specs that Coast Guard approved hose must match.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: bilge full of fuel help!!

ya know what? ur allright.....

 

[Mark42]

Re: bilge full of fuel help!!

ya know what? ur allright.....

Thanks! I just have a thing for doing fuel tanks right.