Clean out live well lines + water in the fuel tank

[beckoning]

1) My stern live well holds my salmon and lake trout catch after I slit the fish's throat so it bleeds out. Over time, the drain lines get clogged with junk, blood, scales, poop. The intake is below the water line at the stern, and it gets clogged sometimes. How to clean the live well intake and drain lines? A marina said use DrainO for the drain lines.

2) My 35 gallon fuel tank has about 4-6 ounces of water in it. I've siphoned all but the little bit I cannot get to. What is a safe product to dissolve the water so it will pass through outboard motor (outboard with fuel injection)? I live in the north so it freezes solid in winter.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Garden hose and flush them out

Use a fuel/water separating filter, and fill up with E10

 

[Chris1956]

Garden trimmer plastic line to snake-out the drains?

 

[dingbat]

I’m a bit confused…I have screens on my pump intakes and cleanable in-line filters behind them. Never had an issue either my livewell or raw water washdown pumps.

My bait and live wells run directly overboard. I stick the hose in the drain and back flush the line to clear any remaining organic matter.

How is your setup configured?
Are you dumping the drain in the bilge then pumping it out?

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

Use a drain snake and hose to flush the livewell. It would be best if you could take the hoses off of the pumps so you aren't just pushing it into the impellers.

I'm guessing you have a bassboat with the drains next to the bilge drain plug, with the cable turn valves next to the driver's seat?

 

[beckoning]

Not a bass boat. I high freeboard Yamaha G3 V185 with extremely limited access to the bilge, where all the live well tubes reside. I'm going to try what I read elsewhere: Use a plastic zip-strip to clean out any large debris. Mix 1 gallon vinegar and 1 quart hydrogen peroxide. Pour into live well drain and leave it for an hour, then flush with garden hose high pressure stream. Do likewise on the intake. Hopefully, that will get things back on track.

 

[beckoning]

Again, more clarification and update: I discovered there is a 2" "hump" or "ridge" from stern end to bow end at the bottom middle of the gas tank. At least one live well tube runs through that ridge from the stern to forward live well since the live well pickup is in the stern and it serves both the bow and stern live wells. Once I located the ridge inside the tank, I siphoned on the higher side of the ridge (I have the boat tilted to starboard-rear to force all the water to that corner of the tank) and siphoned out another quart of water. Now, I am not getting any water. Like I said in my post yesterday, I'll wait until Spring with the boat in the hoist and test for water. Last thing I want is to be 2 miles out in Lake Michigan and have water in stop my motor. I've learned to carry an old 3 gallon outboard tank that I can hook up in an emergency to get back to shore on my kicker motor if necessary. I did that once 20 years ago when my solo battery was died (the last time I went out on a solo battery....now I have duplicate everything) and came in on my kicker.

Next task: Find the leak in the stern end of my gas tank. When pumping out the tank with the bulb (slow process) every time the bulb refills, I hear a hissing noise at the rear of the tank, and all fittings are tight. Access to that part of the tank is extremely difficult. Your thoughts?

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

Can you pull the tank? I haven't had to do it on one of those, so I don't know how tight they're in.

 

[99yam40]

Next task: Find the leak in the stern end of my gas tank. When pumping out the tank with the bulb (slow process) every time the bulb refills, I hear a hissing noise at the rear of the tank, and all fittings are tight. Access to that part of the tank is extremely difficult. Your thoughts?

do you realize when fuel is removed from the tank, air has to get into the tank so that a vacuum is not formed