water in gas

[gtashie]

my boat went down _SANK_ last fall. had water to the gunnels, positive floatation kept it from going all the way down. Engine was taken care of then put away for the winter. Now I'm trying to figure out how much if any water I have in the gas tank. Have called 15 different companies to pump it, not one has showed up to do the work in past 60 days. typical contractor mentality here in NY - everyone is too busy to take my cash. 3 pronged question - how do i determine how much water I have mixed with the gas; how can I pump it out myself; and what do I do with it once its pumped out. its a 45 gallon tank.<br />thanks

 

[steelespike]

Re: water in gas

Any gas in the tank will remain seperate laying in the bottom of the tank.<br />If it was mine I would level the boat unhook the gasline add some hose to it an siphon it out over<br />the side.By using the gas line you can be sure you drain from the lowest part of the tank.<br />Of course you need to be sure there are no filters in the line.Once you start the siphon it wont stop until it is empty.You can control it with a valve or kink the hose.I would drain <br />the first gallon or two into a clear container<br />and determine if it is water.If it is drain<br />until it becomes gas.Add gasline anti freeze<br /> to the tank and a good water seperator filter.<br />And you should be good to go.

 

[steelespike]

Re: water in gas

Forgot to add in order to work the end of the hose will need to be below the lowest part of the tank.

 

[peterbo3]

Re: water in gas

Evening GT,<br />Could be a couple of things that may not be forseen. Most(all?) boat builders will ensure that the fuel pickup does not reach the bottom of the tank so that any water contamination from either your fuel supplier, condensation or remote chance, from a filler cap, will not be sucked into your motor.<br />You need to get all your fuel/water out of your tank. One way I use is to attach a couple of lead sinkers to the end of a siphon hose & push the siphon hose into the tank via the fuel filler pipe which is normally 2 1/2 inch diameter. The sinkers ensure that the end of the hose stays on the bottom of the tank. This will allow you to get nearly all of the water out from the lowest part of the tank. In Brisbane where I live summer temps are often over 105F for days on end & this causes a condensation problem in my underfloor alloy fuel tank. I also put a gallon of methylated spirits into my tank after I have pumped it as any water left will combine with the metho & run through the O/B without stalling. Fill your tank with clean fuel after you have added the metho prior to running.<br />Hope this is of use.<br />Regards,<br />Peter

 

[gtashie]

Re: water in gas

great advice times two..thanks very much. any idea what to do withthe gas once I have it out of the tank. no one seems to want it, and I'd hate to dump it into the ground

 

[jaba]

Re: water in gas

Whatever you do, dont dumo it to ground. Take the gasoline to nearest Automotive shop and ask them to take care of it for you. Pay something if they ask you to. Nature thanks.<br /><br />Great boatings for you!!

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: water in gas

Call your local marine repair shops and see who they use for pumpout. Some do it themselves. That's what I did and it worked out fine, although it cost me $5.00 a gallon...

 

[Solittle]

Re: water in gas

If you can't get a siphon hose through the filler hose, take out the sending unit on the top of the tank. This gives you direct access to the inside. Drop your siphon hose into the tank and run the other end of that hose back to the transom and out the drain plug hole. When you get done install a new gasket for the sending unit or use a Permatex type seaker and reinstall.<br /><br />If you do not have a fuel filter/water seperator for the fuel line now would be the time to add that.