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Fuel tank leakage

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 12:36 pm
by LookingGlass
After transferring fuel from the fwd to the aft tank, I forgot to close the transfer valves. Fuel apparently siphoned from fwd to aft, filling the aft tank to the very top and then some. One or more of the aft tank top penetrations wasn't adequately sealed, and I discovered a layer of fuel on the top of the tank and probably dribbling down the sides. I've thoroughly cleaned the tank top, but the diesel odor won't go away after several months.

Any ideas about accessing the tank bottom area for cleaning, or how to eliminate the odor? If I drilled a hole in the sponsons from the outside below the tank, would trapped diesel drain out?

Re: Fuel tank leakage

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:09 pm
by James Power
Hey Mark,

Drilling holes into the fuel tank compartment sounds scary. To remove diesel fuel in the tank compartment in the past I have removed the fiberglass fairings that are glues to the bulkheads and the top of the tank at the forward and aft ends. This allows access to the cavity between the bulkheads and the tank front and back sides. We would then use a combination of engine room diapers to absorb fuel and a wet / dry vacuum to suck out as much as possible.
This shows the importance of closing all the transfer valves after use. It will also helps to keep the transfer pump primed so it doesn't become air locked.

Hope this helps
James

Re: Fuel tank leakage

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 11:39 am
by coast2coast
Adding to what James said, Stuart Yacht used a product called De-Oil-It in my boat when I had a similar problem. After cleaning and removing as much fuel as possible by conventional methods they saturated the area with De-Oil-It and it neutralized any remaining fuel and odor that couldn't be accessed otherwise. You may want to apply the same treatment to the port bilge as well since that is where I first noticed leaked fuel from the tank area was accumulating.

Re: Fuel tank leakage

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 3:18 pm
by LookingGlass
Thanks, James. I finally was able to remove the forward sole over the tank after carefully cutting away some of the vertical edge trim. Now I can get to the tank's front wall and start absorbing the very small amount of diesel there.

And thanks to Coast-to-coast for the de oil it product. Will definitely give it a try.

Re: Fuel tank leakage

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 4:54 pm
by duetto
hi,

we've had very good results with formula 88. it washes oil/grease off surfaces completely and breaks it down. you can get at home depot in fl, though not in ct, so i guess state law kicks in.