DYI Fuel Polishing Issues

[EmeraldCoastSailor]

I created a DIY fuel polishing solution that I run for a day or so when I am ready to change my filters. If I ever thought I had problems I'd run it and then check/change the filter until filters looked clean after running 1000 or so gallons of diesel through via many hours of running. The 12v pump was maybe $40 from auto parts store, the fuel selector was about $30, and maybe $10 in additional fittings. Does not deal with a dirty tank (mine is 8 years old) but it seems like a good DIY fuel polisher. And can be used to pump fuel to the engine if reconfigured a bit.

This pump isn't the exact one I bought at parts store but it's close:
12S Electric Gas Diesel Fuel Pump Carburetor Domestic 4 7PSI 35 GPH 12V Transfer | eBay

[Cheechako]

I don't think flame hazard is much. It's actually difficult to burn diesel. You can throw a lighted match in a coffee can of diesel and it wont burn.

[SF Bay Dude]

My tanks are integral and I am not able to create openings to clean them. I will be using Fuel Right.

Fuel Right

…here is a great post that sold me on it.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...es-156576.html

Best of luck!

[evm1024]

Once upon a time Kim at Columbia Marine Exchange has a Gulf Coast Filters filter for fuel polishing in consignment. These filters are the ones that use a roll of TP or Paper towels for their filter element and can really take up a lot of crud (plus the filter is really inexpensive).

Give her a call to see if it is still there if you are interested.

Fuel Polishing

No relationship with GCF (but it did put that filter in for consignment). I do use a TP based GCF on my boat in the polishing system.

[tkeithlu]

Regarding your last issue. Liquids don't burn. Gases released by liquids burn. The temperature at which a liquid gives off flammable gas is called its flashpoint. Strangely, this is not the point at which it flashes; that's the ignition temperature. The flashpoint of wood is about 575 degrees F, of diesel is about 150 degrees F, and of gasoline is about -40 degrees F or C; they happen to be the same at that point. That makes gasoline damned dangerous, because it gives off flammable gas just as well as propane does at room temperature. It is also a dense gas that accumulates in low places, as does propane. To reassure you, I have welded struts onto a tank full of diesel, and have scooped up, filtered, and reused 75 gallons of diesel spilled in my engine room. If it had been gasoline, we would have had to evacuate and hope nothing sparked. Oh, and I have a very flattering document on my cabin wall from the USCG after I dealt with the results of two commercial fishermen adding gasoline without turning off their engine. One of them will never walk again. Diesel is pretty safe to work with; absent a heat source sparks are not going to cause a fire. Gasoline in a confined space (not outboards) is damned dangerous. Notice that under ABYC standards, you can have a bottom outlet on a diesel tank, but must draw gasoline from the top.

[OzClipper]

Dump the fuel and scrub out the tank. Just completed mine and due to its location the tank had to be removed from the boat. It has an inspection port however in under the deck with 150mm headroom I could not even have sufficient access with a torch and mirror to thoroughly inspect. Cleaning properly in situ would have been impossible. The tank has a horizontal baffle and the crud was under the baffle as well as up the walls. I maintain a full tank normally (25gal) and the crud was up to the fill level. I can remove my tank, take it home, clean and dry and re fit in a day so its on the annual maintenance list.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by JSSailem

No one made much comment about the hazards of the job. While I am encouraged that diesel is not normally explosive I have read some scary stories of fluid explosions touched off by static. With the tanks mostly full there is little space for air/fuel vapor. I intend to have both hoses under the fuel to further reduce any air spark issues. The hoses I received from a oil fluids company are labeled PVC with a reinforcing wire. .

Its not a problem, we used to have a parafin (Kerosene) filled with diesel in the workshop as it was easier to obtain diesel and worked just as well for cleaning engine components.

Pete