Stewart Warner fuel lift pump 82055

[Boracay]

I went into building a boat to Australian survey requirements and eventually concluded it was just not practical.
Bareboat chartering a boat costs more than the return and I am just too grumpy to consider operating a crewed charter.(It may be practical to put a good existing very large boat into survey as the process basicly costs the same whether the boat is 30' or 80')
The requirements do not seem to relate to what a cruiser might need but more to what is needed to keep a bunch of overpaid backsides covered.
As far as I can work out fibreglass fuel tanks are at least as safe (in a fibreglass boat) as metal ones and are cheaper and easier to construct.
As they can be moulded into the hull of a fibreglass boat they would have a larger capacity.
The real dangers seem to relate more to piping and venting.

[GordMay]

FRG & Methanol:

Although some types of corrosion (galvanic, aerobic, pitting and inter-granular) do not affect fibreglass, FRG may be subject to chemical attack from hydrolysis, oxidation, or incompatible (Alcohol/Methanol) solutions.
Fiberglass tanks manufactured prior to 1991 may not be compatible with gasoline (diesel?) containing ethanol. It has been reported that, in the presence of ethanol, some resins may be drawn out of fiberglass and carried into the engine where severe damage could occur. If an older fiberglass tank is used, check with the manufacturer to determine if gasoline with ethanol can be safely used.
There are some resins that are immune to ethanol (some vinylesters, for example) and are used in underground gasoline storage tanks, but most resins, including common epoxies are not able to withstand contact with ethanol.

“Rubber” (Neoprene, Buna-N, Nylon etc) fuel lines, gaskets, o-rings etc may also be affected by ethanol.

Results of BoatU.S. Sponsored Fuel and Fiberglass Gas Tank Tests ~ Seaworthy magazine (January 2006)
http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/fueltest.asp

“The corrosion behavior of aluminum alloys in the presence of Ethanol”
http://www.nmma.org/lib/docs/nmma/gr...tion_Paper.doc

“Can You- Should You- Build Your Own Fiberglass Tanks?” ~ by Ken Hankinson (Practical Sailor)
http://www.practical-sailor.com/news...glasstanks.pdf

[hellosailor]

Extremely interesting, Gord. Thank you for those links!
So on the one hand, gasahol is destroying tanks and engines. An on the other hand, commercial fuel tanks are made of fiberglass and ABYC's own guru prefers the stuff. Sounds like a recipe for disaster has been laid.

[never monday]

It's a well publicized fact the Biodiesel WILL destroy natural rubber. this includes o-ring seal in the fuel system.

[GordMay]

Yes - gasahol has been known to destroy tanks and engines, but this shouldn’t be a problem with properly designed & manufactured systems.
Yes - most commercial fuel tanks are professionally made of fiberglass, which Lysle Gray prefers.
I don’t see a recipe for disaster, except with inexpertly homemade, or some older FRG tanks.
As always, the devil is in the details, unless you get them right.

[hellosailor]

Gord-
I'm not clear that "professionally" made tanks are immune ot the problem, just that they may or may not suffer less from it. (Like I trust the tank buried at my local service station for who knows how many years, bought from which cheapest source? Here in the US we have massive fuel leaks from those professional tanks, all across the country.)
If biodiesel destroys "natural" rubber...So aren't all the fuel system rubbers made from buna-n or other synthetics anyway? (Bad ASSumption?<G>)

[never monday]

The later fuel system built in the 90's are. Any old VW or MB that you want to run B100 in must be upgraded.

[GordMay]

The elastomeric (rubber-like) materials used in modern fuel systems have been selected to be compatible with oxygenated gasolines. Owner's manuals generally approve the use of gasoline oxygenated with 10 vol % ethanol or 15 vol % MTBE.

“Leak Prevention of Reformulated Fuels and Oxygenates: Sealing Solutions to Protect the Environment and Meet Regulatory Requirements” (DuPont)
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/e85t...ak_prevent.pdf

“Elastomer Compatibility Testing of Renewable Diesel Fuels”
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy06osti/38834.pdf

“The Compatibility of Reformulated and Oxygenated Gasoline with Fuel System Materials”
http://www.ethanolrfa.org/objects/pdf/DAI970201.pdf

[Seadoc777]

With an electric pump installed ahead of the Raycor and a failed lift pump (torn diaphragm) is there a chance fuel will get into the oil pan?

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by Seadoc777

With an electric pump installed ahead of the Raycor and a failed lift pump (torn diaphragm) is there a chance fuel will get into the oil pan?

I'd seriously think about bypassing the failed mechanical lift pump until you can get a new diaphragm. Nothing fancy, just some fuel hose and hose clamps.

[Lepke]

Electric fuel pumps replacing a mechanical lift pump are cheap. So carry a spare. Once I replace the mechanical pump I blank off the mounting and never go back.
I get mine on ebay, about $20 and rated for 35 gallons an hour. I have the same pumps on 2 Detroits and 2 generators. So 1 or 2 spares cover all the engines. I still use the DDs pumps and have the electrics inline for filling filters and backup. The mechanical gear pumps draw thru the electrics w/o problems. I haven't had a cheap electric fail yet.