Diesel Tank Algae Problem

[Albatrosity]

I have a similar problem with a 50 gal. tank that sat unused for 4 years. I bought a Fluid Extractor Pump and was able to suck out about a pint of water and crud from the bottom of the tank.
I also bought some Starbright Startron Tank cleaner, that is supposed to dissolve the settled crud from the tank walls and bottom. I put a little less than the recommended amount in the tank on Thursday and haven't been back to the boat yet to see what happened, but hopefully everything will be bright, shiney clean.
Has anyone else used this method?

[bobfnbw]

Replace the tank.
In the end you will be much happier with it.
Moeller has good poly tanks that are not that expensive and will save you a lot of grief later.
I tried the repair route on our large 75 gal tank and in the end spent half what a new tank cost, and now am going to replace it anyway.
Or do what chief says and cut a new access hatch out in the other side of the baffle. Clean it out there, use a good gasket material and screws and check it for leaks each time you fill it.
Bob

Below Deck

[Charlie]

There are fuel tank access ports that are made for retro fitting. I installed one in each section of my fuel tanks. It was easy to do. Use a holesaw to cut the appropriate size hole in the tank ( I suggest 6" hole so that you can reach your arm in) From there you use the cover as a template to drill a number of holes around the permiter. The kit comes complete with bolts, gaskets, cover etc. Everything that you need to perform the operation. Be careful of where you choose to drill the hole. Make sure that you are not too close to the baffles to get a wrench on the bolts (don't ask how I know this). They are pricey but easy to install and well worth the money. Seabuilt - Access Plate Systems here is a link to a previous discussion on installing access ports. http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...rts-11614.html

[mesquaukee]

Dump in some Biocide, the double dose for shock treatment. Then go for a sail on a day when the weather is nasty. The more violent the rolling and pitching the better. All that stuff stuck to the walls will come loose.
If you rig up a homemade fuel polishing rig you could run this at the same time. It's easyily made of a cheap drill powered pump and the largest fuel filter you can find, take a couple of spare filters. All the moveable crude in the bottom of the tank will be stirred up too provided you picked a really nasty day.
You will have the cleanest tank possible.

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by mesquaukee

Dump in some Biocide, the double dose for shock treatment. Then go for a sail on a day when the weather is nasty. The more violent the rolling and pitching the better. All that stuff stuck to the walls will come loose.
If you rig up a homemade fuel polishing rig you could run this at the same time. It's easyily made of a cheap drill powered pump and the largest fuel filter you can find, take a couple of spare filters. All the moveable crude in the bottom of the tank will be stirred up too provided you picked a really nasty day.
You will have the cleanest tank possible.

I did not use the biocide but when sailing down the coast from Astoria Oregon to SF Bay we had two days of really rolly conditions. this served to knock a bunch of algae off the tank and clog filters but it did not clean the walls or bottom of the tank completely. IMHO you need to physically scrape off the algae. I used scouring pads, a plastic scraper windex a lot of paper towels and even more elbow grease to get the tanks looking clean. It worked but it was alot of work in very akward positions. If you cannot get in and clean the tanks i think that you need to count on having lots of filters and having them clog at inopportune (sp?) times.

[mesquaukee]

Originally Posted by Charlie

I did not use the biocide but when sailing down the coast from Astoria Oregon to SF Bay we had two days of really rolly conditions. this served to knock a bunch of algae off the tank and clog filters but it did not clean the walls or bottom of the tank completely. IMHO you need to physically scrape off the algae. I used scouring pads, a plastic scraper windex a lot of paper towels and even more elbow grease to get the tanks looking clean. It worked but it was alot of work in very akward positions. If you cannot get in and clean the tanks i think that you need to count on having lots of filters and having them clog at inopportune (sp?) times.

If you use the biocide at the shock treatment dose I have found the blue mould dies and comes loose a week or two later if you violently agitate the fuel in the tank.

[boatpoker]

There is no algae in your tank, it is bacteria that grows at the water/fuel boundary (there is almost always a little water in the bottom of your tank).

You mention that you draw fuel from your 12 gallon tank and it returns to your large tank. This is a a serious flaw in the system design as fuel must be returned to the tank it was drawn from. I'd suggest you get a pro to look at your fuel system.

[DeepFrz]

If you cannot get in and clean the tanks i think that you need to count on having lots of filters and having them clog at inopportune (sp?) times.

And hope its the filter that clogs and not the fuel line before the stuff gets to the filter. A clogged fuel line is much harder to fix in a seaway than a clogged filter, which is no fun either.

And plus 1 on the fuel return.

[Shala]

i had the same problem when i first purchased my boat as well. i drained all the fuel and added a second spin on type go-no-go filter. (stops flow when water contaminated) i also added the algae-x system in line prior to the 2 filters. i use the algae-x fuel conditioner each time i fuel up and have had no problems since. the fuel is continually clear and bright and no sign of sludge. i also suggest changing the orings on the deck filler cap if you have them and this will keep the water out in the first place. the algae-x system is a little expensive but not having your engine quit at the worst possible moments is priceless in my opinion.

[hellosailor]

There's no gentle way to say this. "the algae-x system"
SNAKE OIL.

There's no way that putting a box of magnets on your fuel line will do anything to your fuel. No one, no where, no agency, no lab, no university, NO PLACE has been able to substantiate their claims.

They do cite a US Milspec rating (military specification), giving the impression that they pass some important purchasing criteria, and some years ago I went to the trouble of looking it up. You know what that rating is? It states that anything you bolt onto a bulkhead will stay bolted on during maneuvers. That's right, their milspec rating means "we used some good bolts". And the product is indeed "installed aboard" military and government vessels. Not because the government bought them, but because our military is REQUIRED to carry the goods submitted for testing, in order to make sure they get tested.

The magic box passed the same test that paint on the wall could pass.

Sorry, Shala. Their fuel additives might do something, but their big claim for the magic box is so full of BS that you could compost it and grow roses in it. And when a vendor tells yarns that good about their big product...do you really want to deal with them at all?

Look up their claims, look up the milspec if they are still citing it. Toss the thing off your boat and save weight. Or use it to pick up paper clips from the bilge.

Odds are your go-no-go filter is the real hero, and the only working part of that system.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

You mention that you draw fuel from your 12 gallon tank and it returns to your large tank. This is a a serious flaw in the system design as fuel must be returned to the tank it was drawn from. I'd suggest you get a pro to look at your fuel system.

G'Day Boatpoker,

Could you elaborate on this statement, please? I've never heard of such a requirement, and in fact often use the "outa one and into another" method to transfer fuel in Insatiable II. If I'm doing something bad, I'd like to know about it!

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Church Point NSW Oz southbound

[Shala]

geez i dont know about snake oil....but the laudenum seems to be workin.....i feel no pain...i think its about results...the results are... i havent had any problems since i installed this system. im not trying to sell anything here....but the bottom line is my engine has not quit since i installed the sytem...you be the judge....

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Shala

geez i dont know about snake oil ... i think its about results...

I hum to keep the tigers away. It seems to be working.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

There's no gentle way to say this. "the algae-x system"
SNAKE OIL.

There's no way that putting a box of magnets on your fuel line will do anything to your fuel. No one, no where, no agency, no lab, no university, NO PLACE has been able to substantiate their claims.

They do cite a US Milspec rating (military specification), giving the impression that they pass some important purchasing criteria, and some years ago I went to the trouble of looking it up. You know what that rating is? It states that anything you bolt onto a bulkhead will stay bolted on during maneuvers. That's right, their milspec rating means "we used some good bolts". And the product is indeed "installed aboard" military and government vessels. Not because the government bought them, but because our military is REQUIRED to carry the goods submitted for testing, in order to make sure they get tested.

The magic box passed the same test that paint on the wall could pass.

Sorry, Shala. Their fuel additives might do something, but their big claim for the magic box is so full of BS that you could compost it and grow roses in it. And when a vendor tells yarns that good about their big product...do you really want to deal with them at all?

Look up their claims, look up the milspec if they are still citing it. Toss the thing off your boat and save weight. Or use it to pick up paper clips from the bilge.

Odds are your go-no-go filter is the real hero, and the only working part of that system.

A guy I met in the Azores a few years back used magnets from old microwaves on his fuel line... absolutely swore by them.. reckoned it blitzed anything that passed...
Why from Microwaves..? reckoned they were more powerful..

[Extemporaneous]

Originally Posted by boatman61

A guy I met in the Azores a few years back used magnets from old microwaves on his fuel line... absolutely swore by them.. reckoned it blitzed anything that passed...
Why from Microwaves..? reckoned they were more powerful..

Or it could be that they "hum" louder than the average Gord?? and they and have the right pitch for fuel as opposed to Tigers??