Converting Diesel Tank to Water??

[charliehows]

i have 2 water tanks but on one side corrosion has rendered the tank useless, i'm going to pull it out and use the space to store a number of plastic water bottles - not much loss of capacity, less risk of losing all my water to a leak, cheap and cheerful. Using a diesel tank? how do you plan to clean it? I'm genuinely curious.

[LakeSuperior]

Consider using one of the large water filters with activated charcoal to take out any organics that might remain. They really make the water taste sweet and they eliminate unidentified floating objects in the glass. My guess is this would fix any after taste that might remain.

We installed a big one just to keep the wives from loading on cases and cases of bottled water.

[Cotemar]

Converting Diesel fuel tank to drinking water is just like converting a toilet to a drinking fountain. It is going to work, but do you really want to drink out of it.

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Converting Diesel fuel tank to drinking water is just like converting a toilet to a drinking fountain. It is going to work, but do you really want to drink out of it.

Got to disagree with you on this one! There is a mental issue in play here.

[sww914]

For probably twice as much money and a lot less effort you can have a custom poly tank built to fit in the space.

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

Got to disagree with you on this one! There is a mental issue in play here.

Absolutely. Your mind and a bit of common sense would tell you not to drink the water. If that did not work than the taste of watered down diesel going down your throat would make your gag factor take over and you would puke it up.

[Juniper]

You could put a bladder tank inside the steel tank, or even get/make a poly tank to fit, it looks like you can open the top with out too much trouble. Is this tank welded to the hull?

[Tortuga's Lie]

Maybe if you only used the converted tank for grey water purposes like showering..........the diesel will act like a skin moisturizer
I would never want to drink out of it.

[Celestialsailor]

I think a few posters are being hard on the OP. It's more productive to add advice than sarcastically take away ideas.
I have used RONCO plastic tanks for my needs in the past. Their tanks are built like...well...tanks. They have literally hundreds of shapes and they're cheap to boot. The reason a steel diesel tank is uncoated is a builder believes the sloshing of the diesel prevents rusting which I haven't exactly found true unless the boat is either full all the time or constantly moving.
I think with a couple of 20 gallon saddle tanks, you will be in good shape tankage wise.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

I think a few posters are being hard on the OP. It's more productive to add advice than sarcastically take away ideas..............

I think most posters did add advice. Advice not to try to convert a steel tank that has been used for diesel fuel into a tank for potable water.

I also think the OP has chosen to ignore that advice. He is certainly free to do that regardless of the outcome.

[The Garbone]

Fill the tank half w diesel and half w water. Have the fuel pickup float 1" below the surface and the water pickup on the bottom. Have good separators on each line. Heck, They used to do it in the Navy.

[nimblemotors]

I would imagine the cost of cleaning the tank sufficiently and coating it to prevent rust to hold water would be a lot more than replacing it or having another plastic tank or bladder that fit inside it. I think it makes sense to have multiple smaller tanks so if somehow water is contaminated it doesn't effect all of it, just in one tank.

Is the tank part of the structure of the boat? Can you cut off the top?

[nimblemotors]

btw, that looks to be a really really heavy chunk of steel, must be 100's of lbs,
I would considering removing it altogether if not structural, put some batteries down there instead.

[Tellie]

If it is a Brent Swain design why not ask him. I think he is still a member here. If anyone could figure out the cheapest way to do it and make it right it would probably be him.