Fuel polishing question.

[sailah]

The other option discussed a few posts back is a "filter head" which then uses large capacity truck fuel filters. In the long run this is more expensive because of the cost of the filters and not being able to examine them easily to see what you are picking up.

But it is a lot cheaper

Fuel Filter Kit Donaldson P561136 Head & P550115 Filter Fuel Transfer Pump/Tank | eBay

Swapping that in you are probably less than $100, I'd use the same pump

[Pete7]

The problem with the home brewed polishers is they can't do anything with the thick crud that builds up on the bottom of a fuel tank, and that includes my own polisher.

the crud had the consistency of custard on the bottom of the tank, but dark treacle on the sides of the tank. In the end a 2" wallpaper scrapper turned out to be the ideal tool for cleaning out the tank, once I had access to the inside. The polisher is still used but now its filtering out water and the odd particle, not years of ethylenes building up.

Pete

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by Pete7

The problem with the home brewed polishers is they can't do anything with the thick crud that builds up on the bottom of a fuel tank, and that includes my own polisher.

the crud had the consistency of custard on the bottom of the tank, but dark treacle on the sides of the tank. In the end a 2" wallpaper scrapper turned out to be the ideal tool for cleaning out the tank, once I had access to the inside. The polisher is still used but now its filtering out water and the odd particle, not years of ethylenes building up.

Pete

This is exactly correct, Pete, and an important issue if you want a clean tank. I have cleaned my tank 3x since 1995. And, although I am meticulous when refueling and have always used a Baja Filter, there is always congealed sediment/crud in a few areas at the bottom of the tank that can only be manually removed. Without an access port for periodic maintenance, you'll always have what my grandmother said about people she suspected were not clean: clean clothes and dirty underwear. Good luck and safe sailing.

[Bleemus]

A good addition to a DIY polisher is a water separator if you are using a filter that doesn't include one.

Like this one.

http://amzn.to/2xdZEyH

[hellosailor]

Eddie-
I cleaned out a similar tank some years ago. It was an awkward fit and the access was worse but we were at the point where one more fuel mystery would have left a contest to see who could rip out the damn thing first.
So...remove battery cables and steering cables. Literally remove fuel tank, coax it out of the lazarette. (Damned good thing there wasn't much fuel in it.)
Then, remove the fuel sender, which gave us some access into the tank. Try to scrub the walls as best possible, because there was black biomatter bound to the walls, and that's the stuff that comes off from time to time, especially in rough weather, and comes back to plague you. When it is as clean as you can, see if you can take it to a radiator shop or someplace with a steam hose to try cleaning it out even more. Then, pour a box of coarse kosher salt into the tank. Honest.
This is an old trick. The coarse salt is abrasive. Now some brave soul needs to lift and tumble the tank until you're exhausted, so you are tumbling the tank with an abrasive to remove anything you missed. When that's done, you fill the tank with water (preferably warm) which conveniently dissolves any abrasive that's left. Duh, that's why SALT is good for this! A good rinsing means no abrasive is left in the tank, and leaving it out in the sun to dry out is all you need.
You'll have a clean tank to reinstall. The trick is, to try keeping it that way. PS tested using a moisture absorber on the tank vent line, and found that can really help keep water out of fuel tanks, too.