How do you get gasoline out of bilge tank??

[widmn]

Large Gasoline tank is in the bilge area and is permanently mounted. Want to drain it of the old gas and can't get the gas out. Is there a spark proof pump I can buy that is an electric, battery or drill operated that handles gas?

[Bill O]

An electric automotive fuel pump, something like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._rd_i=15728151


Bill O.

[atlantical]

I have just done mine, (diesel) used a drill pump, really difficult to prime, but got it, then used a mop, which went down through the inspection hatch. Its a deep tank I have, built into the empty part of the full keel. Used the mop to clean the tank after i emptied it.

[Bill O]

The cheap automotive fuel pumps can be used on diesel also. In either case, put a filter before the pump.

We put an old Racor 500 on a board w/a similar fuel pump to pump out/clean our fuel tanks. Worked well to clean out the crud, except it was a somewhat slow rate to transfer the fuel to 55 gal. drums and back again.


Bill O.

[thinwater]

A hand pump style lube oil extraction pump is quite safe for the last bit and vacuuming crud. Also the best way to suck water from the tank sump (water or gasoline).

[Greg Mason]

Gas will always be lighter than water. Displacing the gas with water and capturing what comes out may be a solution.

[NevisDog]

Okay long story short: we had a faulty mechanical lift pump on the engine (endless trouble until we found the cause) so replaced it with two independent electric fuel pumps/filters in parallel; gives (almost) complete redundancy and allows cycling of fuel through either filter (bypassing the engine) to clean the crud in the tank. To drain the tank, we simply disconnect either fuel line and direct it into a fuel container (or six). No reason it won't work for gasoline.

In our case we were able to connect the second fuel line to the existing drain at the very bottom of the sump (the engine supply hose connection is an inch higher) - a second pipe could equally be led in from the tank top/inspection hatch. Well worth the small cost of two good quality electric fuel pumps and perhaps every engine should have two independent fuel filters anyway, for safety.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by widmn

Large Gasoline tank is in the bilge area and is permanently mounted. Want to drain it of the old gas and can't get the gas out. Is there a spark proof pump I can buy that is an electric, battery or drill operated that handles gas?

Hire a Democrat/Republican(your prefrence) and give them a wet and dry vacuum cleaner to do the job with..........

[Mithril Bham]

Originally Posted by atoll

Hire a Democrat/Republican(your prefrence) and give them a wet and dry vacuum cleaner to do the job with..........

Or a match.

[KP44]

Originally Posted by NevisDog

Okay long story short: we had a faulty mechanical lift pump on the engine (endless trouble until we found the cause) so replaced it with two independent electric fuel pumps/filters in parallel;

Well worth the small cost of two good quality electric fuel pumps and perhaps every engine should have two independent fuel filters anyway, for safety.

I was just tired of using the "almost-don't-work" mechanical list pumps. I installed one diesel tank that is tall and thin. Tall enough enough to prime/bleed the injector pump by gravity.
But I also put in a small electric fuel pump after my Racor 900 filter (As per the Racor instructions. Run the fuel through a pump AFTER the filter.) So I can draw from either tank through the Racor and to the engine, with excess fuel to a return line to either tank. Or I can bypass the engine and just polish the fuel using the little electric pump and the return lines. The system has worked flawlessly since I installed it.
The 30 year old soft iron tanks I took out held about 100 gallons of diesel. I replaced with custom built aluminum tanks that hold 94 and 71 gallons in about the same space as the old tanks.

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by Mithril Bham

Or a match.

But make sure the boat is insured first would be a good move.

[gjordan]

If you are filling to jugs in the cabin (or on deck) you might want to make sure you run a ground cable between the tank and the jug. Static can build up even with plastic fuel jugs. Napa Auto fuel pumps work fine but make your electrical connections away from fumes. Sparks can make a statistic out of you very quickly. ____Grant. P.S. ATOLL, you are truly naughty!

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by atoll

Hire a Democrat/Republican(your prefrence) and give them a wet and dry vacuum cleaner to do the job with..........

Yeah as long as it's a politician, you would probably be making the world a better place.