I got the leakin fuel tank blues...

[Igotnuthin]

He's looking at a USCG document......

[Igotnuthin]

H-33 Diesel fuel.pdf
vs.
http://www.uscgboating.org/assets/pdf/recalls/BSC79.pdf

[Terra Nova]

Oh man! That's it! Good call. My copy is the 1989, which contains the info I quoted.
https://law.resource.org/pub/us/cfr/....H-33.1989.pdf

Nowhere in the corrected 2009 document did I find this same reference. The whole section on corrosion resistance appears to have been deleted.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Igotnuthin

He's looking at a USCG document......

No, thats not it either.
USCG do not write standards for recreational vessels (but they do post them on their website).
Those legal requirements (and they are pretty thin) are covered by "United States Code of Federal Regulations, Title 33, Subpart J, Fuel Systems" and those cover gasoline fuel tanks only. There is no reference to diesel fuel/tanks whatsoever in Title 33.

[Winf]

Ok, tank is out. There has been much rejoicing!

Went fairly smoothly to the plan I had except that a pinchbar was enough to crack the bond between the foam and the tank. Tank just fitted through to get it out. Have removed all of the foam and diesel/foam goop and will start on a more detailed clean tomorrow to try and eliminate as much smell as possible. Any good hints on cleaning up diesel from the glass hull and timber bulkhead?Was going to use cheap washing powder and elbow grease unless there is some miracle stuff to use.

I haven't done a detailed inspect of the tank yet but there is one patch welded onto the outside that looks like a previous repair. There are 3 or 4 sections of seam along the bottom edge from 2" to 6" long with lots of rust staining. Are also a couple of pitted areas with rusty stains so the next step is to determine if it is worth fixing or not. What say the hive mind?

My own thinking is, (reluctantly due to the $) to ditch it and install a new correctly mounted alum or plastic one. Any additional tips on good mounting methods to make sure the tank is both secure and free of corrosion traps and foam!

Thanks for the ABYC standard info too. Will read in detail tomorrow.

Cheers
Winf

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

Oh man! That's it! Good call. My copy is the 1989, which contains the info I quoted.
https://law.resource.org/pub/us/cfr/....H-33.1989.pdf

Nowhere in the corrected 2009 document did I find this same reference. The whole section on corrosion resistance appears to have been deleted.

FYI - ABYC reviews and revises five standards every year and those revisions are published every July. Members get these updates automatically. ABYC's stated objective is for standards to be "Performance Based" as much as possible and actual performance of any system over time (since 1964) that proves or disproves itself will be revised accordingly.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

Oh man! That's it! Good call. My copy is the 1989, which contains the info I quoted.
https://law.resource.org/pub/us/cfr/....H-33.1989.pdf

Terra, just out of curiosity about a 25yr old standard being on line I went to your source link in your quote above. What a bunch of whack jobs masquerading as an authority. if you dig deep enough they make outrageous statements on a whole range of issues and completely misquote laws, put strange twists on them, provide incorrect references and I think they have a lot of relatives who are survivalists in Wyoming .... you know the people who have to ask .... if I marry my mother is she still my sister ?

What got me started digging a little deeper into the site was that they made incorrect statements about H-33 being law based on Title 46 CFR but they referenced a part of the CFR that applied to commercial craft only, even that part has never been a "law" and elsewhere they referenced standards that were deleted 30 years ago.

Another strong warning that there is much that cannot be trusted on the internet.

[Terra Nova]

Poke--thanks. I have never seen a stainless diesel fuel tank on a boat, with the exception of a small header tank for a diesel heater.

Originally Posted by Winf

...there is one patch welded onto the outside that looks like a previous repair. There are 3 or 4 sections of seam along the bottom edge from 2" to 6" long with lots of rust staining. Are also a couple of pitted areas with rusty stains...

Replace the tank with a certified one made by a pro.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by Winf

Ok, tank is out. There has been much rejoicing!

Went fairly smoothly to the plan I had except that a pinchbar was enough to crack the bond between the foam and the tank. Tank just fitted through to get it out. Have removed all of the foam and diesel/foam goop and will start on a more detailed clean tomorrow to try and eliminate as much smell as possible. Any good hints on cleaning up diesel from the glass hull and timber bulkhead?Was going to use cheap washing powder and elbow grease unless there is some miracle stuff to use.

I haven't done a detailed inspect of the tank yet but there is one patch welded onto the outside that looks like a previous repair. There are 3 or 4 sections of seam along the bottom edge from 2" to 6" long with lots of rust staining. Are also a couple of pitted areas with rusty stains so the next step is to determine if it is worth fixing or not. What say the hive mind?

My own thinking is, (reluctantly due to the $) to ditch it and install a new correctly mounted alum or plastic one. Any additional tips on good mounting methods to make sure the tank is both secure and free of corrosion traps and foam!

Thanks for the ABYC standard info too. Will read in detail tomorrow.

Cheers
Winf

Fit a new HD(L)PE tank, do it correctly.. and you will never have to think about this tank again...

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Winf

Ok, tank is out. There has been much rejoicing!

Hurra

Originally Posted by Winf

My own thinking is, (reluctantly due to the $) to ditch it and install a new correctly mounted alum or plastic one. Any additional tips on good mounting methods to make sure the tank is both secure and free of corrosion traps and foam! Thanks for the ABYC standard info too. Will read in detail tomorrow. Cheers Winf

I put in a 18mm (3/4") plywood box lined with 3 layers of CSM and slid the polythene tank in. then glassed 3 layers of CSM 12" wide over the top to hold it in place. 5 years later no problems. Manufacturers seem to supply tie down straps with tanks, just doesn't look enough to me if you turn the yacht on its side.

Pete

[gonesail]

glad the old tank came out. if you have a welded aluminum tank done .. ask about an extra wall thickness. i doubt it would cost that much more and might be better in the long run. the smell won't go away unless you coat the wood with something on both sides .. i used epoxy around the tank area .. rolled it on with a smooth roller. on the inside in a cabinet there was some diesel soaked thru and i used kilz primer on that. make sure the wood is not rotten.

[mike d.]

To clean the diesel off the glass I'd get some real good floor degreaser, or something like simple green. I had to clean my bilge SH"^T and diesel residue and I used the degreaser. it worked the cat's meow. As to the wood The only thing that might work is to pour on the degreaser and let it soak in a few days then use hot water to see if it will take it out. Usually you can't get rid of it in wood especially where it has been in that long, and allowed to penetrate so deeply!

[Terra Nova]

Cleanup with Simple Green.

[Cheechako]

ABYC has a lot of unclear things. Remember ... ABYC is a VOLUNTARY specification. Much of it created by input from providers of things. It's kind of like lobbyists and congress.... some good stuff some really confusing BS.

Removing diesel... do a lot of scrubbing with strong detergent... it breaks down oils like diesel. I like Joy. Some laundry detergents are really strong. Make a watery paste from powder detergent and scrub? Saturated into wood is an issue. I wonder if any of the oil eating microbe stuff would work on saturated wood? Maybe after all the other type of cleaning .. paint it on and leave overnight?