Water in my Diesel Tank

[reed1v]

So what is the big deal? Fuel floats on water. If you got the requisite three filters, than just drain the water out on the first filter. Tankers routinely fill their tanks with salt water to help stability. No big deal.

[rnjpinz]

I am currently in Phuket at Boat Lagoon. I am going to let this fuel sit for a few days and then just pump out the bottom of the tank. If I am not pleased with the color I will either pump the tank out and dispose of it or will call someone to come and polish the fuel.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

[dlymn]

Originally Posted by rnjpinz

Pete,

Like your pic of setup. Send it to me in Thailand. Just kidding of course. The pump I am using is a diesel fuel pump for a truck. Pumps approx. 20 gallons an hour. Not sure there would be enough pressure. Maybe so.

The Mr. Filter or Baha filter is not doing the job. Whole tank is milky now. Got very little water out. I am going to let it set over night and regroup for plan B. What ever that maybe.

Bob

Aliexpress have some cheap diesel transfer pumps that they claim will pump 200+ litres an hour. I use an Easterner filter and water separator with the pump and they work fairly well. I like them because they have a full length clear bowl so you can see the rubbish build-up in the bottom of the bowl and the filter. The filter is not enclosed and so it's possible to take it out of the housing, wash it even in soap and water, rinse it out and let it dry. In the meantime, you might still be polishing your fuel by using a replacement filter. If there's a little water left on the filter it doesn't really matter' It'll be caught during the polishing.
I also have another easterner filter separator as my primary as well as the original filter on the yanmar.

[Uplander]

First rule in boating is "Don't Panic!".
Water settles at the bottom of the tank. Just pump it out slowly into a plastic bottle (Coke bottle or similar". If water then put in a container for disposal. Repeat the process until fuel appears. Then stop procedure.
Check water filter and drain any water present. Keep your eye on it for some time especially if conditions are choppy.
Relax.

[stnick]

No fuel EVER goes into my tank that does not go thru a BAHA filter first. Thats step number one. And i add the enzyme additive and I like marvel mystery oil in my Diesel fuel too.
That old Perkins 4108 runs smooth . stnick morgan 384 fl

[stnick]

If its going right thru the baha filter its NOT water !

[seabreez]

Originally Posted by rnjpinz

I have gotten water in my diesel tank. Fortunately I have 2 tanks. One is clean. The fuel in the other tank is cloudy. 100 gallons. I know how and when the water got in. It's been a day. I am currently running a small diesel transfer pump to pull the fuel out from the bottom of the tank and back into the tank through a Mr. Funnel. It has picked up some water. Not a big problem doing this. If I run this long enough will my fuel become clear again? I am too far from home and don't want to mess up my injectors. I have added Biobore for biologics. I also have a dual Racor system that filters my fuel.
Any suggestions are appreciated.

Bob

We were trying to save a few bucks and tried to polish fuel from one tank to the other. We had water in the fuel. The fuel was cloudy and we did wait many overnights to filter, polish the fuel. We removed 50 gallons water or so from the twin 300 gallon tanks. Because we were running in dangerous conditions in construction we did not want to take a chance with dirty fuel so we disposed of the fuel and filled the tanks with clean fuel and replaced the fuel filters to add a racor water fuel separator and filter and solved the water issue. I inspect the filters daily and drip out the water regularly (condensation). Now runs very good. The fuel disposal was cheaper than injector and pump overhaul and the down time...

[Aloha_float]

Biocide will not fix your water problem. Biocide should be used in clean fuel to kill planktonic bacteria (free floating bacteria in the fuel) Adding a biocide at this stage will not impact your water issue. You need to demulsify the water from the fuel and then draw it out of the tank via siphon or some other method. There are additives out there that will do this. If you have a water separator, it may help prevent from water getting to your engine and most importantly your injectors. Do not use alcohols or methyl hydrate to eliminate water - bad idea. This reduces lubricity and can result in your injectors overheating and eventually failing.

[a64pilot]

First, pay someone to polish the fuel if they are available and get all this drama over and done with.
All fuel has water in it, yours obviously more than usual, but an emulsion of fuel and water will burn in your engine just fine, its straight water that causes problems, it can turn to steam and blow the tips off of injectors and other nasty things I'm sure, but your Racors should clog and starve the engine before they pass water on, that is how the water block filter works, it absorbs water and clogs up. You will never remove all the water but fuel polishing should remove enough so that it is not harmful
Secondly by all means use a biocide, the algae grows in wet fuel, I always use a biocide, prevention is way better than the cure.

[rnjpinz]

You are exactly right. Time to pay and get it done right. Short cuts will only haunt me latter.

[rnjpinz]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Left the boat for 10 days. Came back and pumped out 10 gallons from the bottom of the tank. All had settled. Fuel is clear now. Thanks
Bob

[stnick]

Great advice Check and replace that gasket on the deck fuel fill . Ace hardware has gaskets
Just replace all of them and your good another 20 years. under 5 bucks you can get a whole handful of rubber gaskets . Good for water and fuel ! cant be to careful