How to clean or remove bad gasoline from a boat fuel tank

Cleaning bad gasoline in boat fuel tank, transferring gas into boat, removing water and contamination from boat fuel tank, how to make a fuel filtering system to remove water and contamination from boat gas tank, how to make a filtering system to transfer fuel in boat gas tank, Making a gasoline transfer filtering system for a boat gas tank

[@1stinsonguy]

I am new to boating and I'm amazed to see so many people are complaining about large amounts of water in their fuel tanks. In aviation we always (try to always) top off the tank when putting her in the hangar, especially for a good amount of time. This prevents condensation from forming in empty air pockets inside the tank and diluting the fuel. Comments???

[@jamesdovin818]

I’m an aviation person too, The big difference in boats and aircraft, aircraft have sump drains to take fuel samples, you’re usually pulling the condensation out of the bottom of the fuel cell daily in most cases or at least before you go flying, most boats don’t have sump drains , so any accumulation of water through introduction of bad gas with water, long term storage of gas without gas stabilizer stays in the fuel tank until it is filtered out with your filtering system. With boats fuel using something that has ethanol in it, the ethanol attracts moisture, also the ethanol breaks down in gasoline without some sort of additive.

[@choimdachoim9491]

The fuel level lowers during operation of the motor and that draws humid air in through the open vent. It's unavoidable.

[@mikeedmonston3209]

Absolutely great video. I am going to build the exact same rig for my boat and clean out my fuel system. Thank you so much.

[@jamesdovin818]

Great- Thanks for the feedback

[@turdfurgeson517]

Brah your the man, this is perfect for me because I'm doing the same thing The Boat this week.

[@hungbeachbum]

Thanks so much for posting,,got to build this for myself this weekend,,trash and water in my tank,,got 200 gallons on-board I hope I don't have to throw away being it's 4+$ a gallon.

[@jamesdovin818]

If you notice alot of contamination, you may need to consider usng a empty clean container to place fuel in temporarily and eventually pump it back into you tank through the filter system again. in my area you can buy various size plastic barrows of 15, 40, 50 gallon to store fuel in. The car wash center usually use these and sell them cheap, I think a paid $10-15 for a 40 gallon.

[@earlblackjackmartinjr5750]

Good video dude.

[@JJerome711]

Thank you for posting this. Very helpful.

[@jamesdovin818]

Your welcome, glad you found it useful

[@sepemail5849]

Very solid setup and good helpful video! You should hire out this service/yourself as a side gig for dewinterize boat prep!

[@jamesdovin818]

Thanks, I appreciate your feedback. My plate is full with projects - I am glad you found it helpful.

[@undefinedb8481]

Thanks for sharing! BOAT DIALYSIS!

[@1stinsonguy]

😄Dialysis...funny!

[@dynamitedmoney]

This is amazing! Can you please provide links to parts used?

[@apexappliance]

Great stuff, thank you...

[@floridaoutdoorexp367]

This is an outstanding video. Thank you for taking the time to make it. One question: Are you essentially recirculating the fuel through the tank until you are satisfied that it is clean? Or are you moving it from the existing tank to a different tank not seen in the video? Thanks again.

[@jamesdovin818]

In this video I am recirculating in the boat tank, but I have also used this to transfer fuel to and from the tank.

[@juanbelloso9991]

My god thank you 🙏 what a help appreciated you

[@1detroitryder]

thank you for this video ... i have water in my starboard fuel tank it has about 60 gallons of gas in it , i really dont want dispose of that fuel at todays prices

[@jamesdovin818]

Your welcome, another option to consider is pumping the fuel into a separate fuel container and then back into your fuel tank. I purchased clean 40 gallon thick plastic barrels from a large car wash station for $15 - $20, I just flushed them with some fuel before using

[@1detroitryder]

@@jamesdovin818 yeah I have water in the fuel so I was just thinking of ways to clean the fuel and pump it back in I just found a 50 gallon drum and I have a 14 gallon portable tank

[@turdfurgeson517]

Thanks for the post

[@jamesdovin818]

Your welcome - I appreciate the feedback.

[@turdfurgeson517]

@@jamesdovin818 were you able to get most of the debris out of your tank and did you install an additional large filter before the water separator.

[@jamesdovin818]

@@turdfurgeson517 I got the debris out of the tank with the setup I had in video. I did get a screen filter to replace the 1st water separator but haven't had to use it yet. The screen filter is reusable and with repetitive use will be more cost effective.

[@turdfurgeson517]

@@jamesdovin818 thanks gonna give it a whirl later on this week. Thanks again

[@sonnyharrison4808]

Great video. I’ve got water in my tank and looking for someone that does this. No luck yet so I may build one like you did. Thanks

[@liemh9290]

Part list / numbers please if you can =))

[@SSCape]

I am at the same point in knowing I have to get my tank cleaned out. I bought a used boat and the previous owner never did any real maintenance so there a lot of different projects to sort out. I think this is the most important and challenging. My questions are: After this procedure- What remains installed on the boat as filtration? Is it just a water separator filter before the motor and then the filters on the motor only, or is there more than that? Is this elaborate and awesome system you used the only thing you did to clean the tank itself/ By that I mean it seems you are running the filtered fuel through the tank to clean the fuel and the tank at the same time? Am I correct in that or are there other necessary steps? Thank you very much for this by the way.

[@AB-nb2ic]

Trace your entire fuel system, from the hole where you fill it with gas, to the engine (carburetor or fuel injectors, whichever you have) Along the way you'll find out what type of fuel filter/water separator you have and where it is. You should probably replace it since you don't know when that was last done, and always have one or two spares on board.

[@AB-nb2ic]

He uses a good system in the video, but mixing the filtered gas back in with the dirty isn't the best idea. For one thing, it will churn up any debris that may be in the bottom of the tank, keeping it suspended in the gas, never leaving the tank and then just settling to the bottom when he's done. MUCH better to empty the tank by transferring the filtered gas to another container, and then pouring it back in after the tank is completely empty. A few 5 gal gas cans are only $12 each at Walmart, if you can't find an old clean poly drum.

[@1stinsonguy]

@@AB-nb2ic That's a way to do it too, but James' way saves a ton of time and work collecting and handling all that gas.

[@rexfordrounds]

Great posting. Does it work with diesel?

[@jamesdovin818]

Yes

[@phdroofer]

you should not use galvanized with fuel. It needs to be black iron

[@mubshirshah6061]

Where did you buy pump kit from ?

[@jamesdovin818]

I purchased the pump through zoro.com and the filters through Amazon

[@cornerstonehoneybees2525]

This is a GREAT video.... with 1 thing missing: where do I get that fuel pump & filter system? My boat has a 65 gallon tank that has sat for 2 years (or maybe more).

[@jamesdovin818]

@jamesdovin818 2 years ago I purchased the pump through zoro.com and the filters through Amazon

[@apackwestbound5946]

If your gas has sat for two years unused in your boat's fuel tank it probably should not be used in your outboard motor. Even if the fuel had a fuel stabilizer added to it, two years will likely be beyond the expiration date. You KNOW that fuel has absorbed water from the atmosphere just sitting in the tank plus the likelihood of condensation running down the internal sides of your tank contaminating the fuel. Running old, stale and likely contaminated fuel through your outboard will lead to all kinds of problems. At $4 to $5 or more a gallon I know that is hundreds of dollars worth of fuel. But breakdowns, ruined boating days, tow-fees, added maintenance costs also come at a high price. Filtering fuel like this is a partial solution, but without opening up the fuel tank and mechanically cleaning all the recesses, seams and internal baffles you will not get all the contamination simply recycling static fuel. The chemical composition of the fuel has changed sitting that long, it is stale. Depending on the compression ratio you are running on your outboard using the fuel could lead to cylinder damage due to detonation or pre-ignition. The higher performance the engine the more of a risk this is. If you are using a low power 2 cycle outboard then the risks may be lower. You could filter the fuel and keep it around for your lawnmower or as a parts cleaner or for use in your other garden tools. -Respectfully

[@marks3302]

For the pickup pipe going into the gas tank, can I use pvc? Or does it have to be metal ?

[@marks3302]

Never mind, I found answer. “Since JP-4 is a static accumulating fuel and a 17-foot long, non-conducting, PVC wand was used for the vacuuming operation, the possibility of an incendive spark caused by static discharge existed. “ “The NTSB recommended that API 2003 should include guidelines on the use of wands for vacuuming, and noted that wands should be constructed of conductive, non-sparking material and bonded to the hull during use (not really addressed anywhere yet).”

[@jeffcreighton1018]

How old can your gas be before you would decide that you just need to replace it instead of putting it back in the tank after filtering it?

[@jorexander1]

I was wondering the same thing, why that much trouble? Just get rid of the bad gasoline and replace it with new fresh one

[@1stinsonguy]

@@jorexander1 Bad idea! Where would you safely dispose of the bad gasoline, which is highly flammable and toxic to the enviornment?😯

[@jorexander1]

@@1stinsonguy at a recycle station for example

[@robertlarose4321]

that pump is not approved for gasoline use.. read the owners manual. its made for diesel fuel. i have the bigger one.

[@jamesdovin818]

Thanks for the feedback, please refer to www.oilybits.com/downloads/Fill_Rite_RD8_Datasheet.pdf, the data specification sheet and operators manual indicates this is compatible with Gasoline and diesel fuels

[@PaulyV56]

my gas is brown/ reddish color not golden yellow