Installing A Boat Diesel Polishing System & Inspection Hatches

In this video, we're cutting open the 35 year old diesel tank on our sailboat, to clean the whole thing out. I'm making my own inspection hatches for easier access and installing a fuel-polishing system to keep our diesel clean and free from diesel bug.
Link to diesel polishing layout drawing:-
drive.google.com/file/d/1q9eA...
Materials list:
Inspection hatches:-
3mm carbide drill bits
6.5mm carbide drill bits
140mm x 5mm aluminium discs
140mm x 5mm filler plate mounting ring - www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371386552612
100mm carbide hole cutter
2mm nitrile sheet
M6 x 30mm A4 slotted head bolts
M6 x 12mm A4 washers
Duralac - anti-corrosive jointing compound
WD40
Diesel Polisher:-
8mm fuel hose
3/8" Brass Shut Off Ball Valve
2x 1/4" Female-Female Tee/3 Way Ball Valve
1/4" Male to Male Brass Coupling Fitting
1/4" to 8mm Brass Barbed Hose Tail
Facet 40185 Electronic Fuel Pump Kit 12V
Marine Fuel Filter 500FG/500FH Diesel Fuel Filter Water Separator
Flomasta pipe thread sealant
All music for the video was provided by Josh Woodward.
Free download: www.joshwoodward.com/
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Instagram: svhiraeth?...

[@brianharris8055]

Great video and explanations, wish I’d seen this earlier. Specifically the horseshoe shaped ring to fit inside.

[@chevyman2509]

Great video! I hace some tips to consider. We manufacture for Vetus the fuel filter water separator that you have in your vessel. -never share same inlet line for the engine fuel system and the polishing system.. if there is a problem in that line both systems are useless. -the inline for the polishing filter take it from the drain valve of the tank and install a 3 way valve there. In this way you take the water that sits at the bottom of the tank daily and drain it from the Racor filter. That black mud in the tank is a fungus and it grows in the layer between the water and the Diesel. Taking out the water daily , prevents the growth of the fungus.(Cladosporium resinae) - put a bigger "Racor" filter for polishing like a 900fh . Bigger filtration surface and bigger see thru bowl for collecting water and more internal flow. - the dual Vetus always use one in service and the other in stand by mode full of fuel in case of emergency just open its valves. In every filter change alternate the filter use. (The new one stays in stand-by mode). Change filters every 300hrs or once a year aprox...what comes first. -drain daily, or look for water mostly in the polishing filter.

[@terminatorcyborg]

Your a quality tradesman cheers

[@Scampi14037]

Great video on how to fit a polisher. Needed on every small vessel to avoid incidents.

[@johnmugbusiness5127]

Brilliant video as usual, very good information.I normally don't like the over the top scroungers, on you tube but yours are genuinely worth watching.Thank you 👍

[@oddjobbob8742]

Vacuum pre-filter… very clever!

[@RichardBull4677]

I’m scared to look in my tank, it’s not been opened in years but after watching this I Guess id better get my cutter out!

[@Tomo-fo4bv]

Brilliant job!

[@ianqv]

Great video - just about to do the same on my boat. Thanks

[@peterbooth2804]

Excellent post, very well edited and idiot proof instruction. Thank you for your time, effort and selflessness in creating and sharing. Inspirational too. Proper job!

[@MY_SOLACE]

Thank you so much for the instructional video. You did a great job explaining the process. I'm currently designing a polishing system using knockoff twin Dacor Chinese 2020N 20m and 10m. And, a bit bigger 24v diesel transfer pump. I have a 2005 Viking Princess 67 with 1100 gallons to polish. 🤨

[@chrisjones9089]

Beautiful job. Attention to detail.. Duralac and threadlock....boaters best friends. If only boat builders used duralac wherever 2 metals join. Masts with ss fittings.

[@SailingHiraeth]

Glad you enjoyed it. I agree. Unfortunately, It's the same reason they do/don't do many things. 💰 💰 💰

[@BlakeNeely-cq4gw]

Fascinating 🧐

[@TheJessehart05]

Absolutely excellent video! Thanks for making it

[@Blueybob]

Excellent. Thankyou.

[@V8guy3500]

Cracking footage 👌really interesting project ,look forward to the next bit👍🫡

[@davidotness6199]

Nice work. As a former marine engineer (retired) I was expecting to see a centrifuge installation upon seeing "fuel-polishing" system, but at any rate, nice job you did.

[@gerardrourke8610]

Great video clever stuff, clever guy 👌

[@learigg]

Great video, the inspection hatches look amazing.

[@Badger3853]

Great video, one tip. drill one of the holes in the lid bigger than the nut. this nut will hold the backing ring tight while still allowing the lid to be removed without ever a risk of it falling intro the tank

[@theovandenberg4682]

Interesting, thanks for sharing

[@BrotherHoodofTheDogxix]

Brilliant.

[@tommooe4524]

If you loosen it by spraying with brake cleaner, then pour in a little hot water, it floats to the top and you can remove all of it with a wet/dry vacuum cleaner…..gets bilges clean as a whistle too

[@GeorgeDixson-nr2pf]

Great job and brilliant video, thanks 😊

[@RappinIggyG]

Very thorough!

[@SailingHiraeth]

Thanks 👍

[@mrangry01]

Top job as usual

[@rodneythetall8877]

Great tutorial. Thank you!

[@SailingHiraeth]

Glad you enjoyed it. I hope you fuel tank isn't as dirty as ours was 😬

[@rodneythetall8877]

@@SailingHiraeth Doing research for my future boat for our loop cruise

[@paulmills3984]

Great and informative video, thanks so much :)

[@nortonmolly]

For metal hatches. Find a Laser cutting company that will cut the exact shape and size you need

[@normanboyes4983]

Nice job and good system design. Are you arranging your injection returns back to the daytank? Well done.😀👍⛵️

[@SailingHiraeth]

Thanks, we're glad you're liking the videos. I've yet to install the day tank, but it'll be a 40 litre reserve tank holding polished fuel, and overflow back into the main tank. I'll also be adding a 12v timer for the switch so I can schedule the polishing. I will keep the lift pump and injection returning to the main tank. If there's a good reason to divert this to the day tank, please let me know. Everyday's a school day.. 😁

[@normanboyes4983]

@@SailingHiraeth Well, it is no big deal either way as long as you and your successors know the fuel system,.😉 But if you are using the day tank as a day tank and your storage tank as a storage tank and you transfer fuel from storage to day via the polishing system then it is ‘safer’ if the returns go back to the tank they were delivered from - in this case the day tank. The scenario that you are trying to avoid is you arrive in port, transfer fuel to the day tank, top up the storage tank and then proceed to sea (with engine on), this is emptying your day tank and ‘transferring fuel’ to the storage tank ((which was already full) and of course you are emptying the day tank quicker than it would have if the returns had been directed back there. Hope I have explained that clearly, but as I said it is no biggy, and is only a problem after fully refuelling (but can be messy). I love the day tank system and it is the very best way to ensure you are not dealing with repetitive fuel filter changes in rough weather.

[@andrewcarr3650]

Great video. Remember to clean up the swarf carefully people. Stainless stays sharp and will cut you.

[@timothybint4960]

Looking at doing this to my merc 814 truck Wema do a plastic one around £25 Maybe a good idea to use a magnet or hoover to pull the swarf away ?

[@timothybint4960]

Looking at doing this to my merc 814 truck Wema do a plastic one around £25

[@svlamancha9877]

👍

[@StemtoSternSailing]

Fantastic video as always. I fitted a polishing system to my boat a few years back. I fitted a water and cementer in front of my cav 296 wit a water trap followed by the pump. I haven't gotten around to installing inspection hatches im my tank yet. I only have one question. Shouldn't you have sealed the treads on the bolts somehow or is the duralack doing this job well enough ? Best regards from Jarle

[@SailingHiraeth]

Glad you enjoyed the video. Sound's like a good system you have. The 2 layers of nitrile rubber gasket should be plenty enough to seal it up. The Duralac might help a little, though I'm unsure as to how it's rated for diesel exposure. We've been in some pretty lumpy seas with a full tank of fuel since fitting these, and they've so far proven stubbornly leak free.

[@AleksiT]

Thanks, great video. What is color code for that brown paint?

[@SailingHiraeth]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it 😁 I searched and asked in the Wauquiez groups and was not able to find a colour code or find the original product. It's originally flowcoat. I used a brown and a white pigment added to epoxy and just blended the 2 until I got a colour match. Google search "Culr epoxy pigment" for the cheapest prices. Hope this helps.

[@stevethurlow9059]

make sure you install a AlgaeX in the fuel line...it will keep it from ever happening again

[@SVThailand]

If you're going to all this trouble to clean your main tank and polish the fuel. Don't bother with a day tank. This just makes this boat extremely high maintenance even to just operate if you have a fuel system polisher when you fill up, run your polisher for a couple of hours. Check your filters. If everything looks good, you'll have no problems a day tank just unnecessarily complicates matters. Alluring Arctic is not an engineer and if you saw his install of the same thing your head might explode. That boat is JANKY. dont make your boat Janky too.