Fuel in my water tank !!!

I am sure that when your attorney speaks with the fueling station owner, they will arrange the right people and the right products as well as replacement pump diaphragms and such.

You did have the tank fills labled correctly, right?

Diesel in water tank

Unusual for a dock attendant to dispense fuel into the boat fuel fill for that reason among many others......maybe a look in the mirror prior to calling the lawyer might save some $$$$$.

Can't imagine ever using a water tank after it's been filled with diesel. The fault though rests with the master. Rarely will a fuel station allow their employees to do the filling and the master should never permit it to happen unsupervised. If you think you can hold the fueler responsible, pull the tank and replace it at their cost, but good luck with that.

Not true in other parts of the world. In Canada, for example. All guests must get off of the boat and ONLY the fuel station attendant is to be on-board and fueling the boat.

Needless to say, try flushing the water tank with a lot of bleach. Bleach does not leave a residue. I would put a gallon per 50 gallon tank, fill the tank and let it sit for an hour, run it out of the system through all of the faucets and try repeating that a few times. It is the only thing I can think of and should eat up the fuel residue.

gasoline in water tank

Correction, in Canada, if diesel fueling, is ok to be on board, if gasoline,,everyone off...most attendants will not put the nozzle in the hole.. I personally will not allow them to, can cause spillage.

I was going to be jokey and say put a tube of Mentos in the tank and it would all froth out but this is serious stuff.

Scrub-out time is here, every inch.

Tektanks in the UK do a FLB patch lid holefiller that will cover all the holes you will need to make to clean it.

http://www.tek-group.co.uk/acatalog/Inspection_Hatches.html

Really bad news, sorry buddy, sucks.

Hi,

I am yet to bunker in a port where a non crew member has even attempted to have anything to do with onboard fuelling ops.

I have taken Diesel and Jet A1 all over the world from drums, trucks , barges, tankers and hoses out of the ground.

In every case the Chief Engineer is in overall charge of the shipboard side of the operation when there is one carried and if there isn't then the Vessel Operator should have the final say about what goes where.

You do realize that water (in this case diesel fuel & now clorine) from the faucets goes straight overboard. Your local marine patrol may have a few things to talk with you about when they see you do that. EPA and a few other agencies as well.

They don't have those problems in Bonaire where the poster lives. From what it sounds like, he has much less then a gallon of diesel in his water tank, and probably more like 8 ounces or less. "The water is clear, but cloudy with a strong smell of diesel. After a while it puts a sheen on the water." The chlorine should eat the diesel fuel. Chlorine is fine to put into the water (in normal quantities, as it is totally biodegradable.)

True, and besides, I guess after the BP debacle any little fuel spills won't mean much anymore anyway. 100,000 gallons could now be considered a drop in the ocean so this is nothing. Old way of thinking on my part I guess.

Clear but cloudy? Wet but dry? Hot but cold?

Chlorine won't do diddly to diesel fuel in a water system other than make the oily water smell even worse.

Thorough flushing of the entire system is the only solution at this point. A strong mix of dishwasher detergent and hot water circulated through the entire system is a good start. After a few flushes with detergent, when and if the water appears and smells clean, use a strong mix of isopropyl alcohol for a next to final flush. A final flush with fresh water to remove all traces of alcohol before refilling with the appropriate dosage of chlorine should solve the problem.

Well said. Diesel is an oil and can only be shifted by detergents or solvents. Just ask any fisherman in the Gulf.

Any cleaning agent will leave a taint or flavour for ages in the water. I hate to say it but new tanks may be a cheaper option.

lemon juice (I've used Realemon) will help to eliminate odor and taste left by the detergents and solvents.

And Dawn (the dish-soap) does a brilliant job at cutting through just about any oil substance.

Speaking as a land based plumber my advice is to replace all plastic and rubber parts in the system. Fill tubes, washers, impellers, diaphrams, etc. FYI 'most' stainless steel flexible tubes are lined with plastic or rubber. Storage tank water heaters typically should be removed and flushed seperately and tested prior to reinstalling, may be cheaper just to replace it. Also replacing the faucets may not be a bad idea as the cast brass internal surfaces are almost impossible to remove bad tastes from.

I would caution against trusting your taste buds or sense of smell in cases such as this. Take water samples from each fixture and spigot to a test lab and see the results of your flushing efforts. The lab will provide sterile sample containers and collection instructions. A small price to pay for peace of mind later.

You may wind up replumbing the vessel depending on the amount of fuel that made it through. My two cents, your mileage may vary. I am sorry for your misfortune.

Now that is a bit drastic! It's a real pain in the wrong places but it's not the end of the world and it doesn't mean replumbing the whole boat.

Circulating or flushing with a strong detergent mixture of hot water will remove nearly all the oil from the system. Alcohol will remove the final few parts per million that cause the smell. It is a matter of scour, flush, repeat until the smell is gone. Plastic parts are the most difficult since the material is "oleophilic" - it love oil. That is why plastic beads are used in oily water separators.

As far as the threat of health issues, a clean and sanitary system is all that is required. It is a big plus to remove all the diesel smell but diesel smell isn't poisonous and it won't do anything more than keep people from using the potable water. When the smell is gone, the problem is gone. It really is that simple.

You may wind up replumbing the vessel depending on the amount of fuel that made it through. My two cents, your mileage may vary.

It would seem that your mileage varied.

And what is so drastic about replumbing a boat anyway??? I assume it's not the Seawolf submarine, it doesn't run on diesel. LOL