Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
 
Old 06 September 2016, 13:30   #1
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: Flitch Green
Boat name: The Butt
Make: Ribtec 655
Length: 6m +
Engine: 200 HP Mercury
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 93
Fuel Tank - Flushing

Hi All

As you may know from the other posts I have a project - a Ribtec 655.

This has a built in fuel tank (140litres according to others on here) - how would I go about flushing/cleaning it out etc?

Any suggestions welcome!

Cheers!

Mode
__________________
Mode is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06 September 2016, 15:02   #2
Member
 
Country: Ireland
Town: Galway
Boat name: Béar Dubh
Make: Ribcraft
Length: 6m +
Engine: Suzuki DF250
MMSI: 250005569
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 65
RIBase
Sorry to jump on the bandwagon but I will be in the same position in about 2 weeks (8m ribtec), only difference is my tank is diesel. If there is different advice for diesel vs petrol can we get the full picture. Thanks in advance.

George
__________________
georgeirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06 September 2016, 16:54   #3
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: bedford
Make: tornado
Length: 5m +
Engine: outboard 60hp merc
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 328
Quote:
Originally Posted by georgeirl View Post
Sorry to jump on the bandwagon but I will be in the same position in about 2 weeks (8m ribtec), only difference is my tank is diesel. If there is different advice for diesel vs petrol can we get the full picture. Thanks in advance.

George
Some years ago we had a problem with the build up of crud in the tank on our tornado dive boat,. After cleaning the idle jets out umpteen times on our lovely yam V4 we took the bull by the horns and cut a large hole in the top of the alu tank with a hole saw. I then flushed it out wit endless buckets of hot soapy water. This is after syphoning all or as much of the fuel as I could get out. The crud inside was surprising as well as some water. Droplets. After the final flushing with petrol it was all left to dry and we made a plate with a screw cap to fit on. Not had a problem since, fingers crossed. Dave j
__________________
davej is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08 September 2016, 06:44   #4
Member
 
gtflash's Avatar
 
Country: UK - England
Town: southampton
Boat name: TOP CAT 2
Make: Scorpion 8.1
Length: 8m +
Engine: 250hp HO
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,804
My tank is built into boat and got contaminated through my own doing. It has a 6" round hole on top of tank at rear. I tried flushing with soapy water and pumping it out with a drill pump before I finally removed the inspection hatch. I was amazed how much muck and slime still contaminated the tank. I did same thing, hot soapy water, then pumped it out on an angle to move debris to the last bulkhead I could get too. Then back flushed with hose and sponged all the bits out multiple and multiple times. The baffles collect all sorts, so I used what would ever fit through the holes to scrub every bit I could reach. I doubt I got to even half of it in reality.

Rinse and repeat. Fairy liquid seems to work and I then cleared that it with petrol flushes. Not used it yet mind.
__________________
gtflash is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08 September 2016, 07:09   #5
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: Flitch Green
Boat name: The Butt
Make: Ribtec 655
Length: 6m +
Engine: 200 HP Mercury
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 93
I thought it would be a big job! Will keep you posted when I get round to it!

Cheers

Mode
__________________
Mode is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08 September 2016, 07:23   #6
Member
 
sailrib's Avatar
 
Country: USA
Town: global
Boat name: VSR
Length: 5m +
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 116
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mode View Post
Hi All

As you may know from the other posts I have a project - a Ribtec 655.

This has a built in fuel tank (140litres according to others on here) - how would I go about flushing/cleaning it out etc?

Any suggestions welcome!

Cheers!

Mode
Does the tank have an inspection port for you to access the inside of the tank?
__________________
sailrib is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08 September 2016, 07:30   #7
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: Gloucestershire
Boat name: Osprey
Make: Osprey Vipermax
Length: 5m +
Engine: E-tec 300 G2
MMSI: TBC
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 4,020
Never had to clean a tank however It would probably be a job I would leave to the pros...

Home - Tank Tech Fuel
__________________
---------------------------------------------------
Chris Stevens

Born fiddler
Chris is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23 September 2016, 19:33   #8
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: London
Length: 6m +
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 256
Who cleans car fuel tanks? So why would you clean a RIB tank? Besides, both have fuel filters, which are consumable items.
__________________
mikew4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23 September 2016, 19:47   #9
RIBnet Supporter
 
willk's Avatar
 
Country: Ireland
Length: 4m +
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 14,666
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikew4 View Post
Who cleans car fuel tanks?
Some gadge who stands under it and turns a bleed screw.

What's your point?
__________________
I'm sorry, but there IS no Mars Bar.
willk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23 September 2016, 19:50   #10
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: London
Length: 6m +
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 256
As in, why would you need to clean a fuel tank? Fuel filters are consumables.
__________________
mikew4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23 September 2016, 19:51   #11
Member
 
Country: Ireland
Town: Galway
Boat name: Béar Dubh
Make: Ribcraft
Length: 6m +
Engine: Suzuki DF250
MMSI: 250005569
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 65
RIBase
If you saw the state of the fuel coming out of mine you would want to clean it too!!
__________________
georgeirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23 September 2016, 20:05   #12
RIBnet Supporter
 
willk's Avatar
 
Country: Ireland
Length: 4m +
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 14,666
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikew4 View Post
As in, why would you need to clean a fuel tank? Fuel filters are consumables.
If boats were cars we'd all be richer.

To some degree, I agree with your unspoken argument - "tanks are tanks, fuel is fuel, engines are engines". But the realities of seasonal boating are that tanks are unused for seven months and waterside fueling stations are low volume. The result is water in tanks, debris and biological contamination in fuel supplies. Tanks can and do become heavily contaminated and filters are a poor solution when the contaminant load is high, especially when it is something other than water. A good clean out may be essential.

My fuel pickup is at the very bottom of my tank. My fuel system filters the entire tank on an ongoing basis. But I always give my filter extra love after refueling at strange places and at the start of each season...
__________________
I'm sorry, but there IS no Mars Bar.
willk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23 September 2016, 22:20   #13
Member
 
Pikey Dave's Avatar
 
Country: UK - England
Town: South Yorks
Boat name: Black Pig
Make: Ribcraft
Length: 5m +
Engine: DF140a
MMSI: 235111389
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,864
RIBase
Quote:
Originally Posted by willk View Post
If boats were cars we'd all be richer.



To some degree, I agree with your unspoken argument - "tanks are tanks, fuel is fuel, engines are engines". But the realities of seasonal boating are that tanks are unused for seven months and waterside fueling stations are low volume. The result is water in tanks, debris and biological contamination in fuel supplies. Tanks can and do become heavily contaminated and filters are a poor solution when the contaminant load is high, especially when it is something other than water. A good clean out may be essential.



My fuel pickup is at the very bottom of my tank. My fuel system filters the entire tank on an ongoing basis. But I always give my filter extra love after refueling at strange places and at the start of each season...

Do you have a fuel polishing system willk? Constantly circulating through filters? Nice touch if so👍


Lions led by donkeys
__________________
Rule#2: Never argue with an idiot. He'll drag you down to his level & then beat you with experience.
Rule#3: Tha' can't educate pork.
Rule#4:Don't feed the troll
Pikey Dave is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23 September 2016, 23:39   #14
Member
 
Country: UK - Scotland
Town: north ayrshire
Boat name: charlie girl
Make: S/R5.4/regal3760
Length: 10m +
Engine: Suzukidf70 2x6lp 315
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 3,721
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pikey Dave View Post
Do you have a fuel polishing system willk? Constantly circulating through filters? Nice touch if so👍


Lions led by donkeys
It's called a diesel engine they constantly recirculate a high volume of fuel back to the tank
__________________
beamishken is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24 September 2016, 08:44   #15
RIBnet Supporter
 
willk's Avatar
 
Country: Ireland
Length: 4m +
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 14,666
Quote:
Originally Posted by beamishken View Post
It's called a diesel engine they constantly recirculate a high volume of fuel back to the tank
I meant to mention that...
__________________
I'm sorry, but there IS no Mars Bar.
willk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24 September 2016, 08:57   #16
Member
 
Erin's Avatar
 
Country: UK - Channel Islands
Town: A large rock
Boat name: La Frette
Make: Osprey Vipermax
Length: 6m +
Engine: 200 Suzzy
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 2,893
Fuel Tank - Flushing

Be very careful. Petrol vapour is very flammable, liquid petrol is not. I would avoid using liquid detergents but rather just set up a fuel polishing system with a decent fuel water separator with filter such a Racor or Separ. Feed the pick up down to the base of the tank and let it run. You will never get all the crud out, but so long as the remnants are well stuck I can't see it becoming a major issue. WRT diesel, your biggest enemy is water causing diesel bug. Again, a fuel polishing set up is the best unless you already have bug in which case steam cleaning might be the best option.
Erin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24 September 2016, 10:09   #17
Member
 
Country: Australia
Make: Nautica
Length: 6m +
Engine: Twin outboard
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 60
Click image for larger version

Name:	ImageUploadedByRIB Net1474711577.396657.jpg
Views:	223
Size:	31.1 KB
ID:	116189Click image for larger version

Name:	ImageUploadedByRIB Net1474711610.190099.jpg
Views:	248
Size:	30.2 KB
ID:	116190Click image for larger version

Name:	ImageUploadedByRIB Net1474711636.051598.jpg
Views:	242
Size:	33.3 KB
ID:	116191

Pressure test it and if in any doubt, bite the bullet and rip it out. It's one of the most important aspects to any RIB and yet we often ignore or band aid repair them.

390L tank in a 6.7m RIB WTF
__________________
Patch is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24 September 2016, 12:10   #18
Member
 
Last Tango's Avatar
 
Country: UK - Scotland
Town: Denny
Boat name: Highland Bluewater
Length: 6m +
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,647
With the number of tank failures we all see, you'd think the manufactures would get the message.
These damn things are more or less consumable!
Why on earth would you construct a boat in a manner that requires the deck to be cut out when the tank fails (and it will). Really it beggars belief, but still some RIB builders do it.
I don't know if this is down to some delusional belief that the tanks they fit will never fail or they just don't care, it'll be out of warranty and someone else's problem by then.
(I'd hasten to add my Coastline's tank is fitted in a sealed well under the console and wasn't to bad a job when it failed at 15yrs.
__________________
Last Tango is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24 September 2016, 17:20   #19
Member
 
sailrib's Avatar
 
Country: USA
Town: global
Boat name: VSR
Length: 5m +
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 116
Quote:
Originally Posted by Last Tango View Post
With the number of tank failures we all see, you'd think the manufactures would get the message.
These damn things are more or less consumable!
Why on earth would you construct a boat in a manner that requires the deck to be cut out when the tank fails (and it will). Really it beggars belief, but still some RIB builders do it.
I don't know if this is down to some delusional belief that the tanks they fit will never fail or they just don't care, it'll be out of warranty and someone else's problem by then.
(I'd hasten to add my Coastline's tank is fitted in a sealed well under the console and wasn't to bad a job when it failed at 15yrs.
I completely agree, it's bad enough that they don't even provide an inspection port to the tank.
__________________
sailrib is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24 September 2016, 18:12   #20
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Length: 3m +
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,758
Quote:
Originally Posted by Erin View Post
Be very careful. Petrol vapour is very flammable, liquid petrol is not. I would avoid using liquid detergents but rather just set up a fuel polishing system with a decent fuel water separator with filter
Fuel polish works when the level of crud is low. Just like ur misses polishing the coffee table with Mr Sheen. But when ur Mayes have been round and left beer mats glued to the coffee table with spilled vindaloo I don't think polish will sort it... But perhaps if the wife had polished before your mates came and you'd had a suitable oily rag to hand you wouldn't be trying to peel the beer mats off -- if you get my analogy you will understand I'm saying fuel polishing may well be useful for minimising contamination but not for a good spring cleaning...

Was ur reference to vapour connected to the detergent? I don't get that.
__________________
ShinyShoe is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




All times are GMT. The time now is 12:32.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.