water in gas

C

Carvervirgin

Member
Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2012
RO Number
32836
Messages
323
I was wondering if any of my fellow carver owners have had any issues with water accumulating/getting into in their gas? It is too long to get into the whole story but was wondering if there is any history with Carvers, especially 356s. Also, I always use non-ethanol gas. thanks John
 
This year we will clean no less than 300 boat tanks. Regardless you use ethanol or non-ethanol, due to the environment it happens, water in the fuel tank.
What we have noticed, where saddle tanks exist, the tank that sees the grestest temperature change has way more water.
 
Absolute, can you expand on that please? Do you mean that the sunny side of the boat will have more of an issue? Can you explain more in depth. Thanks for I am struggling with a problem currently. John
 
The sunny side of trucks, boats, farm equipment, etc will see a greater swing in temperature changes therefore creating more condensation (thus the water). We have seen an increase in this in the recent years due to the lack of use during the down turn in the economy. Automobiles are not effected as much because of the closed system while at rest, unlike a boat or farm equipment that has vented fuel tanks. Some will argue an automobile is vented, but leave a gas cap off and the "CHECK ENGINE" light will come on.
 
With water weighting more than gasoline, it settles to the bottom of the tank. One can pump off the water until you start to see gasoline. However with the chemical makeup of todays ethanol and other reformulated fuels, once you reach a certain point by volume the quality of the fuel can be compromised with fatal results to the engines.
Our job is to test the fuel once thw water has been removed and based on our findings this determines our next step. Sometimes a complete pumpout is required other times simply removing the water and adding a quart of Sentry Gasoline Plus to address any residual water left behind.

We have a few thousand dollars invested in state of the art equipment that not only removes free standing water, but also suspended water that has emulsified within the fuel. Filtering from 200 microns down to 0.5 microns (30 microns is about half the size of a hair). Our service is to clean tanks and polished fuel is a by-product. When we get calls to polish fuel, we respond with "that's like putting the baby back in the dirty diaper".
 
Absolute, I understand that issue now but what is one to do? Keep tanks low and add fuel often? Keep them full and decrease the condensation surface area? We pulled out several gallons of water from a 98 gallon tank. So much so I thought someone vandalized the boat by adding water to the gas or I got a dirty batch from the marina. How much water can be expected to accumulate under the natural process you describe? Thanks in advance for I need to learn how to deal with this if it is "naturally occuring" for it has been a major stressor and is ruining all the fun! John
 
We recently came across data regarding fuel filters for gas stations. The brochure told of the filters ability to detect water and phase separation. At this point the filter would go into a 'slow flow' mode. However if the filter was allowed to remain in service it would return to 'full flow' at which time the contaminates are being put in to your tank.

When we find above average amount of water we look for the obvious points, sender gasket, vent, fill cap. Ir this fails we pressure test the tank. What we usually find is a tank that has a hole above the normal fuel height and let's free water enter from below the decks.
As for a full tank or empty, I opt for an empty tank for long term storage.
 
John,
There has to be something wrong, I can't believe it is a condensation issue. We have not had water in the tank issues. Have you pulled and checked the seal around the gas fill cap?
 
James, the O ring appears fine and the seal is good. I tried to remove the fill hose from the tank , for I wanted to water down the fill and see if anything came down the hose. It is nearly impossible to access the clamps under the stereo cabinet. It is double clamped and no working room. I am at a loss. We lifted the boat last week and let the gas settle on the sling for 12 hours. We drained the bottom layer out of both tanks. The starboard tank had quite a bit of water still, the port very little. At this point it is as good as I can get it. We put on 40 miles this weekend and I only had to empty the gas separator filter 2x. I am hopeful we are ahead of it but I want to make sure i am not overlooking something that will repeat in the future. John
 
If your gas fills are like the ones I have seen on other Carvers it is time for you to buy some good SS ones and replace them. From there on make sure you have new O-rings on board and replace them yearly. It is very important to keep a close eye on them as your fills are sitting in a low spot on the deck and during heavy rain you will have standing water right there.

Cor
 
An old fried of ours had this issue in a 32 aft cabin Carver. He swapped out the deck fills and it resolved the issue.
 
Thanks guys. I do have stainless steel fills currently. They are stock. I will look into replacing the O rings just to be safe. Boatbum, can you get any more info on what your friend switched to? The ones I have looked at appear no different than what I have now. JB
 
I believe they were Perko similarly sized.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top