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Old gas

Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2017 11:42 am
by JEB
I have used stable on the gas in my boat twice but it only last so long so im going to siphon out the gas BEFORE it gets bad.
I did it once before by taking the sending units out for access. I unhooked the batteries and kept everything open while doing it.
The boat was in the water that time. Now the boat is on land and I was wondering what precautions should be taken. I will unhook the batteries again. This time the recieving gas cans will probably be down on the ground. Just dont want any static sparks to happen obviously. I want to get the gas out before it gets bad and store the boat compleatly empty.
Any advice is appeiciated
If I can get the time I will probably be putting her up for sale.
Shes a 87 flybridge with less than 500 hours. Twin 360, AC, 16/16 screws, etc...etc...very rare B floor plan!

Thanks

JEB

Re: Old gas

Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2017 12:23 pm
by Tuggle
Drained mine while it was in the yard, pulled the fuel out from the cut off valve. Had a tank in the back of the truck with a small vane pump.

Re: Old gas

Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2017 2:58 pm
by yooper
My 1988 project boat is was full of years old gas. I started a siphon from the fuel pump cutoff to the bottom drain plug.The tanks were quickly emptied and a guy who used waste oil and gas for heating was happy to haul it away. Before I took the boat out I wanted to see what was going to go into my freshly rebuilt carbs. I borrowed a rig consisting of an electric fuel pump, an auto style fuel filter, some battery clamps and a switch. I put in 12 gals of fresh gas and pulled the fuel through the boats brass water separators until the fuel showed no sign of dirt or water.

Re: Old gas

Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2017 3:47 pm
by JEB
Hmmmmm, that might be an idea to run a line from the fuel pump line through the drain plug.....
Fortunately this gas is still good but im getting it out prior to it going bad....
an ounce of prevention as they say....

Ive never taken out the drain plug.....where is it located on our 32 boats?

Thanks for the info

Re: Old gas

Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2017 9:41 pm
by jralbert
Drain plug...usually a little aft of midships, near the keel

Re: Old gas

Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 6:05 am
by Fastjeff
Note that most marinas' insurance companies forbid empty fuel tanks for safety reasons (a tank full of fumes is a bomb). Not sure where you're doing this, but it can be hazardous.

Be careful and good luck.

Jeff

Re: Old gas

Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 12:18 pm
by jralbert
Fastjeff wrote:Note that most marinas' insurance companies forbid empty fuel tanks for safety reasons (a tank full of fumes is a bomb). Not sure where you're doing this, but it can be hazardous. Be careful and good luck.Jeff
Weighing in to support what JP just wrote. It's the fumes, not just the liquid you should worry about. A lot. I've seen the science demos where the fumes from just a couple of drops of gasoline have enormous power. The liquid mostly just burns. Of course, it's your boat and you do what you must but check it out. I have always read, as did JP, that a full tank , with Stabil in it,won't disintegrate into muck over the course of a winter and that's the practice we used to follow.

For very long term storage, I would do some research on safety. Perhaps, providing extra ventilation for an empty tank.

Re: Old gas

Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 2:38 pm
by BlueSkye
Gasoline vapor by itself will not burn (explode the container). >92% air must be present in the mixture. I think "extra ventilation" in the gas tank is not a good idea. Personally I don't think (almost) completely empty is the right choice.

Don't worry so much about 12 volt setting off gasoline vapors. Worry about 120 v.

Make sure some stabil treated gas gets into the carbs. That helps prevent "green slime" gooping up the carb in storage.

Before I became a degenerate boat bum I used to be a Chemical Engineer.

Re: Old gas

Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 3:16 pm
by BlueSkye
I was working across the Arthur Kill from this in the '70s. If I have the story straight, the tank was supposedly empty and they force ventilated it with air, so that workers could go inside.

http://www.silive.com/news/2013/02/40_y ... _isla.html

Re: Old gas

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2017 9:14 am
by bcassedy
Unfortunately, both of Sunset Seeker's 75gal tanks are full.(topped off in March of this year. There was still 25 - 30 gal of previous season's (2016) gas in tanks (added late fall and Seafoam added at season's end to stabilize) when topped off. At time of top off Seafoam was again added. Because Admiral fell and broke lumbar & cervical vertabrae on May1, 2017 + rehab time and she just couldn't take ride on boat, boat didn't make it into water.

So, there's 150 gallons of gas (good???) sitting in tanks.
Question to forum -
1. Is gas still usable: either in boat's engines NEXT season?
2. If not for next season, usable in our vehicles NOW?
3. If not usable now in vehicles or next season, leave in tanks, close off vents (tape over), drain next year and (gulp!!!) refill?

Pulling gas out of tanks...
Had considered 2 primary ways...
Using a brass nipple weighted, reinforced clear plastic line coming out of fill fitting on tank:
NOTE - Would route hose thru drain port on aft boat bottom (described in earlier post above)
A. Connect 12v marine rated pump to empty.
B. Syphon
Both A. & B. would utilize a brass fuel valve just before line would enter collection containers. This would allow flow to be stopped/started conveniently.
--> going thru fill fitting on tank would allow for (some) movement of weighted end of syphon tube to pull crud from tank bottom <which would be discarded if tank's [clean] contents can be used>.

I don't believe there would be a static discharge potential as tanks are grounded to hull/battery, using plastic hose to pull/mt gas from tank and recovery recepticals would be 5gal plastic gas cans.

What are your thots, folks??

Bill