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Advice on fitting a separate diesel tank for my stove


AdamG

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Hi

I'm having problems with the gravity feed to my diesel stove. It is currently fed from the main diesel tank at the stern whilst the stove is right at the front of the boat. I have thought about having the fuel 'polished' but this is quite expensive and I'm not convinced it would cure the problem. A more permanent solution would be to fit a small separate diesel tank somewhere in the well deck with a simple gravity feed. Something like a 40 litre tank would do as I doubt I'm getting through more than 30 litres per week.

Has anyone done this either DIY or getting a bloke in? If so, can you provide some advice and potential costs please? I've found some tanks online that aren't too expensive, but it's the fitting I'm not sure of - especially in terms of the BSS implications.

Many thanks

Adam

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Mine is on the well deck, tucked under the gunnel, with a proper filling fitting on the gunnel and a gooseneck vent protected by the roof overhang.  It is actually for the Mikuni but I find it very easy to fill and it works well.  But it was probably done at build.  It is a fabricated tank, bolted in place.  Not much bigger than a shoe box.

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42 minutes ago, mross said:

Mine is on the well deck, tucked under the gunnel, with a proper filling fitting on the gunnel and a gooseneck vent protected by the roof overhang.  It is actually for the Mikuni but I find it very easy to fill and it works well.  But it was probably done at build.  It is a fabricated tank, bolted in place.  Not much bigger than a shoe box.

So is mine for my Old Dutch, plus there is a transfer pump, to allow diesel to be transferred from the main engine/Webasto tank.  (Pity you can't transfer it the other way in case you run out of propulsion fuel though).

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I have a separate stainless steel tank attached to a bulkhead.  It is fed by means of a semi-rotary pump from the main tank.

Read the BSS regulations because a tank greater than 27 litres is subject to more stringent conditions - venting, overflow arrangements etc.

 

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14 minutes ago, cuthound said:

So is mine for my Old Dutch, plus there is a transfer pump, to allow diesel to be transferred from the main engine/Webasto tank.  (Pity you can't transfer it the other way in case you run out of propulsion fuel though).

As mine is in the engine room I can and have connect my engine to the takeoff from the stove tank when someone borrowed the diesel out of my main tank. Kept me going for a couple of days.

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7 hours ago, mross said:

Because it's rather dangerous if you should get a leak.  And not suitable for a gravity-fed device.

Why do lockgate advise you to fit one when you have a filter inline? I would think it was just as dangerous with a gravity fed system 

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Thanks for all the replies - for some reason I haven't received any email notifications despite having the option on. Anyway...

A wider bore pipe would be a pain to fit as  it would have to run the full length of the boat and  be fitted within cupboards/skirting/behind bath etc. Otherwise, that might have worked.

The pump idea is good but would still result in dragging crap from the main diesel tank through to the stove. This is effectively what I've been doing by means of releasing the feed pipe and using my vacuum cleaner to suck the diesel through! This has worked half a dozen times but is not a permanent solution.

I'd really like to fit a separate small tank so I know the fuel is clean and if it gets grubby, I can more easily clean it out. I've scoured the internet for someone who could fit this but had no luck so far. Tek Tanks can supply the tank but, weirdly, said that if I fitted a gravity feed to it I would invalidate the warranty??

It's probably a straightforward DIY job but I want to make sureit's fitted within the BSS standards.

Anyone know of someone who could fit it? I'm in Milton Keynes...

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16 hours ago, AdamG said:

Thanks for all the replies - for some reason I haven't received any email notifications despite having the option on. Anyway...

A wider bore pipe would be a pain to fit as  it would have to run the full length of the boat and  be fitted within cupboards/skirting/behind bath etc. Otherwise, that might have worked.

The pump idea is good but would still result in dragging crap from the main diesel tank through to the stove. This is effectively what I've been doing by means of releasing the feed pipe and using my vacuum cleaner to suck the diesel through! This has worked half a dozen times but is not a permanent solution.

I'd really like to fit a separate small tank so I know the fuel is clean and if it gets grubby, I can more easily clean it out. I've scoured the internet for someone who could fit this but had no luck so far. Tek Tanks can supply the tank but, weirdly, said that if I fitted a gravity feed to it I would invalidate the warranty??

It's probably a straightforward DIY job but I want to make sureit's fitted within the BSS standards.

Anyone know of someone who could fit it? I'm in Milton Keynes...

Possibly they mean the warranty for leaking.  So a gravity feed is out the side but below the diesel level so a tank connector may eventually leak, whereas a pumped feed is probably taken by a dip tube from above the diesel level so the tank connector will not weep.  But if you really want to know why, best ask them.

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  • 4 months later...

I've been doing a little more rootling around. I've had a quote of well over 400 sovs for a company to provide a simple plastic tank with an outlet fitted for the gravity feed.

This seems ludicrously over-priced. Especially as I could buy something like this...

http://www.marinesuperstore.com/engine-accessories/fuel-tanks-lines/hulk-portable-fuel-tank

Say, the 30 litre version. It's all perfectly safe as it is, obviously, but I would the need to drill a hole for the gravity feed and then fit a safe and tight connection. Can anyone advise me if they've done this sort of thing before? I've watched this video which is similar, but I'm not sure I'd be up to it... Plus my gravity feed would not be fitted to the bottom of the tank but maybe an inch up on the side.
 

 

Edited by AdamG
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38 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Search on ebay for "stationary engine tank" and there are loads, new and used. They should come already fitted with a fuel cap and a gravity feed connection.

Thanks. Did that but they are either over-priced antiques or too small, most being only 4-10 litres...

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On 2/26/2017 at 00:03, luggsy said:

I have exactly this type of pump for my lockgate stove.

The stove is about 45 feet from the supply tank and will work by gravity alone once started with the pump. So I can switch the pump off at night but leave the stove running (the pump is a bit noisy and located in the back cabin not far from the bed).

It would be straight forward to fit on most boats (it's smaller than a half pint glass) and might be a good/cheaper first attempt at a solution.

Frank.

Edited by frahkn
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On 28/07/2017 at 22:56, frahkn said:

I have exactly this type of pump for my lockgate stove.

The stove is about 45 feet from the supply tank and will work by gravity alone once started with the pump. So I can switch the pump off at night but leave the stove running (the pump is a bit noisy and located in the back cabin not far from the bed).

It would be straight forward to fit on most boats (it's smaller than a half pint glass) and might be a good/cheaper first attempt at a solution.

Frank.

Hi Frank
Thanks for the suggestion but the problem I have is that my fuel tank is full of crap. This doesn't affect the engine as the fuel filter takes care of that. But fitting a small pump on the feed line to my stove won't solve this problem. It will still drag through rubbish that will block the line or water from the condensation in the tank.

I really think by best option is a separate tank. If I can get this small, cheap tank fitted safely, I can easily ensure good quality fuel is getting to my stove...

Cheers, Adam

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1 hour ago, AdamG said:

Hi Frank
Thanks for the suggestion but the problem I have is that my fuel tank is full of crap. This doesn't affect the engine as the fuel filter takes care of that. But fitting a small pump on the feed line to my stove won't solve this problem. It will still drag through rubbish that will block the line or water from the condensation in the tank.

I really think by best option is a separate tank. If I can get this small, cheap tank fitted safely, I can easily ensure good quality fuel is getting to my stove...

Cheers, Adam

Well you must proceed as you think best, good luck to you with it . I should have mentioned that I have a filter in my stove line just as I have a preliminary filter/aglomorater in my fuel line before the 'engine' filter.

But you are best with a solution which gives you ease of mind.

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32 minutes ago, frahkn said:

Well you must proceed as you think best, good luck to you with it . I should have mentioned that I have a filter in my stove line just as I have a preliminary filter/aglomorater in my fuel line before the 'engine' filter.

But you are best with a solution which gives you ease of mind.

I see what you mean... A pump, plus filter might work. I'll look into it.

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My diesel drip stove is fed from a dedicated tank and feeds via  a small filter.

Personally I would address the root cause and get the existing tank drained and cleaned. If not you might find it eventually leaks where the water in the bottom has caused it to rust through and/or the crud will block your filters when it is least convenient.

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