Ideas to drain reserve tank

Vince

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As stated, 2001 268 islander. Water in reserve tank, trying to pull sending unit to get to gas but it hits the step. And ideas would be great
 

Sparkdog118

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I would drain the contents of the tank with an electric fuel pump through the feed line, tilting the boat to get as much out as possible. Then put in about 20 gal of non ethanol fuel mixed with a good dose of k-100 additive. Make sure you have the feed hooked up to a new racor filter with a clear bowl on the bottom. Run the motor and drain the excess water out of the racor as you are driving the boat. This will remove most of the water and the k-100 will neutralize the rest. Just keep the Water in the racor drained as it comes out of the tank. Takes about 5 to ten min while at high speed in a chop. The first minute is where you will get most of your water.
 

wrxhoon

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This is how I would drain it , I have done it before this way on a boat that came from USA full of old ethanol fuel and the tank was built in so you couldn't remove it without cutting the floor.
Remove the sender unit that would leave you with a 2" opening ( or there about). Stick a 3/4 hose in there long enough to go over the gunnel and to the ground, the end of the hose has to be lower than the bottom of the tank. The trick now is to start the siphoning process, you can use whatever for that. Careful using anything with electric motor, a spark from the motor especially when starting could blow everything up ( ok very little chance but still why risk) . You can buy a proper siphon hose , the ones with the little ball then all you have to do is extend the hose, just joint it with a piece of pipe or whatever.
This will drain almost all the fuel if you lift the front of the boat on its jack. You will end up with very little maybe a couple cupfuls then get clean rugs or even a sponge wrap that on a piece of stick/wire to get it all out . This way you can clean the tank 100%.
 

seasick

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His problem is that he can't pull the sender out to expose the hole. The sender bumps into the back of the step.
The idea of going in through the pickup fitting might work but backing off that hose can be a real bear.In addition if the pickup tube has a strainer on its bottom, he won't be able to get the bottom contents out.
Going through the vent fitting might be easier.
 

DennisG01

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That's rough - an older style sender would be able to come out, but that style looks impossible. I guess the only way would be to cut in another deck plate on the step. Is the "tube" of that sender plastic? You cut it off in sections to remove it... not sure it would be a good idea if it is metal! Although... a pipe cutter wouldn't make a spark. I think I'd still install a new deck plate.
 

seasick

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I think he said the other side of that piece is a stair perhaps.
 

Vince

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Ya the boat yard suggested a plate in the step but I would hate to drill a hole in the middle of the step. I siphoned out 2 gallons yesterday out of the main line but that pick up tube dosen't hit the bottom so I can't get all that water out. This pic is the contents of 2 filters and me pumping the 2 fuel lines to the motor out of that shit fuel.20200701_190500.jpg
 

RussGW270

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I would take out a check book..(they still use those? lol).... pay someone to drain them....hehe

R
 

Sparkdog118

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Pump out what you can with the feed.
Vacuum the bottom with this using the little hose that fits around the sender. Then Run non ethanol, the racor filter and k100 for the rest. Crazy to cut your boat for such a small problem. Customers would bring in ethanol issues to my shop 3 or four times a week. Racor filter will not let anything bad pass through it as long as you drain it while it comes out.
 

Sparkdog118

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If a new style wema will fit in there without cutting the boat, , cut the old sender out.
 

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wspitler

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I had a similar problem with my 150 gallon Aux tank when I first bought my boat. Maybe not quite as bad, but almost. I just filled it up with fresh non-ethanol and stabil. I then kept changing out the water separators every few running hours. Sometimes I installed new ones, other times I just dumped them out into a clear quart jar and checked the amount of water captured. I found that the Yamaha separators do a great job and almost no water gets into the primary engine filter. If it does I always carry several spare engine and water separator filters. My engines have "water in the fuel indicators," so I could tell before the water got to the LP pump. Might be different for you, but there are three more filters after the fuel-water separators on the F250 type. It took several trips to get all of the water out, but over time, my separators came out with very little to no water in them. If I change mine out every 50 hours or so I will always get maybe 1/2 inch of water in the quart jar during the summer. I run one engine off each tank so I always have a different fuel source for redundancy, just my aero background I guess.
 

Vince

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I.like that idea of using both tanks. Keeps the fuel fresh
 

Sparkdog118

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I had a similar problem with my 150 gallon Aux tank when I first bought my boat. Maybe not quite as bad, but almost. I just filled it up with fresh non-ethanol and stabil. I then kept changing out the water separators every few running hours. Sometimes I installed new ones, other times I just dumped them out into a clear quart jar and checked the amount of water captured. I found that the Yamaha separators do a great job and almost no water gets into the primary engine filter. If it does I always carry several spare engine and water separator filters. My engines have "water in the fuel indicators," so I could tell before the water got to the LP pump. Might be different for you, but there are three more filters after the fuel-water separators on the F250 type. It took several trips to get all of the water out, but over time, my separators came out with very little to no water in them. If I change mine out every 50 hours or so I will always get maybe 1/2 inch of water in the quart jar during the summer. I run one engine off each tank so I always have a different fuel source for redundancy, just my aero background I guess.
A racor with a drain will drop all the ethanol and water in the bottom of the glass and you drain it as it comes out. No need to make a mess dumping or replacing filters. They filter better than any one on the market. B32013 is the Yamaha replacement size.
 

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seasick

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Looking at the original photo, I think going in via the vent fitting will work. You need a pump, manual or electric and a narrow tube than can be bent to get to the bottom. If you get an electric pump. it must say that it is safe for gasoline.
By the way, the stuff you got out into the jug looks aweful:)
 

Vince

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I like that filter but I barely have enough room to put my hand under it to unscrew if off as it is
 

Vlabruzzo

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Direct line from pickup to primer bulb into tank on ground. Siphon effect
 

Vince

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Also, anyone know why the water on the bottom is red? Is that the fuel treatment?